The discovery and enhancement of the Spiz for mountaineering and hiking is linked to the scientific curiosity of Giovanni Angelini – a Bellunese doctor and mountaineer who, together with his brother and some friends dedicated himself to the discovery, tracing and dissemination of possible routes, ascents and connections. In 1970 the Carnielli-De Marchi bivouac (2010m) was also inaugurated as a shelter for climbers intending to tackle the western side of the Mezzodì. It is now a destination for day trips and high-altitude trekking undertaken by hikers and tourists from increasingly varied origins. From the ruins of the Casel Sora ’l Sass, once used by shepherds, a bivouac was erected in the seventies, then later transformed in the early nineties into a managed refuge. The Mezzodì dairy, abandoned as an alpine hut, was adapted and converted into a shelter (currently closed to the public). The structures were destined for a similar fate. Whilst some paths were disappearing, the local section of the Italian Alpine Club, founded in 1966, assured hikers and tourists the viability of others – clean, branded, numbered – through the work of its volunteers. Nonetheless, the toponymy, although faded in the local memory, suggests a geography of labour: the pàuse (breaks) that mark the ascents, the aialèt (circular clearings of the charcoal burners ), the festil (where the animals would drink)… even the very names of the viàz, amongst which stand out the aforementioned the Gonèla viàz (from the name of the legendary hunter ), and the Oliana viàz (formerly Giuliana Lazzaris, a war sutler) (Cason Angelini, 2008). Further down, at the wooded base of the Spiz, numerous paths have been abandoned: the grassy tracks, still visible in the beech woods, testify to the restless work of woodcutters, charcoal burners and other workers. The history of the viàz, and the environment in which it is located, traces the fate of many other Alpine and Dolomite locations, which, during the twentieth century, underwent transformations for recreational and touristic purposes. The context is Val di Zoldo, a frozen land characterised by emigration (in particular to Germany), historically dedicated to pastoralism, the iron and nail industry and the related work of the charcoal burners. Rediscovered for mountaineering purposes in the early decades of the twentieth century, it was extended to concatenate, through a ledge, the main peaks. The daring itinerary owes its name to the almost legendary hunter Giacomo Pra Baldi (1822-1907), known as “el Gonèla” (literally “the skirt”), to whom we owe access to the main ledge. In most cases, these are composed of hiker-mountaineers coming from the valley below or from the adjacent ones. In terms of attendance there are only a few ropes teams per year. Although the technical climbing difficulties are limited (maximum grade III), the itinerary requires good climbing skills, orientation and confidence with the rough aspects of the mountain environment.
The path, marked by cairns, unfolds in a context that is both magnificent and formidable, with an almost constant exposure to the elements. Three main peaks stand out against the multitude of minor elevations: the Spiz Nord (2305 m), the Spiz di Mezzo (2324m), the Spiz Sud (2309 m). Here a dense interweaving of peaks, towers and pinnacles dominates two small plateaus: the pastures in which the disused cheese huts of Mezzodì (1349m) and that of the Casel Sora ’l Sass, today converted into the Angelini Lodge (1588m), both stand. Famous amongst these is the viàz del Gonèla, which crosses the rocky ramparts of the Spiz di Mezzodì peaks, in the Belluno “Zoldo” Dolomites. Viàz unfold through ledges, canals, gorges and ridges, demarcating daring connections between mountain slopes. It denotes the Alpine tracks, created by chamois and hunters, typical to the Dolomites mountain range and its surrounding regions. Viàz is a dialect term from Belluno, a city in the Veneto region in the north of Italy, that means “trail”.
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