Ferrata del Centenario, from the Piani d'Erna

Access

From Lecco, follow the signs for Piani d'Erna. After a tunnel, continue along Via per Erna to Malnago. Leave the car in a large car park and continue by cable car to the Piani d'Erna station.

Introduction

The Centenario ferrata has been renovated in recent years and its first part has vertical sections equipped with a metal cable sheathed in rubber sheathing and numerous pegs for progression, interspersed with easier sections where there is a chain. It is a medium-strength and very safe ferrata. The times indicated refer to the entire route. The ferrata alone requires a walking time of 45'-50' with a difference in altitude of approximately 150 m.

Description

From the arrival of the cable car to the Piani d'Erna, descend to the vast plateau from which branch off the various itineraries for the Resegone peak or for the return to the valley. Follow the signs for path no. 5, which, descending slightly, enters the wood and soon emerges from it and, halfway up the hillside and with several ups and downs, runs along the western side of the mountain. At a crossroads (wooden signpost) descend to the right for Passo del Fo along a path that is a little exposed in places and at the end climbs briefly up the wood and reaches the Giacomo Ghislandi hut (m 1284) of the CAI of Calolziocorte. Up to here 45'. In front of the refuge, on an uphill meadow, there are signs for the attack of the via ferrata, which is reached after another 5' walk. From the attack, one immediately climbs a vertical pillar, moves to the right of it using the numerous rungs and then continues to climb it to its summit, where there is a gully with a gravelly bottom that must be climbed to the end. The ascent of the gully is easy, but it is necessary to take great care not to dislodge stones that could endanger those following. The bottom of the gully is climbed in sections on rock, always aided by pegs and a section of chain that replaces the rubber cable. One then crosses a bottleneck on the right and then turns left where there is still unstable gravelly terrain. An alternation of small walls and gravelly sections follows until the end of the gully. Lastly, a small wall equipped with pegs is tackled until the exit onto a path that leads out onto the Pian Serrada, to meet the normal route (no. 1) for the summit of the Resegone or for the descent to the Piani d'Erna.
At this point, the ideal is to continue on path no. 1, connecting with the De Franco Silvano via ferrata that leads to the summit of Punta Cermenati.