Lèch dei Giai

Lèch dei Giài is a jewel of an intense cobalt blu nestling amid the loftly peaks of Monte Alto, or Auta (2545m) and Crepa Rossa (2360m). This little lake of natural origin occupies a basin carved out by an ancient glacier, and is closed off to the north by a landslide that came crashing down from the eastern slopes; it is fed by the snowfields on the crags. The departure point is a picnic area above Sottoguda, on Italian Alpine Club path no.688, wich run across the green pastures of Franzèi with its distinctive haysheds dotted here and there in the steep shadow of Monte Alto. After crossing the plateau, the route takes more sharply up towards the Val Miniera, where the lively whistling cries of the marmots'll keep the hiker company until the route reaches the saddle that forms the shore of the lake, the final destination of this walk. The peaceful aura of this delightful spot inspired the local legend of the "Eivane del Léch dei Giài", that marvellous young maidens who once used to bathe in this little corner of paradise. While these mythical beauties may escape even the most watchful eye, what visitors are sure to see reflected in the Giai Saddle above the lake; a brief climb leads up here, from where a magnificent view opens out southwards and towards the Val del Biois below.