Started at Foce. 6 km climing. It starts very steep in the woods and later just steady climing. The lake is very special with the colour changing from grey tot blue to green. If you dont want to clime up to the top of the mountain you can save your clime up to the green top. There is now stunning view just a view of the clime to the mountain. If you go a few steps of you have a great view of the two little lakes. Back in Force you can have the drink you have deserved.

You can approach il Lago di Pilato from three directions: Castellucio, the refuge on the side of Monte Vettore or the village of Foce. I've done the walk four times from Foce. Foce is a fairly down at heel village, but it has a good cafe/bar/restaurant. It tends to get cut off a lot in winter, since it's elevation is around 1000 meters and you approach it through a gorge vulnerable to avalanches. Please note that there is no cell net signal, although, wierdly, you can get one from the top of Monte Vettore. Also, stock up on water before the walk, since there is none on route. There is a good spring just outside the village. You really need your own transport and you can park in the village. The walk is in three phases: The bed of the glacial valley, which is flat and easy, with views of the steep sides of a classical U shape. Open pasture gives way to beech wood. A switchback path up the side of a cliff. This can be a bit of a scramble, but the path is maintained by the National Park Authority. It is actually trickier to descend. The top of the cliff is the limit of the tree line and you break out into high pasture which used to be used for sheep summer grazing (but not any more). There is now a long uphill trudge, but the views are amazing. Keep going, because over the final rise, the lake springs suddenly into view. The (twin) lakes are in a gigantic cirque, the former seat of the glacier. The scale is astonishing, as is the lakes themselves, since they are the home to a unique dwarf shrimp and other microscopic wildlife which causes the lakes to change colour. Useful tips: Do not approach the lakeside since the wildlife must not be exposed to the possibility of contamination. At popular times, this requirement is policed. The walk is not suitable for small children. It is not particularly dangerous but needs a degree of stamina and fitness. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. The mountains are prone to thunderstorms and the last thing you want is to get caught in one. Allow 5-6 hours, depending on your own ability. Take a picnic and have it beside the lake, enjoying the complete silence. There is a good path all the way from Foce to the lake, but you need good shoes or boots with adequate tread. Trainers/sneakers would be a Big Mistake. After you have finished, you will deserve a beer in the cafe/bar. Do not hold back.