Discover Pai on Lake Garda

Pai is divided into Pai di Sopra on the slopes of Monte Baldo and Pai di Sotto on the lakeshore. The older town center and Pai di Sopra focus on historical traces and paths through the woodland landscape, while Pai di Sotto has its own connection to Lake Garda through its lakeside location and the 12th-century Romanesque Church of San Gregorio.

Hiking Trails and the Ponte Tibetano

Several clearly named routes are documented for exploring the area on foot. Sentiero 31 runs from Cassone to Pai di Sopra and is rated E. Sentiero 39 leads from Località Punta Piàghen di Pai to San Zeno di Montagna and is rated T. You should understand the two ratings as part of the respective trail designation; they do not indicate any additional classification or specific trail conditions.

A hiking route described by the CAI begins in Pai di Sopra on Sentiero 38. Via Sentieri 39 and 41, it reaches the Ponte Tibetano della Val Vanzana and returns to the car park of Pai di Sopra after crossing the bridge. The bridge was built in 2019, is 34.7 meters long and is located 42 meters above the stream below. From the entrance to Pai di Sopra, an uphill path also leads to the Ponte Tibetano in approximately 20 to 25 minutes on foot. This means that the bridge can be considered both as part of a described hiking route and via a shorter access route with an explicitly stated walking time.

Woodland Landscape on Monte Baldo

Forests of European hop hornbeam, downy oak, holm oak and ash surround Pai. The Tanella Cave is located in the woods near Pai di Sopra on the slopes of Monte Baldo. The Calchera can also be reached via a short local path: from Piazza San Marco, a woodland path leads there via Via Monte Baldo in just a few minutes. The Calchera is an old lime kiln used to produce lime and complements the natural trail destinations with evidence of earlier craftsmanship.

Churches and Traces of Local History

The oldest town center of Pai lies on the slopes of Monte Baldo. The lanes of the historic center of Pai di Sopra contain painted wayside shrines. Another painted wayside shrine on Via dell’Angelo was commissioned by a miner and painted by Eugenio Vangelista. Pai di Sopra is also home to the historic washhouse, locally called “fontana”, with a Verona marble washing surface.

The Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Marco opens onto a viewing terrace overlooking Lake Garda. Its apse contains fragments of late Gothic frescoes dating from the late 14th to the early 15th century. Pai di Sopra also preserves some remains of the fortifications of a castle dismantled by Barbarossa.

The Chiesa di San Gregorio Magno is located in the cemetery in Pai di Sotto, in a scenic position. The cemetery and the Oratorio di San Gregorio can be reached on foot from Pai di Sotto via Via Giosuè Carducci. A cycle and pedestrian path also runs north of Pai di Sotto from Castelletto di Brenzone to Navene di Malcesine. When planning your stay, you can therefore distinguish between the paths on Monte Baldo, the historic destinations within the districts and the longer lakeside connection, without equating the individual offerings.

Other Places in the Surrounding Area

For further orientation, you can also visit Palù Dei Mori, Veronella, San Zeno Di Montagna, Rivalta, San Bonifacio, Pesina, Braga and Castion Veronese.

For the overarching travel overview: Verona.