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Valdobbiadene

Hippopotamus-Shaped Forest on Monte Cesen

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Italy

Veneto

Treviso

Valdobbiadene

Hippopotamus-Shaped Forest on Monte Cesen

Recommended by 17 hikers out of 18

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Location: Valdobbiadene, Treviso, Veneto, Italy

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Best Hikes to Hippopotamus-Shaped Forest on Monte Cesen

4.3

(16)

101

hikers

1. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Rifugio Posa Puner loop from Vergoman

10.2km

03:24

380m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Intermediate

4.3

(6)

hikers

2. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Malga Mariech loop from San Pietro di Barbozza

6.70km

02:41

430m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Intermediate

4.4

(24)

157

hikers

3. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Rifugio Posa Puner loop from San Pietro di Barbozza

12.6km

04:18

490m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Intermediate

Tips

Alessandra

May 27, 2023

Hippopotamus-shaped fir and beech forest on Mount Cesen below Malga Mariech, can be reached from Valdobbiadene. It can be seen well from the plain, especially when the mountain is covered in snow

Translated by Google •

Nicolò Dalla Santa

March 7, 2025

Suggestive, recommended route in autumn/spring as it is always exposed to the sun

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Davide Fioraso

May 21, 2025

Famous figure in the shape of a "hippopotamus", which has become a true "natural monument" of the Prealps, especially thanks to the media hype of recent years. This forest of pines and beech trees measures exactly 930 meters in length, while the legs are 130 meters high and from the belly to the back there are another 180 meters. So huge that it is visible from a great distance, even from Venice, especially when the ground is snowy.

The origin of this forest, and whether its shape is intentional or not, remains uncertain. Some say that the shape is completely random and that it is a reforestation done in three phases from the 1920s to the 1980s. There are also those who say that the figure is intentional and that it represents a bison left by the Austrians. This animal contributed to the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian empire in Europe by providing soldiers with milk, meat and furs. According to others, what we see today is nothing more than a wing that was supposed to compose the eagle symbol of fascism that with its size, and being visible as far as Venice, was supposed to testify to the power of the regime. Due to the fall of the latter, the work was interrupted.

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Elevation 1,400 m

Weather

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Saturday 20 September

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Max wind speed: 4.0 km/h

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Location: Valdobbiadene, Treviso, Veneto, Italy

Hippopotamus-Shaped Forest on Monte Cesen

1. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Rifugio Posa Puner loop from Vergoman

2. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Malga Mariech loop from San Pietro di Barbozza

3. Croce del Monte Barbaria – Rifugio Posa Puner loop from San Pietro di Barbozza

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