Calà del Sasso (Path of the 4,444 Steps)

It is the longest staircase in Italy, perhaps in Europe: one of the longest in the world!The Calà del Sasso is a bold, ingenious and very long stone staircase built at the end of the 14th century and used until the beginning of the 20th century: conceived and intended to quickly and easily bring the timber down from Asiago to the valley floor, without passing through the road of the Municipality of Foza which at the time imposed heavy duties. Once at the river port of Valstagna, the logs were transported across the Brenta to Venice, to build the foundations and ships of the Serenissima.
Exploited and cared for for centuries, in the 19th century it began to lose importance with the construction of new and modern carriage roads: in particular the Strada del Costo and the Piovene-Asiago railway line.'Calà' means descent, descent; 'Sasso' is the name of the hamlet upstream, on the plateau, from which the path starts, and of the valley of the same name.Structurally, this masterpiece of road engineering consists of 4444 steps (!!!) with constant pitch and height, intended for lumberjacks and mules to minimize the danger of falling even in rain and snow; next to it, a paved and concave slide allowed the trunks to slide. From the considerable slope (750m difference in altitude in just 2.5km, with a gradient from 20% to 40%) it is clear that it was designed for the descent: to transport the wood downstream (the so-called 'menàta') in the minimum time and with minimal effort.There is also a legend: in the 1600s Nicolò came down to this valley in search of a miraculous medicine for his beloved Loretta who was struck by the plague and pregnant with their child; he returned with the cure and they lived happily ever after... from then on, if two engaged couples walk the Calà hand in hand without ever separating, they will love each other forever.it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calà_del_Sasso

The 4444 steps of the ascent (or descent) of Calà del Sasso are a work of ingenuity from the 14th century to descend (Calà) the woods from Asiago to Valstagna. The steps are placed on one side while on the other side the part for sliding the logs is visible. The path inside the forest can be traveled with due care both uphill and downhill with boots or trail shoes. Also worth knowing is the legend that accompanies the path especially by lovers...