Ignoring the road on the right that heads to Colle Fauniera (or Colle dei Morti), take the one that turns left towards Colle di Valcavera. After a slight downhill hairpin, this becomes a dirt road and goes around the slopes of Test. This section is open to traffic, but, except on summer weekends, you won’t encounter many cars.

At the center of the Gias Chiaffrea basin, there is a splendid pyramid of rock, which is curiously not named, surrounded by debris flows that end in the pastures. Farther away is Colle Bandia, to the right of which is Becco Nero (literally: “Black Beak”), so called for the dark color of its rocks, which is overlooked by Becco Grande, which hides Rocca la Meja from view.

The dirt road runs along at a leisurely pace. Ignore two side roads that go up to the right and arrive at the flat Colle Bandia, preceded by a chapel of the same name (fountain). On the hill there are a few fortifications from the nineteenth century, which are now in ruins.

Ignoring other side roads, continue flat along the dirt road. You will soon reach Colle della Margherina, preceded by an unnamed lake. Here, the impressive form of the southern wall of Rocca la Meja appears suddenly, its dolomitic rock rising vertically from the meadows.

Once you have left the dirt road that continues to the Gardetta Pass, turn onto the more uneven one that rises to the right towards Colle d’Ancoccia. Pass by the ruins of the Margherina barracks, one of many military installations where troops were once housed, to reach the small La Meja lake, which is a great spot for a few photos.

If you’d like to make a little side trip, behind the lake you will find the narrow “Rosella” trail, marked by pink stripes that will take you steeply (with an elevation gain of just under two hundred meters) up to the top of Becco Nero, a panoramic point looking out over the entire area that you may not want to miss. It’s no wonder that, during the twenty years of Fascism in Italy, an observation tower was built here.

Continuing down now along the trail, pass by one of the bunkers of the Alpine Wall, the system of fortifications built by Mussolini to protect the Italian border in anticipation of World War II. This is known as Opera 311 and consists of two turrets that can still be visited with a little caution and a flashlight. Continue down to Colle d’Ancoccia, where the dirt road takes up again. After two hairpin bends, to get an even better view, take a trail to the right that descends to the meadows above the lake and returns to Colle Bandia.

From here, head back along the same route as the outward trip.