Masarolis: Monte Joanaz, Waterfalls and Local History

Village Character between a Tower and Arcades

Masarolis combines distinctive architecture with paths leading into a varied mountain landscape. In the village stands the campanile of the Church of Santa Maria ad Nives: a freestanding stone tower with a square floor plan, loopholes and a clock with Roman numerals. The combination of the tower’s clear form and its fortress-like details gives the village a distinctive character.

The oldest part of Masarolis is a building complex dating from the 17th century with wooden arcades. The village therefore features both a single, widely recognizable tower and a historic building structure with characteristic passageways. This creates a cultural aspect that can be easily combined with a trip into the landscape around Monte Joanaz.

Festival Tradition in Masarolis

The Feast of Madonna del Carmine includes a procession through Masarolis. The festival takes place every year in Masarolis on the Sunday after 16 July.

Hikes to the Stream and Waterfalls

The Anello del Monte Joanaz circular trail begins in the village square of Masarolis. Another hike from Masarolis leads via the Via dei carbonai to the old washhouse and to the Prelòh waterfalls on the Chiarò stream. The combination of the old washhouse, stream and waterfalls gives this route a clear landscape and cultural-history theme.

The Sentiero delle cascate di Prelòh was also established as a circular trail. Together with the hike via the Via dei carbonai, it shows that water and historical traces play an important role on the paths around Masarolis.

Monte Joanaz: Summit Pastures and Mixed Forest

The northern summit of Monte Joanaz reaches 1,167 metres above sea level. Monte Joanaz has extensive summit pastures, some of which are no longer used and have become overgrown with juniper, hellebore and asphodel. Daffodils also bloom there, in some places particularly impressively. The vegetation makes the mountain interesting for travellers who want to experience a landscape not only as a view, but also through its different plant communities.

On the eastern slope of Monte Joanaz towards Masarolis and Tamoris, there are mixed forests of deciduous trees. As a result, both open summit pastures and forested slopes form part of the mountain landscape. For your travel planning, this variety provides a practical point of reference when weighing up a visit to the village, forest paths and higher-lying landscape areas.

Practical Guidance for Planning Your Day

A forest track branches off from the road between Bocchette di Sant’Antonio and Tamoris at the level of Monte Caludranza and leads almost to the summit of Monte Joanaz. The Monte Craguenza circular trail from Masarolis is 10.7 kilometres long, has an elevation gain of 700 metres, takes approximately 2.5 hours without breaks and is rated difficulty E.

A path west of Masarolis leads downhill through the forest and crosses the Chiarò stream near the waterfalls. In addition to the circular trails and the forest track on Monte Joanaz, a forest section west of the village is therefore also among the options described. Depending on whether you prefer a longer mountain hike, a circular trail or a route along the stream, you can structure your days in Masarolis differently.

Discover More Places

For further discoveries, you can also explore Canalutto and Togliano.

To the higher-level travel overview: Torreano.