Pal Piccolo and Freikofel loop

We descend from Passo Monte Croce Carnico, travel through the long tunnel and emerge in Austria: here, on the right, we find the Plöckenhaus parking lot (1225 m) waiting for us. We head back along the paved road for a few dozen meters and take the forest road on the left (trail signs 434). We pass the first two hairpin bends ignoring any forks and find the signs for trail 434 (1280 m) branching off on the right, uphill, through the vegetation. At this point, a long climb begins up the slope, quickly gaining altitude. We then reach the first historical installations (1440 m); at the forks, signs direct us to Pal Piccolo, which is reached after a fairly tiring climb due to the steepness and on a narrow path. At around 1800 m, the first caves carved into the rock walls appear on our left; after the last hairpins, we reach a saddle, and immediately after we are at Pal Piccolo (1811 m). The open-air museum should be explored slowly, which takes time but is highly recommended. After passing the so-called "trincerone", you follow some sections of the Italian front; the remains become increasingly sparse and disappear. From Pal Piccolo, we follow trail 401 towards Freikofel/Cuelat. We descend to the 1800 m fork and take a left downhill. A short climb and we arrive at Freikofelsattle (1617 m) and at a fork: we take the direction Freikofel, towards east. This is the most "demanding" point of the entire loop; it involves climbing almost 150 meters of altitude on a narrow path with slippery rocks and occasional high rocks where it is advisable to help yourself with your hands. This way, you reach the first positions of the Freikofel, and shortly after you arrive at the summit of Cuelat (1757 m), another open-air museum to explore. From the summit, it is recommended to descend on the Italian side (carefully) and reach the terraces where some huts have been reconstructed; you can follow the Italian flag waving much lower. A sign guides you toward an "intact trench" - be careful on the path, it's narrow; at the end, you find the remains of a position; then you return to the summit - where the flags are - by the same route you followed downhill. Now the return to the loop: return to Freikofelsattle and take trail 436 descending to the right, which connects to a forest road (1500 m), follow it downhill. We pass a small lake and come out at the parking lot.