Descrizione
The route connects four valleys, exploring the so-called "Little Dolomites" of the Marguareis Natural Park, a karstic region of towering peaks and deep abysses, among the most beautiful and wild in Piedmont. A mountain so inviting it seems made for walking: endless pastures on plateaus, beech and fir forests, and ancient salt routes descending to the coast.
We are in the Ligurian Alps, little-known border mountains where the sea air is palpable - just 40 kilometers away and visible in the distance, reaching as far as Corsica. These are mountains where more than a third of Italy's entire flora can be found, and where trees grow at a rate unmatched across the Alpine arc.
A circular hike takes us to the high karstic plateaus where witches are said to dance, climbing through the prized white fir seed forests of the Val Pesio - preserved in their purity thanks to the humid climate and the care of the monks of the Certosa (one of the earliest monasteries founded in Italy). We’ll explore alpine pastures where encounters with tribes of speleologists, guardians of the secrets of hollow mountains and stories of watercourses, are not uncommon.
We'll ascend to the highest peak of the Ligurian Alps before following the stream that vanishes into the Piaggia Bella cave (over 40 km long), the underground heart of Marguareis.
Crossing the Ellero Valley, an Occitan island where Kyé is spoken, we reach the Corsaglia Valley via an ancient mule track, once an important route for salt and oil, which now winds between limestone cliffs and open meadows. Then comes the southern slope, the Tanaro Valley: a Brigasque land of borders, with its own languages and traditions, where villages are characterized by enclosed roofs once made of rye straw.
Finally, through surreal, barren karstic landscapes, we descend into the beech and fir forests of Val Pesio.
- Trekking
- Vette, Alpi Marittime, Alpi Liguri, Parco Marguareis, Viaggio, Escursione, Parco Naturale
