In the Alps to the West & North in Italy, there are dozens (hundreds?) of valleys. Some of them have roads connecting through to other countries. In others, the road ends abruptly surrounded by mountains. People have traveled these routes for hundreds of years – for sport, for livelihood, and nowadays for recreation.
We are staying for the month in the relatively cool city of Torino. Two hours driving out of the city, you can reach the Maira Valley, settled since at least the 1300’s. The valley is filled with narrow winding roads. The seeming minimum definition for a town is: a couple stone houses, a historic church, and a fountain. The fountain continuously flows with cold refreshing mountain spring water, free for anyone to fill up bottles or buckets. The main soundtrack in the valley is rushing water and cowbells from the herds of Piedmont cattle grazing in the high altitude meadows. The meadows smell like the lavender and thyme carpeting the mountainside. Hiking trails go everywhere – between the towns, through the meadows, and over the mountains. It sounds absurdly idyllic, but that’s because it is.
Practical Notes:
- Rent a car.
- Look into trails ahead of time. http://www.alpicuneesi.it/itinerari/vallemaira/index.htm
- Sleep in the hills not in the valley for views and isolation. Morinesio is great.
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