You’ll be watching over the glowing Lanzaï salamandra,Viso‘s endemic and symbolic species, as if it were a treasure. If the wind blows over the mountain pass, the walls of the Napoléon refuge or the ruined customs post will give you shelter to take out your thermos before going back to the valley. If you’re a good hiker, you can aim for Pian del Re or Pian della Regina over the Traversette Pass and its tunnel (a 5-hour walk from the Roche Ecroulée). You can even take the car down to Chianale via the Agnel Pass…And last but not the least… Eating pasta in Italy is a succulent summer ritual you don’t want to miss!
Off to Italy!
The 6 adjacent valleys
Val Susa
This is the most northerly of the Italian valleys. You enter it via the Rasis or Thures passes above Roux d’Abriès. You’ll be greeted by a sinister Mussolini casemate, but also by a delightful camp-out. A gentle slope leads to a delightful succession of mountain pastures where wolves, chamois and cattle live side by side.
Val Germanasca
Nothing to do with the Germans! The entrance is via the Abriès hamlets: le Roux and the St Martin Pass or Valpréveyre and the … Valpréveyre Pass! A green lake and its eponymous refuge await you, under the enticing eye of the Bric Bouchet Peak. Afterwards, it follows with Perosa Argentina.
Val Pellice
This is the valley of the “invincibles”, the nickname given to Vaud resistance fighters. A tradition that is still firmly rooted: most of the inhabitants still speak French! It’s also the valley with the most crossings, in common with the Queyras. From Bric Bouchet to Aiguilles de la Travette, you can enter Val Pellice over a dozen mountain passes, including the famous Lacroix Pass!
Val Po
You are unlucky if you miss the Po. This is the Mount Viso valley, one of Italy’s most emblematic mountains. It’s also the source of Italy’s largest and most popular river, the Po. You can also enter through the Traversette tunnel, the oldest tunnel in the Alps.
Val Varaita
Now there’s no excuse: you can drive there directly from the Queyras via the Agnel Pass. An immense valley, in terms of mileage and its culture and… Gastronomy. The clever ones will eat there all day and do a bit of shopping. Mountains (Viso), landscapes (Val Bellino) and activities (Castello lake), makes it a great neighbor!
First Sundays of September
Rendez-vous at the Agnel Pass top!
To finish the season on a high note with the “reserved mountain passes for cyclists” in the Alps… Go for the Agnel Pass, the last mountain pass in the Alps reserved for cyclists for the summer, at 2744m! For the occasion, the Italians and French are offering you a unique “reserved pass” edition, with a rich Franco-Italian provisioning and many other surprises, including music at the top of the pass. No registration, open to all, and free refreshments “made in Hautes-Alpes”!
Val Maira
A real little Occitan paradise for those who love hiking and outdoor activities. If you love the wilderness and fresh pasta, this secret Piedmont valley is about to please you! Stone-built hamlets clinging to the mountainsides have a wealth of stories to tell; in short, a valley to fall in love with, where “live well” is the motto.
La vita è bella
If you feel like making a trip with several stops, there are numerous mountain huts where you can enjoy the cross-border nature… From dusk till dawn.
There’s nothing like discovering local produce… At the market! All the Guillestrois and Queyras flavors can be found on either side of the border. French, Italian… Nationalities no longer exist, just the flavors that nature has to offer.
A space to protect yourself from everything...
Except from love.The environmental protections for the Regional Natural Park, Natural Reserve and Natura 2000, associated on the Italian side with the Parco Naturale del Monviso, have seen themselves supervise, in 2013, the vast UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. This is only the 13th of its kind on the blue planet.
In the Queyras, the Alpine ecosystem has been slowly rebuilt over half a century of reasoned protection. From the lichen to the dwarf willow to the large predator at the end of the food chain, such as the eagle or the wolf, not forgetting the emblematic mountain hare or black grouse, the French and Italians, supported by Europe, allow nature to play its enchanting symphony.
When you come to admire this Eden, remember to silently make your contribution to this collective effort… Leaving nothing more than the trace of your footsteps.
