Hiking and Trail Maintenance in the Neighborhood

My father in law Dante, on top of Cucetto peak a few years ago

This winter just hasn't really gotten off the ground like some of our winters. Mind you, I am not complaining, especially as our livelihood doesn't depend on it like so many other people in the ski industry does. That of course wasn't always the case. Snow farmers are what we use to refer to ourselves when I worked for a ski resort back in my Colorado days.

Fabrizio working on making new trail signs this winter

Anyway, I find myself looking forward to hiking the hills around our house these days since skiing and snowshoeing just aren't accessible right outside our door this year. However since I started writing this post we are waiting for a big snow storm to arrive, so I just may be dusting off the snow shoes for a romp around the neighborhood yet.

Fabrizio and Dante trail reclaiming

We have already done a search and recovery of an old circular path that has potential, in spite of some of it being lost to  the ravages of time and disuse. One of the things I love when we are tramping around in the woods here in our neighborhood, is discovering all the old rock walls and structures that are left behind to stand witness to a different time. It always make me think of what life was like back then. I am always in awe of the labor that went into all the rock structures. They must have been mighty hungry after all the days of dragging those stones around and fitting them together to last all of the years later. Always impressive.

Rock retaining walls and old stone houses left behind 

Then when you think about what they must have been eating back then, cheese, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, repeat, and repeat again. They certainly must have been happy when there were some new greens pushing up through the winter brownness to offer something fresh to eat. I have developed the theory that may be why Italians or Europeans are so fond of their bitter greens, because when something fresh use to come up after a long winter, it tastes mighty good no matter if it might be a tad bitter. I've developed a fondness for the bitter flavor as well.

Primula -harbingers of spring

Fabrizio has spent a lot of time with his father making signs for the mountain trails that meander throughout our neighborhood. These paths were once the only means of people moving about  as they took their cheeses into town to sell, or made charcoal from the abundant chestnut forests that gave themselves up for this source of heat and cooking fuel. Once our paved road came in in the early 1960's, and the car became the main mode of transportation, it didn't take long for many of the old trails to begin to disappear.

Reclaiming and signing our trails

About 5 years ago our Regione Piemonte got involved in a program with Switzerland called Vetta and then  announced a program here to help reclaim the old trails and offering equipment to map out the trails and put them on GPS. My husband Fabrizio Roncaglia and Silvano Damiano took on the challenge along with help from Silvano's two children, Valentina and Matteo, as well as Fabrizio's father and our local C.A.I. walking association, that have been cleaning and marking our local trails. Silvano has done a phenomenal job with the actual GPS mapping and photography of the paths, as well as getting it all online.  Now these local paths will be GPS mapped and won't easily disappear and will be GPS accessible. Nice job on all the hard work everyone.

Silvano Damiano

there has been a lot of effort that has gone into the cleaning and marking of our paths.  There is still much to do to tie all of this hard work together, but it is exciting to see it all progress.

Fabrizio Roncaglia painting trail markings.
These photos taken by Silvano Damiano

New signs, new connections to old paths that are easier to find.  We have paths that head up for the big views and down to the river for the idyllic idle complete with a few deep pools for splashing your hot tired feet in. We also have lots of contour paths that go round the mountain and expose all of those old rock buildings and remains of walls and fences. A bit if this and that for everyone.

Merla Peak cross and the Grandubbione pool in the river

If you like to walk in the woods and feel the healing presence that nature offers, then visiting with us is a great choice.  If we are in the middle of a path cleaning day, you are always welcome to tag along and help if you like. 

Dante and Fabrizio clearing a path and CAI sprucing up our signpost

However there is plenty of opportunity to make the most of picnicking in the mountains with trails that aren't as challenging as others.  We are situated in the mountains and that in of itself is a beauty worth discovering.  We look forward to sharing it with you when you come, so come on! 

Bella Baita View this winter

Rifugio Hopping in the Alps

Rifugio Selleries in Val Chisone Italy

As the mountain huts of the high country begin to close their doors for the winter I wanted to share with you a few thoughts and photos that have been lurking in my unpublished blog posts since this summer. 

It is my humble opinion, that one of the greatest pleasures of mountain life in the Alps of Europe, is the very civilized tradition of  hiking up to the mountain huts or rifugios, as they are known here in Italy for a meal, or drink or an overnight stay. The summer season has slipped away before I could extol the joys of hiking and staying up in the part of the world where chamois and Ibex make their home, where the marmots whistle and warn each other that people are on their way, and the occasional grazing contented cow or two will dot the mountainside.

Cows on the way to Rifugio Selleries - Val Chisone

I want to pique your interest into making sure that you put this experience at the top of your "must do someday" to sooner, rather than later, so you don't miss out on, what I consider to be, a most special experience. There is still time to hike in the high country before the weather sets in and there are a few huts that stay open all winter, but the majority of huts are put to bed for the winter. The people that run them, just like the cows and sheep that have spent their summer grazing up high, come down from their alpine eyries and do something different for the winter. 

Val Pellice

I have always had a passion for hiking since probably my teenage years of traipsing around in the woods with friends seeing the wonders of nature even in my backyard in the hollers of backwoods southern Illinois. We camped a bit as a family growing up, but we usually had a little camper and almost never used tents. Tent camping was a revelation. To be able to get to places whose beauty was so breathtaking and humbling, was intoxicating and definitely something I wanted to do as often as possible.  Fast forward past the many backpacking trips in the Rockies when I made my home in the high country of Colorado to living in "the" Alps, the Italian alps. Now having lived in the Alps of Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy for a number of years, I have been fortunate to be able to revel in the joys of skiing or walking up to a mountain hut just to have lunch. 

Val Pellice

Who knew that there would be people living at these huts and serving up food and drink for weary hikers so they wouldn't have to drag all that equipment and food around and just be able to breath in the beauty of the wildflowers, animals and skies of blue and sometimes weather that that makes you wonder what were you thinking? But then you get to the hut and there is hearty sustaining food for the asking, reviving or numbing drinks, warm water (usually, but not always warm) and either bunks or small private rooms to rest those weary bones. I have also been fortunate enough to sometimes stay overnight and on a  few occasions been able to link a few days of hut to hut travel. What a fantastic time it is to be able to stay up in the mountains and walk to your next destination knowing you aren't going to have to find a proper tent spot, fire wood or crack out the camp stove and boil something. I must admit that I do sometimes miss that freedom, but hey, you gotta try this style of camping some time. It will spoil you rotten and you are supporting a livelihood of people who are there to provide you this most excellent service. Staying in a mountain hut is not fancy, definitely rustic, and always interesting. That at least has been my experience. 

Rifugio Selleries - Val Chisone

Basic Hut Information
When making your plans remember that most mountain huts are open from approximately June to mid June to the end of September, but that can vary depending on how high up they are and how fast or slowly the snow melts in the spring. We have a variety of huts in our valley and there is a wonderful circular itinerary close to us called the Monviso Tour / Val Pellice that circles Monviso mountain, which is the highest peak in our range of Cozie or Cottian alps. The circular takes a minimum of 5 nights in alpine huts and walks between them are gauged in manageable distances. It is good to factor in a couple of extra days just in case the weather is uncooperative or the snow hasn't gone or arrived unexpectedly. That doesn't always happen but weather does happen, so it is good to have some extra time too just in case you need to use it.

There are various huts listed on the itinerary with numbers to contact once they are back in business for the season. Most huts have quite a lot of room for travelers, so there usually isn't a problem to get a place to sleep, but usually helpful to make a reservation during the busiest period during August when most of Europe is on holiday. My understanding too is that huts can not turn you away even if all of their dedicated beds are full. They must offer floor space and shelter as is the tradition of the high country. I did see that happen once in Austria when we came down in the mooring there were people scattered all over the floor. Probably not the most comfortable night, but better than being outdoors without the proper gear. 

Most stays are modestly priced at € 25 for sleeping with breakfast, add another €20 for dinner and if you would like a sack lunch for the trail that is around €10. They provide a blanket and sometimes a pillow, but you need to carry a sheet sack so that you are cocooned in our own person sheet. these are relatively in expensive at most camping stores and are availably here in Pinerolo also. So a nights stay in a dormitory room with three meals comes in around €55 ($70 / £43, prices will fluctuate depending on the exchange rate for non European visitors).  These are 2014 prices.

Drinks are usually a separate charge. Some have private rooms for a slightly higher price, usually another €10 person, give or take. The prices reflect the effort it takes to get much of the food supplies up to the huts. Some huts are supplied by trucks, mules or helicopters, so there is some expense involved for the hut masters. 

A phrase book is always handy if you are short on languages spoken other than English.

I have always found the food to be good and the drinks, especially the alcoholic ones very welcome. 

That is some basic information that you can put into planning when you make your way to the Alps for some breathtaking vistas, chance meetings with others on the trail, flora and fauna, and awe inspiring days out.

Polenta and venison stew

latte macchiato

Can't commit to more than the day? Well, there are still a number of huts that make for a great day out with a hearty and delightful lunch up, sometimes, in the clouds and certainly closer to the heavens. 

Start planning your hut trip now so you have something exciting to anticipate for the next nine months. 

If you have any doubt that it's worth the effort, come and stay with us before your hut to hut adventure and we can help you plan it or visit us afterwards and enjoy a bit of pampering and reentry into putting up your feet and relaxing.  We can even teach you to make some local specialties if you want to join in one of our Cooking Together classes whist you are here. Our Bella Baita is a great choice for starting or ending a trip or just making this base camp for your alpine adventures. We'll be in the garden or kitchen whipping something up for your arrival. Ci vediamo presto! (See you soon!)

You can never have too much fun in the Alps!

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Selleries Rifugio Outing

Just up the hill to Sellleries Rifugio

Recently, we were able to go out for a walk in the upper Chisone mountains. For me that is always a high water mark of the summer. I have spent a lot of time hiking in a variety of mountains over the years and find it invigorating and restorative, soothes my soul and mind. There is nothing quite like sweeping mountain vistas, wild alpine flowers, tumbling water, crisp air and a destination that offers a satisfying lunch that I don't have to prepare. Don't get me wrong, picnics are very enjoyable, but having hiked in the Colorado rockies and well actually, any of the mountains in the US, you need to make sure you have brought along plenty of fuel on your back in order to keep the body and mind going. Walking, or hiking as we Americans like to call it, and was promptly corrected when I worked for the British tour company that I would scare off my potential walking guests if I called it hiking, as it connotated serious mountaineering, with just water to a mountain rifugio is quite the treat. Oh, well then, walking it is. It didn't take me long to then be rebuked by my walking guests with, "I thought you said this was an easy walk". It is, it is an easy walk, it's just in the mountains, not on the flats or rolling hills. Mountains are mountains.  Enough about that and on with the spectacular walk from Villaretto/ Selleraut to Rifugio Selleries.

View of Val Chisone from Selleries Rifugio with their small chapel 

The day was gorgeous, not too hot  with a slight breeze, blue sky, great company and not a care in the world. The walk was pretty straight forward after we made our way up in the car around many narrow hairpin turns till we found a shaded parking spot and away we went.

Path from Selleraut to Selleries Rifugio

The path not only was well marked, it was well worn and I found myself wondering as I often do, what it must have been like back so many years ago to live in these hills and not venture too far from the old homestead, except for supplies and perhaps to sell or trade some of your cheese and such for other goods  that stored well and added some interest to an other wise simple meal. I'm thinking in particular about salted anchovies. I've always found it most peculiar how important they are to the Piemontese cuisine. It made a bit more sense to me when it was explained how they not only stored well and added a bit of zip to the soup, they also brought along precious salt at a lower than usual price due to the anchovies being packed in the salt and the bottom of the barrel seem to have more salt than anchovies and the salt tax was lower on anchovies than salt, which, in those days was quite dear. Learning that that the word salt or sale in Italian is the latin derivative of salary, which gives the old saying of worth your weight in salt, a whole new meaning. But I digress yet again, as I am wont to do....

Val Chisone

Anyway, we arrived on the top of our Alpi Cozie walk up to the Selleries Rifugio and stopped in to visit our friends the Agu cheese making family of Villar Perosa, in their summer time digs high above us all. what a gorgeous place to spend the summer. The cows have plenty of roaming range and wildflowers to munch on. I can attest to some delicious cheese is made up in these alps, and I was looking forward to it by the time we arrived.

Alpine Dairy building

Cow bell 2009 prize

We were rewarded for our effort with not only spectacular views and perfect weather, we ran into one of our friends who produces polenta who had ridden his bike up and joined us for some genuine mountain fare. You can always count on simply prepared and high quality food at Selleries, and we weren't disappointed. Smoked prosciutto crudo, pancetta, aged plaisentif and fresh ricotta, all made by the neighbors, Agu and certainlytook care of the hunger spot. The polenta with sausage helped Ben keep up his strength for the trip back down the hill. 

All in all a great day in the mountains. Good food, drink, friends in a wonderful setting in the Italian alps.

We hope you'll come visit and discover what this area has to offer.

It certainly doesn't lack in natural beauty, do you think?