Pian Melzé 1714 m – Colle della Gianna 2525 m – Grange della Gianna 1750 – Costone quota 1950 m circa – Grange del Pis 1753 m A panoramic ascent (Monviso) and a descent in a very varied environment to the Grange della Gianna; the tiring part is climbing up again from the Grange della Gianna to the ridge: but your effort will be rewarded by the beautiful point that overlooks the Grange del Pis. From the Pian della Regina Refuge, follow the asphalt road to Pian del Re for a few steps and immediately take a trail on the left. It cuts through an initial short bend in the carriage road and then another two larger ones, climbing diagonally to the left until near the Cumbal del Rio valley without entering it, it continues with a short steeper stretch until it meets the carriage road once again, just beyond the km 7 and just before the bridge over the aforementioned stream (0.20 hours). From here, near a small clearing at an altitude just above 1900 m, the path begins which goes up the right side (orographic left) of the Cumbal del Rio. You gain almost 100 m of altitude, cross an almost always active tributary on the left and climb along a meadow side between outcrops of lime schists with intercalations of green stones, coming from the Rocce Losere above. Further on the path deviates a little to the left (north-west) and with an almost flat crossing halfway up the slope it reaches the narrowest point of the Cumbal, and climbs quite steeply with hairpin bends through pastures up to a large scree of greenish rocks arranged at the foot of red walls: it is the first mass of debris from the Cassera Sbiasere above. The track climbs to the left of the blocks with two hairpin bends, then turns left and runs along the valley towards the north with a few turns. Converging ever so slightly to the left, the path reaches the valley furrow, which at this point is not well defined and is bordered along the right side by debris from filadi, lime schists and green stones. The route now runs in the large valley,...

Pian Melzé 1714 m – Colle della Gianna 2525 m – Grange della Gianna 1750 m – Costone quota 1950 m circa – Grange del Pis 1753 m A panoramic ascent (Monviso) and a descent in a very varied environment to the Grange della Gianna; the tiring part is climbing up again from the Grange della Gianna to the ridge: but your effort will be rewarded by the beautiful point that overlooks the Grange del Pis. From the Pian della Regina Refuge, follow the asphalt road to Pian del Re for a few steps and immediately take a trail on the left. It cuts through an initial short bend in the carriage road and then another two larger ones, climbing diagonally to the left until near the Cumbal del Rio valley without entering it, it continues with a short steeper stretch until it meets the carriage road once again, just beyond the km 7 and just before the bridge over the aforementioned stream (0.20 hours). From here, near a small clearing at an altitude just above 1900 m, the path begins which goes up the right side (orographic left) of the Cumbal del Rio. You gain almost 100 m of altitude, cross an almost always active tributary on the left and climb along a meadow side between outcrops of lime schists with intercalations of green stones, coming from the Rocce Losere above. Further on the path deviates a little to the left (north-west) and with an almost flat crossing halfway up the slope it reaches the narrowest point of the Cumbal, and climbs quite steeply with hairpin bends through pastures up to a large scree of greenish rocks arranged at the foot of red walls: it is the first mass of debris from the Cassera Sbiasere above. The track climbs to the left of the blocks with two hairpin bends, then turns left and runs along the valley towards the north with a few turns. Converging ever so slightly to the left, the path reaches the valley furrow, which at this point is not well defined and is bordered along the right side by debris from filadi, lime schists and green stones. The route now runs in the large...

Palanfré 1379 m – Colle della Garbella 2182 – Trinità 1096 m Another section that leads you closer to the group of the Argentera, moving from Val Grande di Vernante to the Vallone del Bousset, already in the valley of the Gesso. Above Palanfré, the grazing land of the Garbella is still very much used by the cattle in the pastures. From the higher zone the view is very wide, over the Ligurian and Maritime Alps and over the plain of Cuneo. From Palanfré you retrace a short final stretch of the previous stage back up to the crossroads between the itineraries. L6 and L7 (fountain). Take path L6 on the right which goes up to the edge of the Palantré beech forest between pastures. After passing a first valley you enter the Garbella valley, at the head of which the white rocks of the peak of the same name stand out. Around 1600 m the trail becomes less evident. keeping in the south-west direction you go up without any difficulty and find it a hundred meters higher. You move on to Gias Garbella 1746 m and still following the path at the bottom of the valley you reach 2000 m, and then among rhododendrons you reach Costa di Pianard at around 2150 m, on the panoramic watershed ridge. Going north you soon reach Colle della Garbella 2182 m 3.00 hours. Following the M4 path you descend on the opposite side, cutting through steep grassy slopes with thickets of rhododendrons and alders. Towards an altitude of 1840 some steps lead to a meadow collar 1818 m, located to the west of a characteristic tower, impressive seen from below, called Caire di Porcera. With further hairpin bends you descend into a wood of alders and beeches, and around 1300m you are at the bottom of a sunken gorge, crossed by a stream (if you encounter difficulty following the red signs, which cross the stream on the landslide and with a lot of vegetation, you can continue on the orographic left and pick up the path about a hundred meters further down). You soon reach Tetti Prer 1155 m and from here you follow the road up to the nearby town...

The locality of Pian Melzé, an Occitan name that means Larch wood, is also known as Pian della Regina, situated in Valle Po, in the province of Cuneo. The Po Valley is carved out by the river Po before the latter enters the Padanian Plain. In this area is located the stopover (Pian della Regina) Pian Melzè 1.714 m, municipality of...

Valle Varaita is a valley of the province of Cuneo, dominated bt the Monviso range and enriched by the presence of many alpine lakes, ancient hamlets and the Bosco dell’Alevè. In this valley is located the stopover Chianale 1.797 m in the municipality of Pontechianale.