Grange del Pis – Villanova

Grange del Pis 1753 m – Colle del Baracun 2373 m – Rifugio Jervis 1732 m – Villanova 1225 m

Not a very tiring section, partly along a dirt road, that touches the splendid plateau of the Prà; for those who do not know this place it is advisable to interrupt the hike at the Prà (3.40 hours), spend the night in the refuges and the next day enjoy an excursion in the area before descending to Villanova (1.20 hours) along the beautiful mule path.

Beyond the bridge over the Pis, leave the carriage road on the right and follow the path that runs alongside the Pis farmhouses on the right and reaches the flat dirt road that goes up to Colle Baracun.

You then follow the carriage road that goes around the Bric Content among the larches and enters the Roussa valley; just beyond km 13, leave the carriage road on the left and take the path which, with a short descent, leads to the ruined barracks of the pasture plateau called Pian delle Marmotte (approximately 2100 m; water; the disused mule track leading up from Pralapia arrives here). The path climbs up the opposite side, cutting across the bends of the road: after the first bends of the path, be careful not to take the obvious path that goes up to the left (west) to Colle Porsel, but follow the one that crosses the road several times in a northerly direction, climbing up to Colle del Baracun (or Barant) 2373 m, recognizable by the large building from which the name of the hill derives; 2.00 hours. Good view of Monviso and the peaks that surround Val Pellice.

From the hill, follow the carriage road (on this side the mule track has been canceled from the road) which crosses the Mait del Pra, runs alongside a tiny lake and with a long traverse towards the north passes under the ruins of the military settlements of the Colletta del Barant; after a few bends in the road you can take a steep shortcut, or follow the road. The descent into the wide and majestic Conca del Prà takes place among pastures dotted with rhododendrons, bushes, sparse trees, caissons and scattered boulders. In about 1.00 hours you reach the renowned Curbanant fountain (1720 m), on the edge of the Conca del Prà.

The Conca del Prà is a vast plateau of glacial origin that extends between 1700 and 1750 m, approximately 4 km long and 1 km wide on average, surrounded by almost all the highest peaks of Val Pellice. From the Curbanant fountain you cross the Pellice (the little bridge is often removed by spring floods and in this case a ford or some acrobatics is necessary: and you cross the plain from east to west, following the route of the carriage road slightly uphill up to the refuge Jervis 1732 m 1.00 hours; from here you follow the mule track (EPT 115) which rises briefly towards the north-east to the hill known as Colle della Maddalena (1737 m). The mule track descends with short paved bends, enters the larch forest and – pic a long stretch halfway up the hill dominating the stream from above, until reaching it in the pasture area called Pian d’ji Mort. The toponym recalls the death of 32 Waldensians swept away by an avalanche in 1655 while they were trying to escape from the persecutions, led by Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy

You go along the stream, all with small waterfalls, large boulders and wide (eddies, lakes formed by the waterfalls), and you soon reach the green Pian del Pis (1455) m), dominated on the left by the imposing waterfall, called Pis dell’ Urine, which comes down from the valley of the same name. The mule track continues along the stream and dominating it from above reaches the ruins of the Mirabouc Fort

With some paved hairpin bends, next to a beautiful Pellice waterfall (note the rustic bridge that uses a large boulder in the middle of the stream), you lose altitude until you cross the bridge over the wild Crosenna river, under the perched mountain huts of Brunei, you leave on the left the EPT 121 path which goes up to Colle di Malaura and you are immediately at Villanova 1223 m; 1.10 hours, beautiful village currently inhabited only in summer, built in a perched position on the saddle of a rocky promontory that bars the valley and you arrive at the Villanova Restaurant Guest House Stopover Place