Pian Melzé – Rifugio Barbara Lowrie

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 valley, crossing its almost flat bottom in a northerly direction up to a small meadow prominence corresponding to a modest rocky outcrop to the left of the path, at an altitude of 2261 m. The path climbs to the left (northwest, orographic right of the Comba) reaching the Pian Grande del Fons basin; from here it turns decidedly north and with a constant slope reaches the base of the large debris slope below the hill. At this point the trail becomes uncertain, but still climbing north after a while you come across the mule track that comes from Plan del Re (trail sign V 12) and follow it along the last hairpin bends up to the hill: 2.10 hours. This leads to Colle della Gianna, 2525 m, a large depression between the Fons rocks and Punta della Sea Bianca, and the border between the provinces of Cuneo and Turin. The view of the Alpine chain (Rocciamelone and Monte Rosa), of the escape of the valley ridges towards the Piedmont plain and of Monviso which appears sudden and majestic for those climbing from Val Pellice is stupendous. From this viewpoint it is possible to climb to the Rocce Fons (west) and the Punta della Sea Bianca (east). From the hill the path (EPT 113) descends with long hairpin bends into the large basin of the Mait di Viso: the local toponym mait, like maid and meldassa, indicates a grazing area among rocks. The mule track, delimited by two rows of stones aligned on the edges, continues into the pastures of the valley, and enters a 2340 m narrow passage crossed by the waters of a spring. The contrast between the white limestone boulders on the right, coming from Punta Sea Bianca, and the reddish ones you pass through, coming from the coast on the orographic left, is curious. The mule track, after a short climb, descends with narrow hairpin bends over scree, moving to the orographic right of the valley, crosses a small valley of very white rocks (in July often cluttered with the remains of the Sea Blanca avalanche) and reaches the Causinass spring 2146 m with its characteristic encrustations limestone from which the name derives. From the source, the mule track often used by grazing cattle continues slightly downhill among pleasant pastures rich in blueberries, which contrast with the wild opposite slope (orographic left), cluttered with debris originating from the steep walls of the coastal Rocca Nera-Col Proussera. After a descent between sparse larches hit by avalanches, you cross a small clearing and then the stream and the 1917m path coming from the Gran Chiot valley; with a short ascent you are in sight of the basin in which the Grange della Gianna are located (partly on the right and partly on the left of the stream) to which you descend after crossing an often dry comba, 1.35 hours. Without going down to the huts (1750 m) located on the orographic right and still used as mountain pastures, you leave the EPT 113 mule track and cross the log bridge on the left, go up for a few meters on cattle tracks and leaning to the right you pass over a group of granges; on well-marked tracks you gain a passage between large rocks, cross a comba at a slightly inclined point and go up again through pastures until you reach a well-marked path. The path climbs steeply to the right, halfway up the slope on steep terrain, crossing some dry hills, in a sparse and then denser larch forest: this leads to a ridge at an altitude of approximately 1950 m; 0.35 hours above the confluence of the Gianna and Pis valleys, in the wooded Comba dei Carbonieri (panorama). Continue on a flat route between the grassy carpets of the larch forest, up to another coast overlooking the Pis valley, go down now in a south-west direction into a dense larch and alder forest that descends steeply to the valley floor. The presence of columbine and alpine clematis (not to be collected) and of wild boars, hares and birds of various species is significant. You thus reach a small clearing with splendid flowering, here you turn right (north) into a sparser forest and with a final turn to the left you reach the Grange del Pis 1753 m; 0.50 hours where the Barbara Lowrie Refuge stands