Day 7 took us through further tortured
metamorphic landscapes, along the first of many military 'roads'
for the defensive infrastructures that highlight former military tensions, past memorials to dead climbers and
down to the vast old-fashioned spa of
Terme di Valdieri.
The next day we passed an
old hunting lodge for the kings of Savoy before many more
abandoned military installations, the beautiful green Lago Malinvern and the very modern refuge
surrounded by pines. Day 9 provided striking contrasts - a long steep climb partly over scree to Passo
d'Orgials, the relative business of the very high road pass,
Colle delle Lombarda, a high border ridge walk looking south in to France and
GR5 memories
and north in to Italy and a descent lined with Catholic shrines to the
highest religious sanctuary in the Alps in Europe and a honeypot for tourists. Days 10 and 11
were shorter and lower level ( forecast
storms forced us to use valley tracks between Strepeis and Pontebernardo) but still a floral delight. We
went through the first real villages since the start in the sometimes Occitan / French-speaking Valle Stura.
Day 12 had everything - an amazing rock wall gorge above Pontebernardo, the hamlet of Servagno destroyed by
Mussolini's fascists in 1943, a climb in to the multi-coloured rock formations of the
Cottian Alps, extensive military
remains, the vast scenic plateau near Gardetta and a huge colony of
marmots.
To see the photos for week 2
click here
Route2 - Accommodation2 - Photos Cols - Photos Accommodation - Photos Panoramas - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 1