Ceresole Reale

Or even simply climb to the Nivolet Pass, a pass at more than 2,500 meters above sea level that separates the Orco Valley from Valsavarenche in Valle d'Aosta, rich in grasslands, ponds, and alpine lakes. It is a well-known place for racing bike enthusiasts, as the climb is long with a significant elevation gain. It can be reached from Ceresole Reale via one of the historic mountain routes, a road built between the 1950s and 1960s, taking the route of an old military road.

Astronomy enthusiasts will find in the Nuvolet Pass a perfect spot-and convenient to reach, although in July and August car access is limited-to admire the starry sky in summer.

Also in the municipality of Ceresole Reale is the locality of Fonti Minerali , which, as its name implies, has been home since the 19th century to a hydrotherapy plant with ferruginous water and, until World War II, also to a bottling business that supplied pharmacies in the kingdom. Fonti Minerali is also home to the remains of a medieval ironworks, with the furnace-like structures used to reduce iron ore to metal. In essence, it was a mechanical factory, which was operated by hydraulic power. At the bottom of the Orco Valley, on the other hand, traces of a military complex, complete with bunkers and entrenchments, built on the border with France after the Fascist regime took over, are visible. The system is part of the so-called Littorio Alpine Wall, built between 1931 and 1942.

Finally, just outside the town, overlooking the valley, close to the dam that creates Lake Serrù, is the Church of Our Lady of the Snow, a chapel with an evocative spirituality, which houses some tombstones of fallen soldiers in the mountains.

There are no major population centers around Ceresole Reale. Yet there is certainly no shortage of attractions in the area. In fact, the Orco Valley is located in Italy's oldest protected area, the Gran Paradiso National Park. It is no coincidence that this area was once the hunting ground of the kings of the House of Savoy, and that Victor Emmanuel II himself loved to make many excursions here.

Without straying too far from Ceresole, there are a number of routes that lead to beautiful high-altitude alpine lakes: Lake Dres, a delightful little lake of glacial origin, or the small lakes of Bellagarda. Both routes unravel through coniferous forests and areas of peat bogs and alpine pastures, providing panoramic views of vibrant beauty, in a very peaceful atmosphere.

Other alpine lakes in the area include, for example, Lake Lillet, Lake Rosset and Lake Leità. Take advantage of the opportunity to see animal species (chamois and marmots, for example) and plant species of impressive beauty as you walk!

By contrast, in the nearby municipality of Ribordone, at an altitude of more than 1,300 meters, is the Sanctuary of Prascondù, named after Our Lady of Loreto. It was built in the 17th century on the site where, earlier, Our Lady had appeared to a young shepherd boy.

Also in the municipality of Sparone are the ruins of the Rocca di Sparone. This is a complex from which there is a beautiful view, and which dates back to about the year 1000; it is linked to the epic figure of King Arduino, former marquis of Ivrea, who was crowned the first king of Italy in 1002 and who, in these places, resisted against the Germanic troops of Henry II. Also part of the complex is the 11th-century church of Santa Croce, which boasts some 14th-century frescoes in the apse area.

Finally, descending toward Turin is the town of Pont Canavese, which is worth a visit for the Ferranda Tower and Tellaria Tower, the only remains of an ancient castle, but also for the Cannon-Sandretto Plastic Museum, housed in a splendid Art Nouveau building. A former plastic mold factory, it is now an interesting exhibit that traces the history of plastics through everyday objects.

But the area is also affected by some stage routes, such as:

• theAlta Via Canavesana, whose stage number nine leaves from Villa, a hamlet of Ceresole Reale, to arrive at Bivacco Giraudo, also skirting Lake Lillet;
• the Giroparco Gran Paradiso, an itinerary that retraces the ancient Royal Hunting Roads built in the 19th century to connect the five hunting lodges of the House of Savoy's reserve; the first stage goes right through the municipality of Ceresole Reale, leading from the Rifugio Città di Chivasso to Bivacco Giraudo;
• theVia Alpina Blue Trail and the Great Traverse of the Alps (GTA), with very similar routes, pass through here.