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Alpette
Imagine a small town of 250 inhabitants lying on a plateau among the mountains near Gran Paradiso, where you can spend wonderful vacations skiing in the winter, but in which you find a school of copper working (with a museum attached) and a large astronomical observatory equipped with a planetarium. And where two queens of Italy, a great writer and a famous poetess, among others, have stayed. Strange, isn't it? And yet, Alpette is just like that. Have we intrigued you? Then come with us on its discovery.
Attractions in Alpette
Highlights
Very panoramic route, almost entirely along the ridge between the Locana valley and the Canavesana plain, walking among ancient alpine pastures.
Itinerary that climbs among mixed forests in the lower part and mountain pastures in the upper part, with wide views of the plain below and the ...
Itinerary that climbs among mixed forests in the lower part and alpine pastures in the upper part, with wide views of the plain below and the Orco, ...
Circular route from the Balmassa parking lot in Alpette to Rocche San Martino, Cima Mares, small church of San Bernardo di Mares, Balmassa
Alpine hiking route in two stages, connecting the Orco Valley to the Lanzo Valleys on well-marked trails, ridge routes and panoramas.
The stage crosses scenic landscapes with mule tracks and woods, passing through the municipality of Alpette, the hamlet of Musrai, Balmassa, and ...
Discovering the valleys of Alto Canavese with a 13-stage loop immersed in the Piedmontese side of the Gran Paradiso National Park.
From Pont Canavese to the discovery of the beautiful Orco Valley among suggestive locations.
Alpette: the copper tradition and stargazing
Photo: Emaberto, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Alpette is a small municipality that is part of the metropolitan city of Turin. From the capital, however, it is about 50 kilometers away. It rises 1192 meters above sea level, on a kind of terrace in the Orco Valley, north of Cima Mares, on an offshoot that juts out toward the Canavese plain. Nestled among chestnut and birch forests, this small hamlet offers wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
Its name, short for "Alp," is not related to the word Alps, however; in fact, in local dialect it means "cottage equipped with mountain pasture." In short, it is still a toponym deeply connected to the mountains.
As we said, the municipality has been famous as a ski and summer resort since the 19th century. In fact, the ski facilities in Monsuffietto, among the most convenient in these valleys, are popular because of their proximity to the plains and Turin. In Alpette, moreover, two queens of Italy, Queen Elena and Queen Margherita, have stayed (the "pian della Regina" still exists today), a famous writer, namely Emilio Salgari, whose house can be visited, and the poet Ada Negri.
But the attractions do not stop there: the town is also renowned for the Copper School, which organizes activities for tourists in the summer and has created the Copper Museum, dedicated to the life of the past. Also of great interest is theastronomical observatory, part of the University of Turin; it is the second largest in Piedmont and has state-of-the-art equipment and a planetarium.
There is also no shortage of places for history and art enthusiasts; for example:
- the church of Saints Peter and Paul, built in 1864 on a pre-existing structure, inside which there are 16th-century frescoes and an 18th-century baptismal font;
- the Romanesque-style church of San Rocco, although it dates back to the 16th century, famous because a nativity scene is set up there every year, occupying 1/3 of its size.
Alpette, finally, is also bubbly in terms of events: the municipal theater organizes shows and concerts, while every year, in summer, the "Candelata" is celebrated, an event that takes place by the light of hundreds of colored candles that form patterns and paths to cross.
The treasures of the Orco Valley
As we said, Alpette is far from large population centers; the immediate surroundings, however, are full of attractions. In the nearby municipality of Pont Canavese, for example, there are some goodies:
- the ancient Parish Church of Santa Maria in Doblazio, lonely, mysterious and with a special charm, with its double altar, many frescoes, an eerie ossuary, two bell towers (one of which is round); from the large outdoor pronaos you can enjoy a relaxing view of the valley below;
- the Ferranda Tower, a testament to the medieval importance of the place, is in fact (along with another tower) what remains of an ancient castle; it can be visited on weekends and the Museum of the Territory is housed inside;
- the Cannon-Sandretto Museum, housed in a wonderful Belle Epoque-style building (it used to be a plastic mold factory), which traces the history of plastics through everyday objects; to visit it, one must contact the town's Tourist Office and inquire about opening hours;
- the parish church of San Costanzo, dating from the 14th century but rebuilt in the 19th century in medieval style, all in stone, with rampant arches and a bell tower.
Closer to Alpette, however, that is, in the village of Sparone, is the Rocca di Re Arduino, reached by a short walk that is worth tackling if only for the beauty of the view; the fortress, complete with a frescoed church (which can be visited on Sunday afternoons), is a medieval-era building built precisely at the behest of Arduino of Ivrea, crowned the first "King of Italy" around the year 1000, who held out against Henry II's Germanic imperial troops in these places.
La chiesa, di origini antichissime, sorge sul promontorio Monte Uliveto.
Outdoor adventures in Alpette
The Orco Valley is within Italy's largest protected area, and part of it overflows into the Gran Paradiso Park. It can be said, therefore, to be an Eden for outdoor enthusiasts.
There are also many trails involving the Alpette area. We would like to point out the first stage of the Alta Via Canavesana, which from Pont Canavese crosses Alpette and, among mule tracks and enchanted woods, leads to the summit of Mount Soglia, from which there is a wonderful view of the Gran Paradiso group and the peaks of the Lanzo Valleys; finally, the route arrives at the Alpe Soglia Refuge.
A shorter and easier route is thescenic loop that from the parking lot in Balmassa, Alpette, leads to Cima Mares, passing by Rocche San Martino and the small church San Bernardo di Mares.
If, on the other hand, you prefer a middle way, still starting from Balmassa, you can reach Monte Soglio and complete the tour with Cima Mares (passing by the San Bernardo di Mares refuge, currently closed), in a panoramic route of medium difficulty, passing through beech forests and high-altitude grasslands.
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Destinations in Alpette
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