a game reserve owned by Italy’s royal family, and paved tracks designed for horse-ridden parties still venture high onto Piano di Valasco, popular these days with picnicking Italian families taking a day out from the summer heat on the plains. Streams cascade through the pasture basin carpeted with a riot of wild flowers and crowned by a majestic line-up of soaring grey jagged ridges. Past a hunting pavilion converted into a refuge, the path gains height beneath Testa di Claus. A highly recommended detour branches off to Rifugio Questa, a spartan hut with an outdoor loo that doubles as a superb belvedere.
An intact section of hunting track leads via pretty tarns on a section to be savoured slowly for its beauty. Further ahead comes Vallone di Riofreddo, a clearly recognisable U-shape created by an ancient glacier. Soaring at its head is superb Testa di Malinvern, which can be admired at length thanks to the modern refuge on the valley floor.
The following stage visits the historic sanctuary of Sant’Anna di Vinadio, the highest of its kind in the whole of the Alps. It has provided a roof and victuals to pilgrims and travellers since the Middle Ages, and modern-day visitors can enjoy comfortable lodgings. The tiny porticoed church is a masterpiece of popular art, its walls plastered with ex voto plaques to thank the Virgin Mary’s mother for her mercy. Further down, Vinadio and its hot baths are touched on as the GTA transits via the traffic artery of Valle Stura.
Laghi della Valletta en route to Passo di Orgials
The Cottian Alps: from Pontebernardo to Susa
The incontestable star and a highlight of the Cottian Alps is the Monviso. The GTA’s approach to the stone giant takes place over a full four stages, with an excited build-up of anticipation. In the meantime there are stunning locations to be enjoyed. A 1300m uphill slog on old military tracks leads into the beautiful high-altitude plateau, Piano della Gardetta, and a lively refuge. Here the focus is the elegant soaring form of Rocca La Meja, its unusual pale aspect due to the dolomite rock that is its main constituent.
More treats are in store with the crossing of upper Val Maira in the company of twin quartzite needles Rocca Provenzale and Castello, the antics of acrobatic climbers providing a good excuse for a rest stop. Splendid waterfalls form the backdrop for concentrations of divine blue mountain cornflowers that stain the grass, while the scent from pinks is all-pervading. All the while the path ascends unremittingly to the isolated 2804m pass of Colle di Bellino.
Below is Valle Varaita di Bellino, a wonderland of slate-roofed houses with overhanging eaves sustained by graceful round stone columns. It would be a great shame to rush through here and miss a stroll through the quiet atmospheric villages; time seems to have passed them by, and the traditional farming lifestyle persists. Artistic sundials grace the walls as do wise sayings, many in the curious medieval language of the Occitan population, which has strong links to faraway Provence. Passers-by are reminded that Lou soulei nais per tuchi, ‘the sun rises for everyone’.
The village of Chiappera with Rocca Provenzale
On the neighbouring ridge is 2248m Colletto della Battagliola, a breathtaking lookout to the Monviso, which entirely fills your field of vision with its massive pyramidal bulk. An inspiring sight. Now two very special full days can be looked forward to, with an exhilarating climb to rugged heights where desolation reigns amidst clutters of tarns and snow patches. It’s quite a haul to where the vertiginous southeastern face of the Monviso rises a jaw-dropping 1200m from its base to peak at 3841m. And what better place to drink in this magnificence than at Rifugio Quintino Sella, a landmark Italian mountain hut named in honour of one of the founders of the Italian Alpine Club in 1863.
Several valleys on, as the path emerges from the cover of wood, walkers are treated to the extraordinary sight of the 18th-century fortress of Fenestrelle crawling up the flanks of Val Chisone opposite, with a 3km wall that rises an incredible 600m in height. A full day is needed to explore this spectacular place, but the cosy hostel at Usseaux makes a lovely base. Then it’s a mere wander via Rifugio Arlaud nestling in the Salbertrand wood to reach the Valle di Susa, where the Cottians come to an end.
The Graian Alps: from Susa to Quincinetto
The township of Susa is quickly left behind for high-altitude pasture slopes that make up the billowing skirt of 3538m Rocciamelone that holds sway here, marking the French border with a cascading spill of snow and ice. An amble is enjoyed across Valle di Viù, then the GTA embarks on a tough crossing that sets the tone for many days to come. Desolate cirques, tiny tarns reflecting magnificent little-known mountains, and birds of prey or chamois as companions in lieu of humans. Accommodation is on the valley floors so this means mornings are spent tramping uphill to cols around the 2400–2500m range, before the inevitable plummet through successive bands of vegetation, bushes and conifers giving way to deciduous trees.
At the lovely village of Balme in Valle di Ala, it’s well worth taking time out to explore upper Pian della Mussa, which boasts inspiring glacial scenery, comfortable huts and herds of docile ibex – all dominated by the stately Uia di Bessanese.
The main route presses on over arduous passes to be rewarded by the exciting sight of the Gran Paradiso peak soaring over the Valle dell’Orco, where the following days are spent. Close to Ceresole Reale, another former royal resort village, walkers stay at Fonti Minerali, the source of therapeutic hot water with a distinct iron flavour.
A pleasant take-it-easy stage follows on, with a memorable meander down Vallon del Roc dotted with tiny mountainside hamlets, their stone-roofed houses in varying states of abandon. Farming communities lived here until the 1950s with their own school and church, not to mention folk art in the form of decorated images of saints. These days only a shepherd or two are left, reserved folk to a T.
The Gran Paradiso makes its appearance above the clouds
The GTA follows Valchiusella with its lovely stone bridges
After Noasca, a string of strenuous traverses reaches Val Soana, the eastern border of the Gran Paradiso National Park. Stopovers are enjoyed in the villages of Ronco Canavese and tiny Piamprato near the valley head beneath the striated bulk of Rosa dei Banchi. Here walkers are put up in a ‘doll’s house’, the old school erected by the magnanimous king for his subjects, only a handful of whom still call this home.
Neighbouring Valchiusella is a showcase for seven elegant stone footbridges, leftovers from the 1700s. Another point in its favour are the dairy farms dotted along its flanks. Local families at Alpe Chiaromonte, for instance, turn out delicious goat and sheep cheeses. The proximity of the key traffic artery Valle d’Aosta is soon felt; this is a bilingual French–Italian language region, the heritage of the Savoy dynasty. The GTA touches on Quincinetto, a handy place for joining or leaving the trek.
The Pennine Alps: from Quincinetto to Molini Calasca
Parallel to the road is the mighty Dora Baltea river, its waters milky grey from the melted snow and ice that flow from Mont Blanc upstream. It irrigates the traditional vineyards, supported on pergolas and stone columns, which produce niche wines. A paved way through chestnut wood winds up to Maletto and its welcoming village inn. Next comes a long ridge, where views are dominated by the adjoining Colma di Mombarone, an austere triangle of grey rock. A tad of scrambling is encountered, aided stretches dictated by the degree of exposure. This day’s conclusion is Rifugio