Valle Maira – Italy
 

Words & Photos: Dave Mitchell & Ditte van der Meulen

We roamed around the historic town of Dronero admiring the buildings and the terraced vegetable gardens in full bloom, before finally bumping into the carefully hidden Uffici Touristici regional HQ. Much to our amazement they had loads of MTB and tramping info for the area we were about to invade. With map and brochure overload, we headed for the hills. Valle Maira is a super mountainous area with huge bare plateaus, art around every corner, military roads along every available remote ridge-line and more churches, shrines and crosses than a freighter full of burning EVs.

The municipality of Marmora contains seventeen small villages and hamlets with Reinero being the straw we had randomly drawn. It’s a side road off a side road off the main valley road and chocker full of remarkable stone architecture, either fully restored and surpassing past glory, or in a state of restoration. Inhabited since Roman times with a small military garrison but now mainly a place of pastoralism and typical alpine cheeses, much to Ditte’s delight, amazing religious architecture and paintings dating as far back as the Middle Ages and more brass church bells than cow bells.

We settled in to our beautifully restored farm house, admiring the stone work, wood work and especially the copper electrical conduit that ended at porcelain switches and power outlets. The area we would be exploring is contained within Valle Maira - a vast 45km long catchment of the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont Region in north west Italy between the Po Vally and French border. It rises from the plains at 500m to Brec de Chambeyron at 3412m. We were right up at the pointy inhabited end, 1400m ASL.

Napoleon

The promise of a late afternoon thunder storm was a great incentive for an early start. We pedalled from home-base Reinero to Borgata Superiore and onto a vague farm track that soon became ST. Cellular life was being warmly greeted by the first rays of the sun. We headed down the shady end of town where only horses, cats and dogs watched our progress. Into thick cool forest we disappeared uphill on ST to a low saddle then bounced up and down on the 1650 contour to Colle dell ‘Encuccetta, which was where the real fun began.

This famous DH section roams the slopes of Monte Buch epicly on dirt and rock, leaf litter and pine needles. There were challenging switch backs and technical rock gardens but all within our lowly pay grade. We bottomed out on the valley floor crossing Torrente Maira to an abandoned farm settlement on the outskirts of the village of Stroppo, hands and brains buzzing. This was a solid candidate for the best DH in our solar system. Comparable to Olympus Mons without the thin atmosphere and lack of gravity.

We cruise along the Ponte Marmora river track to Prazzo and its famous bakery which has been run by the De Meio family since 1948. It’s an artisan establishment where we procured pizza slices and currant buns. We found a sunny lunch spot near the river to refuel before the big climb back up. On forestry roads we ascended the lower slopes of Punta Meleze to Colle San Giovanni and on to Ponzo taking a narrow village connecting track to Canosio just as the heavens burst their banks and dumped a shite load of H2O. Thunder and lightening reverberated across the valley.

We sprinted for cover at the village bevaio where conversation was not possible but the weather was entertaining enough with surface flooding and sheets of the stuff flying off the village roofs after overwhelming the guttering. As quickly as it came it went, leaving deep puddles and roaring drains and streams. The final climb back to our digs was steamy and shiny below a dripping forest canopy. A hot shower revived our wet cat looks and cold extremities.

All Clouded Out

From Reinero we did a short DH towards Marmora heading south and winding our way gradually uphill to a cheese making farm and refugio at Alp Valanghe. The sun was up and the sky clear so we pushed on to Col d’ Esischie sandwiched between Rocce Ciametta and Negra. Off road ST ensued skirting Monte Pelvo and Punta Sibolet on a roller coaster ride to Col Punto Sibolet at 2582m for lunch. This was wide open country with the promise of big views on a clear day, but alas from the moment we reached the tops we were joined by a big happy bunch of friendly clouds. It was a whiteout with Trailforks and GPS to the rescue.

We joined the dots to Colle Intersille and there found blueberries and cheese making cows before sliding onto a rocky DH where dodging cow pats made it difficult to keep on the best of lines. Old VVT (Vélo Tout Terrain) markers from a bygone era highlighted the MTB heritage that originally marked these trails. After a long technical descent we reached the farm settlement of Grance Chiot and a wide gravelled access road. This took us north to Colle Intersille for a long flying DH with a great final section of ST delivering us to St Massimo Church and Reinero. Just in time for yet another thunder storm, lucky home was just a lightning bolt away.

Cheese Shop

We embarked upon the very same uphill as the previous day to Col d’ Esischie. This time we took the military road to our right and climbed to the stunning Marco Pantani memorial at Colle di Mortti. It was buzzing with pilgrims, road cyclists, motorbikes and well wishers. From there the road descended through a rocky cutting to Colle Valvavera where we entered the rarefied air of the long winded 'Strada Militare Colle Margherita - Colle Valcavera'. A beautifully graded feat of military construction resplendent with barracks, dry stone retaining walls, culverts, formidable block houses and lots of well thought out drainage. A testament to its excellent original construction and Roman influence, having survived what winters throw at 2500m in these remote Italian mountains.

We were heading for Rifugio Gardetta but it looked weekend packed, so we lunched in the suburbs, in front of the old barracks below Passo Bernoir. The expansive view took in a wide treeless plateau where cows grazed up to the rock line and mountain goats continued on from there. We returned the way we had come but added in a climb up to Colle Macerino and farm track descent to Colle di Mullo.

This had once been part of a proud military trail but massive slips and washouts had re-routed the track, which was now super technical with steeply and tightly switch backed fun. Remnants of military road sections still remain in isolation like arty beacons poking out of a grey river of scree. We found a nice clear bit at the bottom and made for the cheese shop and cafe for future provisions and a second lunch. Home was just a long smooth descent away as we made our escape with our precious cheese booty.

Road Closed

From Reinero we re-imagined the Napolian DH back to Stroppo and what a buzz it was on the second time down, now knowing some of the best lines. Just a few clicks along,  the valley road Strada provincial SP104 was closed to motor vehicles and looking the worse for wear. We were heading up to Elva to indulge in the second best DH in the solar system. We climbed and climbed, dodging massive boulders and rock gardens strewn over the tar seal. Steel guard rails were a twisted mess with the only unscathed safe haven during rock fall being the series of tunnels positioned about half way up. It wasn't rock fall season so we were safe.

We came to a grinding halt just after the last tunnel where a substantial, fully welded gate and warning sign threatened death and destruction beyond. Ditte investigated and found some slip-clearing road-works, but nothing dodgy to speak of. With no way to manoeuvre the bikes around we had to back-track and readjusted our plans, vowing to return and find another way up on another day.

Instead we back tracked to Stroppo and pedalled on to Prezzo for a long road climb to Ussolo, a stunningly beautiful tiny town full of history and old buildings. With the help of Trailforks we found an amazing partially cobbled village link track DH going back to the valley floor. It trundled past terraced fields, old farm buildings, waterways and broken machinery. A tunnel of trees, blackberries, rosehip and tall dry grass with only cows to share our passing. Back on black we we pedalled for home.

Take Three Two

For the third and last time we rode Napolian to Stroppo ST with more calm and more flow that only familiarity brings. Colle della Cavallina was the prize that riding the long and winding SP335 would bring. No wonder the locals preferred SP104 with its get to the point character, instead of wandering aimlessly over the mountain side. It didn't bother us though, riding through the quaint towns of Arneodi, Paschero, Cucchiales and San Martino with their painted churches, water fountains and rambling stone houses with more charm than Thomas the Tank Engine.

We finally reached the infamous San Martino Supertrail at Colle della Cavallina where construction was running amock. We escaped along a forestry track to a family friendly clearing where fires smoked and sausages burnt while Italian families enjoyed their outdoors and of course, lunch. Our DH started at the cliff edge veering sideways in a series of switchbacks into the adjacent forest.

Like a drunken plowman, it chopped through the road we had climbed up, eventually hugging the convoluted mountain side from San Martino to Arneodi in spectacular fashion. The trail's nomenclature heritage would say, “I am the original walking track that linked all the villages and farms up to Elva”. It had a sunny side outlook with great flow and views, and below our tyres, substantial rock armouring.

Nearing the end, we negotiated a tight set of rocky switchbacks before crossing an energetic stream on an old Roman style bridge. This was right next to a restored water powered flour mill idly biding its time. We found more ST between the lower villages that finally bottomed out at Stroppo. A double whammy 2000+ metre ST downhill day was topped off by a triple gelato back in town. The legs were less enthusiastic about the homeward bound climb though.

Gardetta Strudel

In search of strudel and lashings of fresh cream we dropped down from Reinero on our newly discovered ST to Marmora then onto Canosio for the start of a big climb. A narrow sealed road took us half way up to Parcheggeo where a surprisingly big parking lot preceded by a toll gate resided. Bikes were free and the proceeding goat track was even narrower and quite rocky in places. No place for a low slung car, U-turns, passing or reversing. We on the other hand would not suffer those mortal limitations.

Preit and Colle du Preit came and went after a short spectacular rocky gorge. Just below it a car park for Fiat Panda 4x4s waved us on. The climb continued wandering up a gravel military road to an expansive building replete with solar panels, e-bike charging station and a coffee machine huffing and puffing like a steam train. The apple strudel was freshly baked, the cream whipped and tables for one and all catching the mid morning sun. This was Rifugio Gardetta.

Happiness filled, we embarked on a fully comprehensive circumnavigation of the Gardetta plateau to Colle Valcavera via the big bad military road. This section was a repeat of one of our previous rides, as was the bit from Colle Sibolet. But in clear weather we could not only see where we were going, but appreciate the stunning view we had been oblivious to while clouded out when we first rode it. All was forgiven.

Madonna Detour

We drove down the hill and headed west along the valley to Acceglio for the start of our ride. It’s a bright little town full of colour and a place to fill up your water bottles. There was a nice cafe on the corner and we hoped it would still be open on our return. Starting at 1200m we commenced the climb under an August sun, heading for Lausetto in Vallonne Traversiera and a slice of Italian WW2 history. It looked pretty straight forward from the map but a bridge closure sent us detouring up the eastern slope of Monte Cappel on a remote farm track. This wandered around for ages like a lost soul, before finally descending to the Madonna Della Grazie, a nice old church outstanding in its field.

We rejoined our intended route climbing gradually upon a beautiful old military road. This was dry cattle country with not a tree in sight, though a small stream ticked away in the valley floor below. We had reached the 2000m contour and basically kept climbing to Bivacco Carmagnola. Surrounded by stunning mountains we crossed a series of military cuttings built from the local stone, as were the culverts and much of the roadway. The bivy was fortified and equiped with bunk beds, mattresses and pillows, a radio and some monster shovels for snow time. We climbed a bit further up to the big old military barracks and had lunch out of the cool breeze while watching a group of fellow mountain bikers crawl like ants up from the valley floor below.

There were loads of rusting barb wire around the place and in the distance we spotted a block house at Colle Traversiera. This was part of the Italian Vallo Alpino, a line of defences build after the first WW to protect the national boarder, just as France had done with the Maginot Line and Germany with the Sigfried Line. The section we were exploring was under construction between 1937 and 1943 but only saw limited action and now mountain bikes.

ST led us to the concrete puff ball shaped block house. Its guns were gone and at 2850m brass monkey winters had chipped away at its good looks. We backtracked a little and climbed ST to Monte Bellino at just a Fiat Panda 4x4 short of 3000m. We were greeted by trampers before descending a switched backed scree slope down to Colle de Bellino where an adjacent military block house had been blown to smithereens. We were impressed how thick the concrete walls were and would like to have got hold of a translated Italian military handbook of how to have fun with demolition explosives. Those were the days.

An awe inspiring line of black rated ST roamed down the valley, dropping casually for 1000m. Technical, rocky and rather dangerous as erosion had taken its toll. A minefield of baby head boulders, steep ruts and wild slips, it was fun like running with scissors. Massive rock faces met us half way down, where tectonic collision had left a rock garden of gigantic proportions. We negotiated the jumble sale arriving unceremoniously at the valley floor farm and civilisation.

Grange Collet was at the end of the farm road and from there we gravelled our way southward below the modest Monte Russet and then the spectacular pinnacle of Pocca Croce Provensale located in a rock climbing area to die for. We had spotted this needle from a distance but in person it was way more spectacular. Below us was Valle de Maurin with a host of beautiful camping spots next to the river, along with the Rifugio Campo Base.

We finally reached the picture postcard town of Chiappera with its painted church, flower boxes, cobbled streets and restored buildings. After topping up with water it was back down the road and onto some neat bits of ST that flowed around the west side of Lago di Soretto and all the way back to Acceglio for coffee, apple strudel, tea and cheese cake, yum. Lucky they were still open considering Italy's random opening hours.

A Push too Far

We drove back up the valley to Accelego and up the hill to park at the tiny town of Villaro. We pedalled up the main road and onto a remote forestry road. This climbed to Sorgenti del Meira, a beautiful camping spot with a lake and shady trees. From there we hit yet another carefully crafted military road. This climbed on a gradual military regulation gradient through a pure pine forest and out into the open just before a massive military sized slip. Carnage from on high had hurled boulders the size of Fiat Pandas and tossed trees like match sticks across our path and down towards the lake of blue.

Waiting for the slip to stabilise, they had done a temporary fix that we used to get across. From there we climbed into the mountains proper. Up a series of zig zags slowly losing air density but gaining stunning jagged rocky and impossible looking views. Beautifully made stone retaining walls, culverts, wide turns and bridges greeted us at every turn into a wide basin resplendent in rock. The military road went right and our planned route followed a military trail to the top of the pass. We grovelled up a few hundred metres but the track was a tad washed out and the pass looked no closer so we U-turned and continued up the remains of the once proud military road to the art deco barracks at the end of the trail.

This concrete structure of wide girth and blue and white walls proved a great spot for lunch with the sort of view a gunnery officer with large binoculars would appreciate. A group of Swiss mountain bikers came up on foot for a look around but could find no Ferraris or gold so retreated. Our descent was via short sections of ST that bypassed much of the way up and we found tons more ST all the way back to the picturesque town of Accelego. But, it was the massive gelato we received unexpectedly at Prazzo that topped off the day. The nice Italian lady must have thought these skinny Kiwis needed feeding up. No buts or ifs

Wooden Gods

We motored to Macra and parked by the river. Strada Provinciale 116 provided a nice relaxing climb up to the village of Celle di Macra. It was Sunday and the village square was full of coffee drinkers and prospective churchgoers. We went bush, winding our way up through a series of small villages and hamlets going beyond civilisation. On a gravel farm/forestry road we climbed for over two hours, winding our way to the open tops where old stone houses and barns from a bygone era were sprinkled far and wide. Once upon a time there must have been loads of farming families living around this 1700m contour.

We rode past white cows munching away on the steep slopes focusing on their food. Our route circled around onto the ridge-top and along it, to the very end of the farm track. A large double bath sized trough sat where a horse and donkey had marked out there territory and were loitering with intent. Further along we found a great place for lunch with views of many of the ridges and valleys we had visited over our two week stay.

A ST DH appeared magically from nowhere with our name on it. We soon felt the true acceleration of gravity on a narrow, sometimes slippery and sometimes rocky switch back descent. We had loads of height to wash off, so going steeply down the ridge fitted the bill. It was an awesome ride and at its end a farm track took us speedily further down the ridge to more ST. This final fantastic section of perfectly benched trail flowed over pine needles, past amazing wooden sculptures and for the lower section, through a mix of European beech and a variety of deciduous trees with fleeting views of the valley below. 

Blissfully we bottomed out back on our gravel up-road for a soft pedal back to Celle di Macra for lunch. As It was Sunday and we were looking for a leg of roast lamb, mint sauce and Yorkshire pud followed by plum pudding and custard, just like itchyboots.com got in Oxford on her whirlwind book promotion tour there. Our Italian reset kicked in and we settled for tasty polenta, cheese and speck in the beer garden. A fitting end to our Valle Maira experience.

Finale

This was our final ride in Valle Maira with just one more sleep before heading to the Med for sand, surf and sunshine, in theory. We had encountered just a few mountain bikers around the place, but mostly had it all to ourselves. There are no two ways about it, this is a relatively undiscovered area with loads more trail around the main town of Dronero and all the way back to Reinero. So what did we learn? Skinny people are easier to kidnap so eat more gelato, pizza and currant buns. Mountain roads are narrow and passing is difficult unless you are on two wheels.