Walking in the Alps. Kev Reynolds

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      Parco Naturale dell’Argentera

      The Italian Alpi Marittime boasts a few small glaciers draped among the north-facing slopes of the highest peaks. Like their French counterparts the upper valleys display a chaos of rocks, boulders and screes, but alpine meadows abound too, fringed here and there with stunted mountain pines. Outside the Argentera park, and located to the east of Col de Tende (Colle di Tenda), the dolomitic Marguareis (2651m) soars above the karst plateau of Conca delle Carsene which is honeycombed with vast sink-holes – a stark contrast to the granite of the Argentera where streams dash silver streaks from slope to slope and dozens of tarns rival those of the French side of the border.

      The key to access to the Parco Naturale dell’Argentera is Cuneo, the first town of note on the Italian side of the mountains if coming from France via Col de Tende. A minor road breaks away from the Tende road at Roccavione, south of Cuneo, and heads south-west along the Valle della Valletta. Beyond Valdieri this divides and subdivides again with southern branches delving deep into the park through the Vallone della Rovina and the glens watered by the Gesso di Barra and the Bousset. Wild camping is prohibited in the Argentera park, but there’s an official campsite in Valdieri, and hotel accommodation in Valdieri, Sant’Anna di Valdieri and Terme di Valdieri.

      Valle della Valletta

      With Punta dell’Argentera spreading itself in a large imposing mass between Valle della Valletta and Vallone della Rovina it is natural that this should be the focus of attention here. The mountain consists of four main tops rising from an extensive ridge system thrusting forward from the main frontier crest in a south to north alignment, and there are four huts scattered on or near its various slopes: Rifugios Remondino, Genova, Bozano and Morelli. All, apart from the Genova hut which is reached from the Rovina glen, are approached by way of the Valle della Valletta or one of its tributaries, while Rifugio Franco Remondino (2430m) is also accessible by a tough cross-border route from Le Boréon by way of Col Guilié – on this route an ice axe may be deemed an essential piece of equipment due to extensive snowfields on the north side of the frontier ridge.

      Without being drawn into activity on the highest peaks though, the walker will still find much to occupy his (or her) time here. From Terme di Valdieri where the Valletta forks, for example, a mule track laid during the mid-19th century when the whole area was declared a hunting reserve for King Vittorio Emanuel II, leads through forests and rocky outcrops, up to a region of lakes trapped in the stony wilderness of the frontier ridge: Lagos di Valscura, del Claus and delle Portette. An unguarded hut (Rifugio di Questa) stands on the north shore of this last lake at an altitude of 2388 metres. The three lakes are linked by a rough path that may be followed down to a fourth tarn, and beyond this into the lonely Freddo valley which eventually feeds into the Valle Stura near Ruviera.

      Other tarns are accessible from the Valle della Valletta roadhead. Consider, for example, those which are lodged on a broad terrace under the frontier ridge near Cime de Frémamorte; a charming string of tarns and with a one-time military route enticing over the border into France to Col de Salèse. Instead of crossing that border at Col de Frémamorte, however, the Cime itself might appeal – there is a track which crosses screes below the south-east ridge and goes to the summit without difficulty.

      GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi)

      It is here in the Alpi Marittime that an epic 633 kilometre route begins its journey through the western Italian Alps. The GTA explores some of the most delightful mountain landscapes in Italy on its 47-day trek from Viozene near Ormea, to Molini di Calasca in the shadow of Monte Rosa. Gillian Price’s guide, Through the Italian Alps, gives all the information a walker needs to tackle what promises to become one of the great Alpine treks.