Alta Valsesia Famiglia

A quick cable car ride from Alagna Valsesia brings you to the Pianalunga mid-station at 2,050 metres. Get off here, the lift continues to Passo Salati. Around you: open pastures, Monte Rosa, and Stolemberg and Corno Rosso rising like walls at your side.

From the station exit, keep left past the Pianalunga restaurant and follow the track east towards Alpe Seewji and Rifugio Città di Mortara. The trail climbs to 2556 metres, then traverses stonier ground where the path is faint in places, so follow the navigation in the Bookatrekking App. Just after the highest point, a fixed rope helps you down a short T3 step, easy but slippery when wet. From there it is downhill past the Cascata delle Pisse waterfall.

The trail zigzags down between larch trees and streams to the meadows of Alpe Pile at 1575 metres, where Rifugio Pastore sits on its grassy terrace below the south face of Monte Rosa. Arrive early, grab a bench and watch the waterfalls.

Today you have two route options to visit the Acqua Bianca waterfall. This loop is the longer one, climbing higher on an old forestry trail before circling back to the river. From Rifugio Pastore you step straight off the meadow into cool woodland, with Monte Rosa at your back and the roar of the Sesia somewhere below. The path feels playful rather than harsh, switching between tiny bridges, open pastures and short shady traverses.

Soon the trail rears up in tight zigzags, gaining height through larch and spruce until you break out at the alpages of Alpe Faller and Mitteltal di La, roughly 500 metres above the valley floor. Here the world opens into wide views over Alpe Makalu and the turquoise line of the Sesia far below. A pleasant balcony path rolls in small ups and downs across grassy slopes and scattered barns, keeping about the same height as it curves back toward the head of the valley.

Eventually the route tips into a longer descent, gliding down through forest, across rivulets and old stone walls until you reach the banks of the Sesia. Only near the end does the roar of Acqua Bianca finally take over, a sudden white torrent plunging into a deep pool right beside the path. From the waterfall it is just a relaxed wander along the river and over the familiar bridge back to Rifugio Pastore, where a drink, a bench and bare feet on the grass feel mandatory.

This final section returns from the quiet mountain basin to the lively village in the valley. Almost all of the walking is downhill on good paths and quiet roads, making it a gentle end to the tour. Views remain dominated by the Monte Rosa group behind you, while ahead the valley widens and cultivated slopes appear. Along the way you pass a beautifully painted oratory that marks the transition from high pastures to the inhabited world.

From Rifugio Pastore, follow the main track downhill beside the river, crossing wooden bridges and passing scattered alpages. The path descends through larch woodland and open clearings before meeting a small road. This winds past the Oratory of Saint Mary Magdalene with its colourful frescoes, then continues between chalets and ski buildings such as Mansarda Monte Rosa Ski. Gradually the valley broadens and the route follows lanes and paths through meadows and isolated farms towards the first houses of Alagna.

At the edge of the village, the track becomes a paved street lined with traditional Walser houses and balconies full of flowers. Continue into the historic centre, where shops and cafés cluster around the main square and near the river. Accommodation is scattered through these streets, making it easy to reach your overnight stay. After dropping your pack, you can celebrate the end of the circuit with a stroll through the alleys and perhaps a final drink or ice cream.