> Hike the full Monviso circuit through Piemonte’s wild west
> Sleep in high-altitude rifugi far from the crowds
> We handle the bookings so you can focus on the adventure
Somewhere between a crumbling military trail and a misty ridge near Rifugio Vallanta, it hits you, this isn’t just a trek, it’s a proper expedition. You’re circling Monviso, the mountain that gave the Po River its name. It’s huge. It’s moody. It’s the kind of mountain that stares back. And lucky you—you’ve got seven days to walk in its shadow.
This full loop around Monviso is a rugged, no-fluff trek for hikers who want something off the radar. It links up a string of remote huts in the upper Valle Po, sneaks through high alpine passes, and keeps Monviso in sight the whole way. No crowds. No souvenir stands. Just you, your boots, and the original Matterhorn (yes, this one came first). Start and end in Pian della Regina. Come back a bit smellier, and a lot prouder.
From the green pastures of Pian della Regina you follow the young Po upstream into rougher ground. Barns and cowbells fade, the path tilts upward toward the rocky bowl below pyramid-shaped Monviso 3841 metres. When the first high lakes appear at your feet, the mood quietly flips from gentle valley stroll to proper mountain day.
From the parking area you pick up the wide gravel track along the river, drifting past Plan Regina and scattered huts. The track narrows into the Vallone dei Quarti and starts to bite a little more. A rockier trail leads to the dark waters of Lago Fiorenza, then zigzags up to the turquoise bowl of Lago Chiaretto around 2260 metres, under the steep faces of Monviso and Viso Mozzo 3019 metres.
Beyond Lago Chiaretto the way steepens over scree and stone slabs, gaining the last few hundred metres in slow, patient switchbacks. When the slope finally eases, a small plateau opens with Lago Grande di Viso on one side and scattered tarns on the other. One last rise brings you to Rifugio Quintino Sella, perched on its rocky balcony, where hot drinks, loud laughter and a Monviso sunset wait for you.
High above the world, in the rocky ring around Monviso, you step out of Rifugio Quintino Sella and start drifting back toward civilisation. The morning belongs to bare, mineral ground and dark lakes, the afternoon to larches and hayfields near Rifugio Alevè. With each step you swap scree and glacier bowls for birdsong and resin, dropping almost a vertical kilometre from balcony to forested valley.
From the hut a stony path skirts Lago Grande di Viso and crosses broken terraces under Punta Trento. A chain of high lakes follows, including Lago delle Sagnette and Lago della Pellegrina, with wide views into the Monviso cirque. Beyond the last tarn the trail tips over the edge and turns into a long, zigzagging descent into the upper Valle Varaita.
Lower down you enter the big Alevè forest, weaving between old larches and stone pines on earthy, rooty tracks. Small clearings near Plan Meyer give quick peeks of farms and villages far below before the gradient eases. A final traverse through the trees delivers you onto a quiet side road and the welcoming cluster of Rifugio Alevè, tucked at the forest edge, with hot showers, a beer and an easy evening waiting.
Quiet forest and the glint of the reservoir set the tone as the route turns upstream. The climb quickly finds a steady rhythm beside the Vallanta stream, swapping houses and road noise for water, grass and larch. With each bend the valley stretches wider behind you until the high bowl beneath the frontier ridge feels like a different world, remote yet still carried by the sound of running water.
A short track links the hut to the main road, then a signed path ducks into the woods and picks up the chatter of the stream. The trail rolls past clearings and old barns, crosses side rills and a wooden bridge, then begins to bite more firmly uphill. Above the last larches it zigzags across open slopes, with every pause giving a bigger view over the lake and the Varaita valley.
When the gradient finally eases, a stony terrace appears above a dark little tarn and the roof of the hut slips into view. Its terrace looks straight into a cirque of crags and scree where thin waterfalls drop from hidden snowfields. Inside wait simple bunks, hot food and the clatter of the kitchen, while outside night gathers and the last light hangs above the basin you have just climbed into.
Thin morning air, a still lake beside the hut and the rock pyramid of Monviso set the tone for a proper mountain day. Two wild valleys hook together over high passes and hanging lakes, with a brief flirt with the Queyras in France before you drop back into Italy. It feels remote and alpine, yet the path stays mostly clear so you can settle into the climb and let the views roll past.
A stony path leaves the hut, follows Bealera Funsa, then kicks into steeper zigzags on broken ground. You climb around 400 metres to Passo di Vallanta at 2,811 metres, under the dark walls of Monviso and Viso di Vallanta. On the French side the trail slips down scree and grass to Lac Lestio and the young Guil, then contours gentle slopes before rising again towards Col Seilliere on the skyline.
Beyond the second pass a rolling descent carries you into upper Val Pellice, with Monte Granero at 3,170 metres and Monte Manzol at 2,933 metres guarding the horizon. The path drops to Lago Lungo, traces its dark shoreline and climbs briefly to the rocky knoll where the hut waits. Inside, stone walls and wooden benches feel snug, while outside the lake often catches the last light before you turn in for a well earned sleep.
High above Lago Lungo you leave the rocky basin behind and follow a classic traverse from one side of Val Pellice to the other. The day starts with a long downhill into pasture and larch, then settles into an easy valley walk beside broad river flats. A stout final climb on an old military track lifts you back into open high meadows, where wide horizons and gentle ridges frame the evening.
From the hut a clear mule path drops immediately, zigzagging across stony ribs before softening into grassier slopes. You lose height quickly to reach the floor of upper Val Pellice, where a track follows the stream past pastures, barns and scattered larches. The walking here is relaxed, with views back to Monte Granero and forward to the rounded ridge of Punta Barant at 2,425 metres, slowly growing larger on the skyline.
At a bridge the route swings away from the river and begins the final ascent on broad gravel hairpins. The gradient is steady rather than brutal, and every bend reveals more of the valley you just crossed. Near Colle Barant the track levels and a short side path leads to the hut, perched on a shoulder above the road. Its sunny terrace and nearby alpine garden make a mellow place to end the day.
Today the route slips off the open Barant shoulder and glides down into a greener, more sheltered world. After the big mountains of the previous days this feels like a softer intermezzo, with balcony paths, views into the Val Pellice and long stretches through airy larch forest. The main effort is a steady descent of roughly six hundred metres, kind on the lungs but still felt in legs and knees.
From the rifugio you follow the track as it tips downhill in easy zigzags through open pasture. Soon it becomes a broad gravel path that traverses the slope, never far from the ridge edge, with wide views to distant peaks and the valley floor below. Later the route bends into the forest, where the larches grow thicker and the air feels warmer and calmer. Stone barns around Grange del Pis give a brief sense of farming life before the last stretch.
Beyond the hamlet the track narrows to a quieter path that drifts between clearings and clusters of trees. A final short descent brings you to the buildings of the rifugio, tucked on a grassy shelf above the stream. The setting is intimate rather than wild, with meadows, woodland and a welcoming terrace. It is an easy place to linger, wash the dust from your feet and enjoy the softer side of the Val Pellice.
Leaving the quiet hollow around the hut, you head into a day that feels like a doorway between valleys. The climb pulls you out of the dark forest towards broad, hanging pastures below the cliffs of Rocca Nera and Punta Sea Bianca. Around the high point the skyline suddenly opens, with distant ridges, deep-cut gullies and, far ahead, the gentle meadows of the upper Po valley where the day will finally ease out.
From the buildings a track drops briefly to the stream, then a signed path cuts into larch forest and starts climbing in tight zigzags. The gradient soon bites, but clear switchbacks lead out above the trees onto rougher slopes, scattered with boulders and low grass. A final pull brings you to a shoulder between Rocca Nera at 2,710 metres and Punta Sea Bianca at 2,722 metres, where the air feels thinner and the views stretch from Val Pellice to the Po valley.
On the far side the path drops into a stony gully, then softens into grassy tracks that wander down towards water and cattle. As the slope eases you meet a broad farm road and follow it beside the young Po, with hay meadows and stone barns all around. The houses of Pian della Regina appear almost casually; the rifugio sits slightly above them, an easy place to unclip your pack and swap mountain silence for the murmur of the valley.
