Stages from Ormea to Upega

Ormea is a lively centre in the Tanaro Valley, situated along the axis of the Col de Nava towards Liguria. Famous for its dense network of footpaths between sea and mountains, the town boasts the spectacular ‘Balconata’, a 40km panoramic route between Eca and Viozene. The first stage of the RivierAlp itinerary leads to the hamlet of Quarzina, passing through a veritable “plant archaeological zone” of centuries-old chestnut trees. In the small village of Chionea, the Museum of Memories and the church of S. Maria Vergine Assunta are well worth a visit, with its precious sixteenth-century altar and the characteristic proverbs in the Ormea dialect on the walls. Beyond the Colletta, on a passable track between Aimoni and Piano della Morra, you then reach the vast pastures of Monte Castello di Quarzina, dominated by the tiny, poetic little church of San Giovanni Battista, a precious alpine stop-off to admire the sea, before the final descent to the refuge in the centre of the hamlet.

RivierAlp’s second stage in the Tanaro Valley along the “Balconata di Ormea”, which ends in Viozene after around twelve kilometres. Two kilometres from the start, the Tetto a Biranco is a modern bivouac-belvedere designed in pectoral fir wood, where you can stop and enjoy the surrounding landscape and the view of the sea, made up of craggy rocks and patches of forest on the other side of the valley. The route passes through lush chestnut and fir groves, punctuated by melancholy ruins that tell of the valley’s ancient history and modern depopulation. Finally, Viozene, with its large parish church of San Bartolomeo, is also the gateway to Mont Mongioie, the second highest peak in the Ligurian Alps after the Marguareis.

This is the third stage in the Tanaro Valley, leaving Viozene and heading west to reach another village that is emblematic of the ancient “Terre Brigasque”, a unique historical and cultural entity that was once part of the municipality of Brigue Marittime, now La Brigue in France. We reach the magnificent natural site of the Grotta delle Vene (Veins Cave), where spectacular alpine springs gush out at the foot of the imposing gneiss walls of the Cimes des Colme, before descending gently to the picturesque hamlet of Carnino Inferiore, whose Foresteria is a veritable institution for all outdoor enthusiasts in the region. This is followed by a demanding but rewarding climb up the path to the Col du Lagarè, then a scenic descent from Pian della Ciappa to the narrow streets of the village of Upega, offering rare and unspoilt Alpine panoramas of the surrounding meadows and peaks.