An Unforgettable Day Climbing Rocciamelone
With the first light of the morning, in the company of two friends, an unforgettable day starts. From the hut La Riposa (2200 m) we move towards the top of one of Turin's well-known and admired mountains, the Rocciamelone (3538 m). The sky is clear and the promise for good weather has proved true, so without hesitation we take the path that leads to our first step, the Ca' d'Asti hut at 2850 m. The view is beautiful but we are determined to get to the top and so we move ahead to our next step, the Crocetta di Ferro (3300 m).
At this altitude the rarefied air makes it more difficult to walk but eventually, with a slower pace, we go up the last part of the path that leads to the top of the mountain. When we reach the top, an amazing view fills our eyes and the surrounding mountains are breath-taking.
To make the arrival even more pleasurable is the generosity of the keeper of the bivouac who offers us a delicious hot cup of tea. Sipping our hot tea, we move to the famous statue situated at the very top of the Rocciamelone and we snap a couple of pictures.
For me, this is a family tradition, as demonstrated by the pictures of my grandfather with my great-grandfather, taken a few years after the war, during one of their many climbs. At this point my memories and emotions are intense and my mind goes back to the time when I was with my father and we tried to reach the top, but due to bad weather conditions we were obliged to stop at the Tazzetti hut.
The way that my family used to take to walk to the top of the mountains was from the Viù valley, and it is definitely more challenging than the one we chose today.
Even though the desire is to stay here forever, we unfortunately have to abandon this wonderful place and start on our way down. After a tasty and typical bowl of Polenta at the Ca' d'Asti, we reach our starting point.
Our last destination for the day is a mountain cheese-maker, where we taste different kinds of good quality Toma.
For all lovers of the Alps, Piedmont is without a doubt the best place where you can admire amazing views, and my personal advice is to take the time to discover them all.
