Le Strade dei Forti - stage 10 from Laval/Pragelato to Massello

From the Mulino di Laval Refuge, cross the bridge over the Chisone stream and take the dirt road to the right. Follow it until you reach the “Baracot”, the information point of the Val Troncea Natural Park, then turn left and start ascending the road towards the former village of Laval. What remains of this ancient alpine village is visible from the road; among the ruins, it is still possible to glimpse the shape of the typical “Alpine House” of this part of the Alps: the stable on the ground floor, balconies on the first floor, and the barn at the top where hay was stored for the winter, with the roof either made of wood or stone with the typical slate tiles skillfully interlocked. The only part of the village still usable is the Holiday House, which still hosts boys and girls for summer stays in the mountains, along with the church and the cemetery.

Continuing on the road, you then come across the Joussaud hamlet, also abandoned except for a single house now used by shepherds; it is one of the places where the Waldensians stopped during their march.

From this point onward, follow the road faithfully until the Colle Clot de la Soma. The road is pleasant and alternates between shade and sun across larch woods and alpine meadows where herds and flocks graze. It is advisable to keep away from the animals and not to invade the grazing area. As you gain altitude, the larch forest thins out to make way for meadows with tall grass and wild flora. On a sunny day, you can observe beautiful colors contrasting with the blue sky.

Upon reaching Colle Clot de la Soma, the first spectacular panoramic point opens up over the Val Chisone and Vallone del Mendie. At this point, there are two options:

continue along the road and after the commemorative plaque/monument (which can be seen high up on the left going up, along the ridge), enter the ridge trail and continue on the trail in the same direction (trail marked in white-red) or from the pass take the ridge path directly. The first section is very steep and then continues up and down more gently along the ridge. Beyond the commemorative monument, pass the old ski lifts and continue along the marked path.

The vegetation has changed: this is the realm of bilberries, rhododendrons, wild thyme, sempervivum, and hardy high-altitude flowers. Before reaching Colle del Pis, you cross a meadow on the side of which you can observe a beautiful flowering of alpine cotton-grass, also called “mountain cotton”.

At Colle del Pis, the view extends to Colle dell’Albergian, below which the Moremout military shelters, Monte Ruetas, and the Morefreddo shelters can be glimpsed on the right, as well as the basin descending towards Val Germanasca.

If you wish, you can make a detour to visit the Monte Morefreddo shelters (about 30 minutes extra to get there) and enjoy the view of Val Troncea from there. From there, return along the same trail and continue.

For Balsiglia and Massello, take trail 216 which gently descends, making a curve in the panoramic basin to then reach the other side of the basin. At a certain point, a path leading to the Moremout shelters is clearly visible. It takes about twenty minutes to reach them, leaving the main trail behind.

At the fork, take the path to the left and always follow the signs for Balsiglia.

Here the route becomes a balcony trail over the basin, beautiful and panoramic, and skirting the Monte Fea Nera before the shepherd's hut. Finally, the sound of water flowing is heard, and the view opens onto the Massello valley and the imposing Pis waterfall.

At the Lauson shepherd's hut, the path changes direction and begins to descend. From here there is a first steeper downhill section on the slope and then a long section along the stream with a gentler slope reaching Balsiglia. It is a quiet valley of beauty that still seems wild and unspoiled.

Upon arrival in Balsiglia, cross the hamlet and reach the road where notice boards with informational panels about Waldensian history are present. If you wish to stay overnight, there is a self-managed GTA stopover. There is also free municipal Wi-Fi.

To resume the walk towards Massello, follow the paved road to the fork for the trail located on the right at the height of the Piccolo Passet hamlet. Here you can choose to continue along the paved road, which is still little trafficked, or to divert onto the trail that descends on the same slope to a wooden bridge. After crossing the bridge, the path continues by crossing the stream using small bridges or fords, following the naturalistic route “The wheel and the water,” along which you encounter informational boards about local fauna and flora and about the ancient water mill, up to the bridge of the Massello Foresteria.

Water points: At the start, Mulino di Laval Refuge In Balsiglia

There are no fountains or springs along the entire crossing.

It is advisable to be cautious if there are shepherd dogs and/or guard dogs protecting the flock.

From Turin, after passing Pinerolo, take the SP23 to Pragelato and follow the signs for Val Troncea.

www.arriva.it

There is parking at the entrance to the Val Troncea.