I Giorni della Merla

Last weekend for I Giorni della Merla we decided to go to Belavarda near the city of Cantoira in Piemonte. OK, but what the heck is I Giorni della Merla? Continue reading this post to know…

To Begin

Although it was I Giorni della Merla but it was a really hot sunny day. We start our journey from Lities. A small village which you start directly from there or even if you are ready for 400 m more height difference you can even start from Cantoira. All the information of this route completely described here. Yes, it is in Italian, but you can always use translator. These days they are working much smarter even with a hard language like the Italian.

panormaic View from Bellavarda
panormaic View from Bellavarda

The Accident

Once again, our plan was going on our own. And yes, as I mentioned before in our journey to Monte Soglio I always prefer more adventure and taking more risks. But to be honest on this trip we got lost which for me was still fine, and then an accident happened to one of my friend, and he slipped and fell down from the cliff. Frankly, we were so lucky that he did not get any serious injury. But I understand that we need to be more careful and also get more prepared for unwanted incidents.

The Second Accident

The other things that happened on this trip was after that accident we finally reached somewhere to had our meal, and then I just discovered that I left my delicious Tuna Avocado sandwiches in the fridge! Luckily, I was not that hungry at the moment. Later on that night I had a big Burger plus lots of fried stuff as a reward to myself.

The Details

This trekking include a really steep track which require a good level of fitness. So, I do not recommend it for beginners. The total distance to the summit is around 4.5 km, but the height difference is around 1000 m and if you start from Cantoira it will be 400 m more. The path almost well signposted, but be careful because we got lost of the track two times. There are some signs which also let you know the vertical distance which you take so far in an interesting graphical way. You can see it in photos at the end of this post.

I Giorni della Merla

The last 3 days of January (from the 29th to the 31st) are traditionally called “I Giorni della Merla” (Blackbird’s Days) and are considered the coldest days of the year. This is actually just a legend, but I am crazy for these types of legends.

I giorni della merla
Merla (Black bird)

The origin of the saying

There are numerous theories about the origin of the expression “I Giorni della Merla”. Which you can find them by yourself or just ask your Italian friends about it.

But according to my favourite legend, January originally had 28 days. The month of January was terrible to a poor blackbird because he envied her beautiful pure white plumage. Every time this poor bird went out seeking food for herself and her little ones, the Month became suddenly colder. Tired of this, one year, the blackbird decided to gather enough supplies for the whole month. When, after the 28th day, she went out singing and mocking January because she thought she had played him, January got upset and borrowed three extra days from his brother February so that it could continue to torment the blackbird with snowstorms, chill, wind, and rain. During those days, the blackbird was out hunting for food and had to find shelter into a chimney; when she came out, three days later, her plumage was black. Since then, blackbirds have always been black and January has 31 days.

If you check my instagram post of this trip you will see me mostly with short sleeves and that is why maybe it is all just a legend. If you are Italian and know any other origin about I Giorni della Merla, please let me know about it.

I Giorni della Merla in Belavarda
I Giorni della Merla in Belavarda
I Giorni della Merla in Belavarda
I Giorni della Merla in Belavarda
I Giorni della Merla in Belavarda
MonteSoglio

Monte Soglio

Monte Soglio is a 1971 m mountain belonging to Graian Alps (Alpi Graie). Graian Alps is a section of the Alps located between Italy, France & Switzerland. The west part of the Alps which you all know, the most famous and highest peak of it: the famous Mont Blanc.
It seems finally my Italian friends start to believe that we do not need the guide for every easy trekking route. Frankly, for me (who did the Damavand (5600 m) without any guide only with a friend who she is also was completely noob like me) understanding that why we always require a guide here is a little hard. Yes, I absolutely appreciate group trekking and meeting new people and making friends. Plus that there are numerous adventures route or new experiences that it’s much safer with a proper guide. But come on, here there are full of sign always on the route which you do not even need to use maps and routes on your phone.

Monte Soglio

Starting point

Any way, we decided to hike to Monte Soglio from Piano Audi. Piano Audi is straightforward access by car. Then you can start your journey to Monte Soglio summit exactly from there. The distance we did was around 15 km and the difference in the altitude of around 1000 m.

Alpe Soglia Refuge near Monte Soglio

Monte Soglio


Near the summit you will reach the Alpe Soglia Refuge which was really nice like all the other Refuge in the mountains.
We did this route on 22nd of Jan and there was only a little part covered with snow and glacier. You will not need snowshoes, but maybe having crampons make the passage to the summit more pleasant. (Which I did not have!)

Monte Soglio

The summit had the amazing 360º view which was really delightful. I am still a little lazy to organise my gallery system here and post photos there. So for the moment I will add some selected photos to the post gallery.

Monte Soglio
Monte Soglio
summit
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Tre Denti and Freidour

If you love 360º panromaic view continue reading Tre Denti and Freidour post!

Tre Denti and Freidour are mountains of Alpi del Monginevro under the section of the Cottian Alps. We had a plan to just trek to Freidour with the guide of Trekking Torino but later we also continued our journey till the peak of tre denti.

Monte Freidour

We left the cars here and started to hike through the monte Freidour. although we were in the coldest days of January, it was a pleasant warm sunny day and contrary to our expectations. the route from starting point to the summit of Freidour was simple but with an amazing panoramic view of the valleys. at the end of the summit, we enjoyed the marvelous 360º panoramic view.

Tre Denti and Freidour

On the top is the trigonometric geodetic datum the IGM code 067041 called Monte Freidour. also there is a monument of the 8 members of the crew of a British Liberator bomber that crashed there on 14 October 1944, during a mission in support of Italian partisans.

After reaching there we decided to continue through The Aragno hill which separates Freidour from Mount Tre Denti. so we continued our journey till the highest dent of those three dents! from there you can have panromaic view of city of Avigliana and the lakes of Avigliana.

avigliana lakes from tre denti

At the end we reached the small chapel at the top of the eastern tooth. we had our lunch break there while we enjoyed the mesmerizing view. on the way back we continued another route which ended to Casa Canada (Refuge Melano). even if you do not like hiking or not in the mood of long journey I highly recommend you to visit this place. it is very easy to access with short distance of walking.

casa canada near monte freidour
casa canada near monte freidour

Such as always you can find the Strava activity on my Strava Profile. soon I need to setup an image gallery system on my website for the people who like just browse the photos fast and then I can focus more on the text on my blog posts.

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Colle Begino

When life gives you snow, do snowshoeing. (my inner voice during hiking to Colle Begino)

We had an opportunity to do the snowshoes again to Colle Begino. this time near France border so close to the famous Mont Chaberton in France. Alessandro from Trekking Torino organized guided hiking to Colle Begino. it was a Holiday Thursday and why not!

Colle begino

Finally, the coldest days of winter arrived. At the beginning, where we start near Cesana Torinese, it was really freezing cold. luckily a little bit later when we had more sun and our bodies already warmed up, it was not freezing anymore. Alessandro organized everything perfectly. we had the Crampons and Snowshoes and special gear to attach them to our backpacks.

Colle begino

On the way to our destination Colle Begino, we needed to pass alongside Lago Nero (I hope so because I did not see it. it may be fully covered by snow). we started hiking with crampons. using crampons was really pleasant. a little bit later after 4km of hiking we reached more fresh snow and we had to use the snowshoes.

Colle begino

To be honest, using snowshoes is not easy at all and it is really exhausting activity. I also mentioned before that I do not want to do it every week, but walking alongside all those fresh white snows made you forget all the tiredness. on the top, you can enjoy having a view of Thures Valley

Colle begino

On the way back we had a stop at Capanna Mautino refuge. over there you can have some warm meals and drinks. we changed back to crampons again to get back to Cesana.
the total distance that we did was around 15km and elevation gain of around 1000m. you can find all the details in my strava activity. such as always I created the reel of the trip on my Instagram

Fontana Mura

Fontana Mura

If you are looking for easy hiking/trekking in Piemonte, Fontana Mura is the one.

We were looking for an easy weekend half-day trekking and we decided to go to Fontana Mura refuge. The Fontana Mura refuge is located inside the Orsiera-Rocciavrè nature park, at the foot of the Colle Della Roussa, a pass that connects Val Sanguine with Val Chisone. The refuge takes its name from the source of the Sangone river, (originally Fontana Moura) that flows near the structure. It is located at 1726 m above sea level and is located in Alpe Sellery Superiore, and can only be reached on foot or by mountain bike from the start of the road-agro-silvo-pastorale near the town of Pian Neiretto, after Forno di Coazze.

starting point to fontana mura refuge

to start you can park your car here and start walking from here. the distance to Fontana mura refuge is about 7km and with an elevation gain of around 600m. you can find my activity of it on Strava. if you are looking for an easy hike or if you just want to start hiking it is a really nice choice.

fonta mura

if you are going there in the winter season prepare yourself with proper shoes and gear for walking in the snow and ice. at the end, you will arrive at the Fontana Mura refuge. you can continue the route from there or come back to your starting point. but I highly recommend you to try foods and drink in the refuge.

Fontana Mura Refuge

on the way back there is another refuge which is totally different and is located in lower altitude with more trees surrounding it. if you have time you can visit that too.

I will try to continue posting more about locations in my blog. but honestly writing is something that I did not do it so often recently but I promise to do my best. if this post was useful for you please write a comment or share it with your friends.

Also, I made a reel on my Instagram about this trip. take a look at it here