Our extraordinary, exclusive hiking and trekking tour around Monviso is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this majestic mountain in the Italian Alps, which recently commemorated the 150th anniversay of its first successful climb. It is also a wonderful way to explore a region little known to the average tourist.

And for those who like the extra challenge, we offer a post-trip Climbing Monviso extension. Accompanied by an experienced, licensed UIAGM alpine guide, you will follow on the footsteps of William Mathews and a team of British climbers who, on Aug 30, 1861 were the first to succesfully reach the summit. This is a very demanding endeavour and we reserve the right to screen participants to make sure they satisfy climbing requirements. Contat us for more details.

Known to the locals as the "King of Stone", or as the "Mont Blanc of the Southern Alps", with its 12'790 ft. Monviso dominates the whole chain of the Cozie Alps, in southern Piemonte, and the lower plains from Saluzzo to Torino. Bordering with France, but entirely in Italian territory, Monviso for centuries was believed to be the highest peak in the Alps. The first Italian expedition to reach its summit, led by Quintino Sella, took place on August 12, 1863. The name, a contraction of Monte Viso, comes from the Latin Vesulus or "the visible mountain". In fact, from the Italian side, its distinct and imposing pyramidal shape jots up from the mountain range, making it visible and recognizable even from great distances. On the flank of the mountain is the historical Buco di Viso (Hole of Viso), the first tunnel dug in the Alps in 1480, and used as a mule route between France and Italy. Today it is a historical landmark. At Monviso's feet, remote valleys, dotted with small enchanting hamlets, hold on to their traditions and culture, while from its spring, the Po River, the longest river in Italy, starts its 430-mile journey to the Adriatic Sea. Hiking and trekking in a spectacular, rugged, alpine setting, we circumnavigate this magnificent mountain admiring this giant of stone from every angle, and crossing a great variety of natural environments - glacial lakes, alpine passes, pristine valleys, and pine forests. We will visit and spend one night in one of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia" (Italy's most beautiful hamlets), where we breath the Occitane culture. Accommodations will be at simple mountain inns/locandas and hut to hut at rifugios (mountain huts), strategically located in panoramic spots. We conclude our journey with one night in a well-deserved, beautiful Villa/hotel in the exquisite medieval town of Saluzzo. Our journey truly takes us off the beaten path, into one of the most pristine, least populated and developed areas of the Alps.

We'd be happy to customize the itinerary for private parties.

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Itinerary Outline

Day 1 • Torino - Valle di Po, Italy
Meet your guide at Torino Caselle Airport and transfer by private vehicle to your first mountain inn, in Valle di Po. The Po river flows through the valley, starting its long journey to the Adriatic Sea from its source at the foot of Monviso. After settling in and a light lunch, we'll take a short hike in the immediate surroundings to acclimatize to the elevation. Dinner and overnight at the inn. Acommodations in double rooms with private bathrooms.

Day 2, 3 • Valle di Po – Val Pellice – Italy
We hike from Valle di Po to Val Pellice, home to the Valdesi (Waldenses). A persecuted religious minority of Pre-Reformation Christians dating back to the medieval times, they took refuge and remained secluded in the valleys of the Cozie Alps, where they are still religiously active today. We take in one of the most spectacular and breathtaking views of Monviso and its "satellites", the surrounding peaks. For the next two days, a series of long acents and descents take us through narrow and rugged valleys, conifer forests, and a beautiful glacial basin. We pass active cheese farms, and may have the opportunity to taste some of their products. Dinner and overnight at rifugios (mountain huts). Accommodations in double/quadruple rooms or dormitory-style, depending on availibility. Shared bathrooms. On Day 2 luggage will be transferred by private vehicle to the rifugio. On Day 3, you will not have access to your luggage.

Day  4 • Val Pellice – Queyras National Park, France
Our circular trek leads us back to Valle di Po. We enter Val Pellice, home to the Valdesi, a religious minority dating back to the medieval times; we cross glacial basins, verdant pastures and forests; we visit cheese farms and taste their exquisite products; we pass military sites, testimonies of the area’s crucial role during WWI; we visit beautiful, medieval Saluzzo.

Day 5 • Queyras – Val Varaita – Italy
Hiking over a pass that yields superb views of Monviso's western face and surrounding panorama, we cross from the French Alps back into the Italian Alps. Optional climb to one of the nearby peaks. We then descend into a remote valley, first characterized by a wild and severe environment, and then by the softer landscape with numerous summer pastures. We reach our locanda in an exquisite hamlet in Val Varaita. This part of the valley, between 1343 and 1713 was one of the five Escartons, and today the locals still speak the Occitane language and hold on to their traditions. Accommodations in double or quadruple rooms (depending on availibility) with private bathrooms. Dinner reflects the exquisite cuisine of the area. Luggage is transferred by private vehicle.

Day 6 • Val Varaita – Valle di Po – Italy
Short transfer by private vehicle to our trailhead. A long ascent through the highest concentration of Arolla pines in all of Europe and past numerous alpine lakes take us to the pass that separates Val Varaita from Valle di Po. We skirt Monviso's mountain range on a well-maintained, panoramic trail and reach the rifugio, located below the majestic east face of Monviso and offering open panoramic views of the planes. Optional climb to a nearby peak. Dinner and overnight at the rifugio. Dormitory-style accommodations, shared bathrooms. Today you will not have access to your luggage.

Day 7 • Valle di Po – Saluzzo
We hike across a large moraine, meandering amongst boulders. We then start our descent past beautiful emerald-green alpine lakes and through grazing pastures. We reach the spring of the Po River, surrounded by a peatary, unique in its kind in the whole of the Alps. We then descend downstream, trough forests, to Crissolo. Here we meet our private vehicle and transfer to Saluzzo, where you will bid farewell to your guide. Accommodations tonight are at well-deserved, exquisite Villa converted into a family-run hotel. Dinner is on your own at the hotel or at one of the many exceptional restaurants in town. We recommend that you take some time to walk through Saluzzo's exquisite, medieval historical center. Accommodations in double rooms with private bathroom.

Participants signed-up on "Climbing Monviso" extension will NOT descend to the valley in the morning.

Day  8 • Departure
After breakfast, there is a group transfer to Torino Airport. If you wish to extend your stay and spend a few days in Torino (well worth a visit), we'd be happy to reserve a hotel in the city for you.