If you feel the need to get away from the city and want to take a nice walk in nature, a trip to Lake Ceresole is just what you need; an artificial Lake that is part of the complex of six dams built in the Orco’s drainage basin (Agnel Lake, Serrù Lake, Ceresole Lake, Lake Teleccio, Lake Valsoera, and Lake Eugio) that power several hydroelectric plants.
Once reached the lake, there are numerous services available: you can have a picnic in the rest areas with toilets provided by the Municipality of Ceresole Reale, or have a seated lunch with a lake view at the Chalet of the Lake, where you can enjoy excellent polenta with stew and various typical products of Piedmontese cuisine; take a long and scenic relaxing walk along the lake; cross the artificial dam built at the beginning of the 20th century while observing the movement of the 34 million cubic meters of water coming from the Orco River, which varies as the hours pass; and for the more adventurous, hike the trails leading to the surrounding mountains.
The Lake tour
This particular circular route of about 9 km starts and ends at the Massimo Mila Hiking Refuge, following the shores of the lake and going through coniferous woods up to the foothills of the Nel and Levanna glaciers at the border with France.
It is a very fascinating route that allows you, during the warm months, to peacefully enjoy this naturalistic context with its multiple environments and landscapes: the lake, the valley bottom, the mountains and the wooded area. During the winter, this walk transforms into a cross-country skiing trail.
But that’s not all…
Driving a few kilometers from Lake Ceresole, you reach the Nivolet Hill, an alpine pass located in the Graian Alps, between the Piedmontese Orco Valley and the Aoesta Valsavarenche Valley, within the protected area of the Gran Paradiso National Park, the oldest national park established in Italy in 1922.
The low influx of tourists has allowed the place to remain pristine; the crystal-clear waters of the alpine lakes create a spectacular play of colors, blending the blue of the waters with the color of the sky reflected in them.
For the luckiest ones it is possible to spot the typical fauna of the Gran Paradiso Park made up of ibex, chamois, stoats, marmots and various species of amphibians and birds. For the luckiest ones it is possible to admire the majestic circle of the golden eagle and the bearded vulture (recently reintroduced by the Park Authority) in the sky.
In short, a destination that is suitable to any type of activity with the same common thread: spending a different day than usual, with eyes full of spectacular images and lungs full of clean air.
Points of interest
How to reach Ceresole from Cascina 6b
By car: reachable in about 1 hour by car. Take the Provincial Road 13 (SP2) towards Valperga. From there, continue along the Ceresole State Road, which will lead you directly to the destination of the same name.
Public transports: reaching Ceresole by public transports can be more complicated, but you can easily use the transfert service from Cascina 6b, which is very convenient!
Clothes kit
Sporty clothes and comfortable shoes
I wish you to
HAVE A GREAT TRIP!
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