Canosio: Gardetta, hiking trails and alpine culture in Valle Maira

Canosio between Gardetta and Valle Maira

Canosio takes you into a mountain landscape where geological features, historic architectural forms and alpine trails stand closely side by side. The Altopiano della Gardetta near Canosio is recognised as part of Italy’s geological heritage. Traces of the Triassic reptile Ticinosuchus ferox, more than 245 million years old, can be found there. At the same time, Canosio is one of the municipalities included in the ZPS area IT1160062 “Alte valli Stura e Maira”. For nature enthusiasts, this creates a destination where landscape and geological history come together in a particularly vivid way.

Hiking trails for different levels of ability

A hike recommended by the municipality of Canosio begins at Colle del Preit and follows the route of the Percorsi Occitani to Lago della Meja. The ascent takes just under an hour. A shorter outing leads to the Pis del Passet waterfall: from Grange Selvest, it can be reached on foot in less than ten minutes. These two destinations offer different rhythms for your planning without requiring you to commit to a full-day hike.

The route to the summit of Rocca La Meja is considerably more challenging. It is recommended only for very experienced hikers and requires using your hands to make progress at three sections beside vertical drops.

Stages on the GTA and Percorsi Occitani

Long-distance trails known beyond the region also pass through Canosio. The GTA runs through the municipality for a short section, between Passo di Rocca Brancia and Passo della Gardetta. The Rifugio della Gardetta is recognised as GTA stage accommodation. The high route of the Percorsi Occitani also leads to Rifugio della Gardetta, which serves as stage accommodation for the Percorsi Occitani.

Architecture and traces of local history

In the village of Preit, four façades of the “facciata a vela” type are still preserved. There are also stone portals and windows, including the remains of a bifora window. The Cappelle di San Giovanni Battista is a stone chapel with a gabled façade and a portico supported by two pillars in the characteristic form of votive pillars dating from 1772.

In Borgata Ubac stands a large building regarded in Valle Maira as the finest example of the “casa-villaggio” building type. A stone baptismal font from the 15th century, a work by the Zabreri brothers from San Damiano, has also been preserved. Details such as these make exploring the scattered settlements an encounter with the region’s architectural and crafts heritage.

Festivals and alpine products

The Badia del Preit is honoured every year on the occasion of the San Lorenzo festival, held on a Sunday around 10 August. The Festa del Nostrale d'Alpe celebrates the flavours and traditions surrounding the cheese produced exclusively on the alpine pastures. At the same time, it honours the historic agricultural and livestock-farming summer tradition of the mountain pastures in the province of Cuneo.

Other places in the surrounding area

Fabbrica, Pietraporzio, Lesegno, Riassolo, Madonna Della Neve, La Morra, Venasca, Dronero

For the higher-level travel overview: Cuneo.