Sauze di Cesana between mountain trails and Valle Argentera

Sauze di Cesana lies at an altitude of 1,560 m at the foot of Monte Sises on Provincial Road 215. If you are looking for a mountain landscape with clearly distinct trails, hamlets and cultural destinations, the town offers various starting points for planning your trip. Trails lead from the town into the surrounding landscapes; at the same time, churches and historic connections tell the story of the development of the upper valley.

Valle Argentera and protected habitats

Valle Argentera is a water-rich valley with pastures. Ridges and old alpine pastures surround this landscape and give it a distinctly alpine character. Six community-protected habitat types are also important for nature enthusiasts. These include larch and Swiss stone pine forests, alpine grasslands rich in base minerals, rhododendron and bilberry shrubs, and subarctic willow scrub. The different habitats also make the landscape interesting for walks and nature observation, without requiring a single, uniform type of outing.

Hiking and mountain bike tours

The Sentiero Balcone runs along old paths and connects Sauze di Cesana with the surrounding hamlets as far as Valle Argentera. In this way, the trail opens up several landscape areas along a route that brings together historic paths and modern orientation in the valley.

For mountain bikers, the Cima Bosco loop begins and ends in Sauze di Cesana. It is 19.5 km long, rated difficult and has an elevation gain of 922 m. Another mountain bike route leads from Sauze di Cesana to Cimabosco and back. Experienced riders can extend this route as far as Thures.

San Restituto: church and regional architectural history

The Church of San Restituto stands away from the town center on a steep slope opposite the Clivio stream. Its distinctive bell tower belongs to the Dauphiné Romanesque architectural type, which is typical of religious buildings in the upper valley. San Restituto is already mentioned in Bishop Cuniberto's diploma from 1065. Historically, the three neighboring parishes of Sauze di Cesana, Champlas du Col and Rollieres used the church.

Another change followed in 1771: at that time, the parish's pastoral functions were transferred to the Chapel of San Giacomo in Sauze di Cesana. During the San Restituto patronal feast, the community of Sauze di Cesana gathers at the Church of San Restituto for an old celebration of faith and tradition.

Winter on the valley floor and slopes

Today, cross-country skiing, ski touring and snowshoeing take place on the valley floor along the Ripa stream and on the slopes of Monte Cimabosco between Sauze di Cesana and the hamlet of Rollieres. Frozen waterfalls in Valle Argentera are a winter destination for visitors interested in ice climbing. Thus, alongside trails through the landscape, winter activities of different kinds are also a central focus.

Historic routes and high passes

The Strada Reale di Francia follows the traces of older routes and connects Sauze di Cesana with Rollieres and the three Champlas settlements. In some sections, it runs along the present-day provincial road. On the route from Gran Queyron and Cima Frappier, Trail 605 crosses a broad pastureland to Passo della Longia at an altitude of 2,817 m.

Further places to help you plan

To compare additional destinations, you can also consider Pragelato, Poirino, Caluso, Almese, Balangero, Borgaro Torinese, Montalenghe and Roletto.

For the overarching travel overview: Turin.