Hi all!
I hope that te story I’m telling you today can get a smile out of you. Going towards Prali on the current road, you’ll meet, near to the Rodoretto and Fontane fork, a descending path.
If you take it you’ll be on an unpaved road: the ancient way to Prali.
A a bit further on, you’ll find a very funny rock, divided in two parts by a very deep rift. Indeed, it’s called roccho eiclapâ, literally “broken rock”. Between the two parts flows the road, and for a little one like me the feeling is like passing into a small canyon!
Do you know the tale about how this rock broke? It’s told that a misty day a donkey was grazing into the meadows of Serrevecchio, an hamlet far upstream than the road. Well, you know when looking towards the plains from the sunny mountains the fog is so dense that it resembles a sea? Yes, that day was exactly like that.
The donkey, looking around, noticed that on the other side of the valley there were green and luxuriant meadows. That scene made him drool, and he decided to move towards the fresh grass. When he arrived at the haze… he continued to walk on it without any problem! The fog was so dense to hold up his weight, so he could continue to go towards the other side of the valley without even realize the fact that he was walking many meters up in the air.
Nevertheless, at a certain point the haze began to thin up. The donkey commenced to fall down, but from such a height that when he hit a rock near the river he broke it in two. What a hit! Who knows if the donkey found some tasty grass to receive a bit of consolation after such a tumble!
How to get here
From Pinerolo, take the SP23 to Sestriere. Before reaching Villar Perosa, take the SP166 and then go on the SP169, following the directions to Prali. When you reach the Rodoretto and Fontane fork you’ll meet some parking areas. From here you’ll be able to proceed by feet taking a path which descends towards the river.
Do you want to read the tale in Italian ?