It was a dark night, and a wagoner was traveling through the Germanasca valley going towards Prali. The man, who was dead-drunk, was singing bad songs and laughing dumbly, falling asleep every now and then cradled by the horse pace. Near Pomeifré, he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, and he […]

The legend I’m telling you today is set in a place where I already took you in my adventures, searching for fantastic stories: the old road for Prali, in Val Germanasca. This time, the story talks about a young man who took a fancy to two beautiful girls who lived in Gardiola hamlet. One was […]

When I see a mask, I always think about the splendours of Carnival: it’s so amusing to get the chance to wear weird style clothes, the crazy colours of an Harlequin or the costume of your favourite hero. But behind a mask you can also conceal your face and your intentions. Behind a disguise you […]

Today I’m recounting you a legend, set in Val Germanasca, talking about fairies, magic and metamorphosis. I’m taking you at Nido dell’Orso (The Bear’s Nest), a small group of houses located at 1.650m of altitude, over the Indritti hamlet in Prali. It’s told that once here lived a family with two daughters who had opposite […]

Hi all! Today I’m here to tell you some bits of the story of the Waldensian condottiero Giosuè Gianavello. Yes, he’s this guy standing next to me, and he will be my guide today along the steep trails of a place he knows inside out: the Bric di Bandì, literally “mull of the bandits”. Where […]

Here is the second part of a post about a very special sylva, located in Fenestrelle, in the middle of Val Chisone, not so far from Torino. In the first part I told you about this forest made up of larches, which in the centuries has been a natural shield against landslides and avalanches, keeping […]

This is the first part of two posts dedicated to a very special location. It’s a place, in Val Chisone, inhabited by beautiful giants with verdant manes: the forest of Chambons. It’s located right above the Chambons hamlet in the town of Fenestrelle, not so far from Torino. But why is it so important? Well, […]

Not far from the small town of Prali, in Val Germanasca, you can find the plateau of Tredici Laghi (Thirteen lakes), located at 2.300 meters of altitude. It’s an enchanting place, a wide tableland surrounded by peaks. Here, walking through easy trails, you can reach many small alpine lakes. Once there were 13 tarns, and […]

I’ve told you many stories set in these valleys which have sorcerers as protagonists. Some of them are able to deviate the flow of the creeks, some can transform in animals, some others can force you to behave against your will. Almost all of them have something in common: the use of their magical powers […]

Today you’ll need to have a quite long walk to follow me to Alpe Souiran, on the path that from Alpe Crevlira goes to Alpe Infernet. In this place remains no more than the ruins of the pasture, little houses that once were a shelter for the shepherds, just like the one that is the […]