The Gole del Lavì and the Three Lakes Loop: the Valsesia few people seek out, at the foot of Monte Rosa

There is a corner of Piedmont where the Alps stop being a postcard and become terrain once more. We are above Alagna Valsesia, in the province of Vercelli, at the head of a valley that closes against the south face of Monte Rosa, the second-highest peak in the Alps. Overtourism has not arrived here yet: those who come up do so on foot, slowly, and almost always go home with the feeling of having seen something not easily put into words.

The Gole del Lavì

The Gole del Lavì are the first chapter of this itinerary. Meltwater carves the rock into narrow passages, polishes the boulders and forms emerald-coloured pools where the light slants in. The constant roar of the torrent accompanies every step, and in summer the temperature drops sharply the moment you enter the shadow of the walls. No special equipment is needed for the walkable stretches, but caution is: the ground is wet and the rocks are slippery.

The Three Lakes Loop

As you climb, the gorges open out and the trail gains altitude. The Three Lakes Loop takes in bodies of water set around 2,400 metres, high-mountain basins that mirror the glaciers and the ridges. It is a harsh and beautiful landscape of sparse pasture, marmots and not a single tourist facility to break the horizon. It is several hours of uphill walking: a full day, to be tackled with fitness, proper footwear and an eye on the weather, which changes fast up here.

Walser culture

But the Valsesia is not only nature. Alagna is Walser country, a people of Germanic origin who colonised these slopes from the Middle Ages onward. In the nearby Val d'Otro, almost intact villages survive, with houses of stone and larch wood built using the Blockbau technique, monolithic fountains and chapels. An ancient dialect is still spoken, the titzschu of Alagna. To walk here is to cross a culture, not just a landscape.

Visit responsibly: stay on the trails, take your litter away, stop for the night in the small mountain huts and local inns. Wild mountains stay wild only if we cross them on tiptoe.

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Getting there

The starting point for these hikes is Alagna Valsesia, at the foot of Monte Rosa. By car, you drive up the entire valley along the SS299 road to Alagna, where you leave the car in the car parks at the entrance to the village; from here the trails set off on foot towards the lakes and gorges. The railway reaches Varallo, from which you continue up the valley floor by bus. The nearest airports are Milan Malpensa and Turin Caselle.