Pedestrian Road of the Shrines
- Trail Conditions: On foot
- Duration: 50 minutes
- Difficulty Level: suitable for every kind of training
- Difference in height: 321m
The itinerary CAI 422 is the most important, charming, and busy itinerary of the Reserve. Together with itineraries CAI 421 and 423, it represents the main historical route leading to the Sanctuary, traditionally used by the community of Valperga.
The trail leaves from the Municipality of Valperga (385m asl) and reaches the summit of the Mountain (735m asl) along an ancient pebbled road called "Strada pedonale dei Piloni" (Pedestrian Road of the Shrines).
The inhabitants of Valperga and the adjacent Municipalities join every year on 17th August to walk along this itinerary during an event organized by the Parish.
The uphill trail symbolically leaves from Valperga Parish Church, situated in the middle of the town; it crosses the ancient Portico of via Alessandro Volta and then climbs among steep and silent pebbled roads up to San Giorgio small medieval church and to the Castle of Valperga Earls dominating the town.
After a short stretch of asphalt road, you will reach the Pedestrian Road of the Shrines, scattered with the Mysteries of the Rosary, painted on 15 Shrines. The tabernacles were built between 1878 and 1880, during the enlargement and stabilization works of the route, aiming at making easier the uphill path and at enabling the passage of light vehicles. The Shrines were built by religious men and women, parish priests, and rich families that welcomed with enthusiasm the idea of the canon Giuseppe Borrone from Salassa.
As soon as you take the pebbled road, you will admire Sant'Apollonia small church where, between 1973 and 1974, an important necropolis dating back to the Iron Age was found.
Halfway, you will find the Chapel of the Samaritan, welcoming the pilgrims and offering them shelter under the shadow of its roof. Unfortunately, the two life-size scagliola statues - Jesus sitting at Sichem well and the Samaritan with the jug - are no longer in the chapel.
At the end of the itinerary, you will reach the Sanctuary: nearby, you will also find the Friars' Graveyard, Valperga Graveyard, and the panoramic restaurant built in the early 20th century.
Road bottom: pebbled and asphalt road
