GTL - Grande Traversata delle Langhe - Stage 14: Castino - Cravanzana

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Highlights and tour details

Short route in the heart of Upper Langa, immersed between woods and hazelnut groves. This is, in fact the land of hazelnuts, prized product of these hills.

The historic centre of Castino reflects the richness brought by three Benedictine monasteries and it is bound, as they say, “to worldly honour”, with a curious parish church with double façade. The castle and the remains of the tower speak of a century-old glorious history of control of the passage between Bormida, Belbo and Lower Langa. In more recent times, the village suffered from the Nazi-Fascist retaliation during the 1944 round-ups.

In recent times, the town suffered from Nazi Fascist retaliation during the round-ups of 1944. From Castino, after a lovely walk among the flowery streets of the ancient village, we follow the signs for the town hall and then keep left in Via San Rocco (if we continue it is worth taking a look at the homonymous country church), to take the mule track in stone on the right which climbs up the crest (more or less paved) in the direction of the upper Belbo Valley.

These mule tracks, that travel the crests of the valleys and then climb narrowly and steeply from one ridge to the next, are the most hidden but perhaps the most relevant trace of the traffic and of the merchants who unceasingly travelled the salt routes from the sea to the Po Valley, for almost one thousand years, making these places – today remote – the centre of a world. In this sense, the Belbo Valley (like the two Bormida Valleys and the Uzzone Valley) is a continuous discovery of past glories and memories ruined by the romantic flavour, which would have made Foscolo, Petöfi and Byron happy.

Let us enjoy the scenery that takes us to the wildest Langhe, in which the isolated houses become rare and the villages roll up on a higher spur of the hill, closed inside stone walls and grim fortresses. All around, fragrant woods of chestnuts and lime trees, beech and elm trees, with the willows along the valleys between two hills and the oak trees on the peaks. Legend has it that they were placed up there to await the lightning bolts that the Gods, from Jupiter onwards, have always hurled at it to create the magic of the white truffle.

From Castino, the route along the crest heads for Cravanzana, passing high above Bosia, which instead is located halfway up the hillside. At the fork of the Lodola (another celebrated place of Fenoglio where the Partisans Poli and Mauri met after the winter of 1944: we recommend a short detour) where our grassy route unites for a few hundred metres with the strip of paved road and then again we depart to the right to enter the freshness of the wood. Here every junction in the trail is marked by a signpost or by specific red-white marks on the plants. Finally, the road curves in a couple of hairpin bends to emerge onto the road of Viarascio, which descends to Cortemilia between beautiful woods and clearings.

Turn right to climb back up towards Cravanzana on the same paved road, between hazelnut groves kept as gardens, until the village crossroads. Passed the crossroads take the entrance to the village with the viale dei caduti and the majestic silhouette of the marquis castle that dominates the small medieval village. Cravanzana is considered one of the hazelnut capitals, that “Tonda e Gentile della Langhe” (now officially called Piemonte IGP), the name alone says it is the best in the world. It is not difficult to find local artisans and pastry chefs.

Attractions

Castino : Benedictine Monastery. Cravanzana : Fontana Castle.

Other information

Source: Unione Montana Alta Langa
Itinerary code: GTL
Recommended period: Apr - Nov
Access by public transport: Yes
Classification: Medium and low mountain provincial
Provinces crossed: Langhe Monferrato e Roero

Departure, arrival and municipalities crossed

Departure

Via Perletto, 29
Castino
12050 Castino (CN)
Cuneo

see on map

Arrival

Via Costavita
Cravanzana
12050 Cravanzana (CN)
Cuneo

see on map

Links

http://www.langheroero.it/

Alessandria and Monferrato