Starting from Valle Cannobina allows the cross-border connection of the itinerary. You depart from Cursolo, from the square of the Town Hall and, along an easy path through a broadleaf wood, climb up to Monte Vecchio, the historic mountain pasture of the village of Orasso, to which you descend along a mule track, through one of the most representative chestnut woods in the province of Verbania, with large chestnut trees, now abandoned and progressively swallowed up by the wood. From Orasso you go back towards Cursolo on a mule track and, without entering the village, go past the Eira brook (with interesting geomorphological features), and immediately after an old mill, take the mule-track on the left that goes down to the hamlet of Aretta. From here, go in the direction of Finero for about 600 m along the S.P. 75 of Valle Cannobina until you find the path on the left that descends steeply to the Teia bridge, over the Cannobino stream, in a deep and suggestive gorge caused by river erosion. The path continues in the gorge, among woods of linden and alder, until crossing with a ford, a tributary of the Cannobino and going back up to Gurro, exceeding a difference in height of about 350 m. Once you have reached the village, once past the parish church behind you, keep to the left and take via Falmenta and reach the small valley south of the village by keeping to the left on a flat lane. After a chapel and leaving the last houses, the path goes up and reaches the Passo della Mergugna, exceeding a difference in height of about 200 m. From Mergugna, the path, losing about 300 m of altitude, descends to Falmenta and reaches the village just above the church of San Lorenzo. Once you have reached the church square, take the first stretch of Via Roma and turn left, going down towards the Town Hall, going out of the village. From the Town Hall, take the path that descends to the valley, up to the bridge over the Rio Falmenta, which becomes a steep and winding staircase and then continues on the opposite side, going up the valley to Crealla, with a gentler slope in the last stretch of 600 m altitude and coming out in the church square dedicated to St. Peter. From the centre of Crealla, the itinerary goes in the direction of Monti Barro, along an old mule-track, which branches off to the left and climbs up through steep beech woods, brushing the left edge of the pastures, until it reaches a saddle from which you can see Monte Zeda. From here, you continue by crossing on the left and gaining altitude up to the meadows of Ortighedo (1401 m). Leave Ortighedo and continue along the path that runs along the north-eastern slope of Monte Vadà, passing with numerous ascents and descents, the head of Valle di Crealla. A short stretch in the beech woods precedes the arrival at the eastern ridge that descends from Vadà, close to a water collection basin (1430 m). Taking the right, go back up the ridge along the VBAR19 path, on a visible and steep track, first among pastures, then on awkward but not dangerous rock passages, until you reach the last hairpin bend of the Cadorna military road that connects Passo Folungo to Pian Vadà. Here you proceed along the military road to Pian Vadà (1711 m). In Pian Vadà it is possible to stay overnight in an unmanaged closed refuge or a bivouac. Both facilities are owned by the Park Authority. The refuge provides 14 beds in a large room, is heated with a wood-burning stove and has electricity produced by a photovoltaic system. The bivouac, unattended and always open, provides 3 beds on planking and is not heated. In the appurtenant area of the buildings there is a fountain.

In Gurro there is the geological museum/workshop of the Valley. Between Cursolo, Orasso, Spoccia and Gurro, there are already three hiking routes of geological interest, along each of which it is possible, over the course of a day, to carry out specific observations with the help of educational-information signs. From Alpe Monte Vecchio it is possible to climb up to Monte Torriggia (geological route no. 3 of Valle Cannobina) and the cross-border connection along the Alpe Pluni (VBAS14) - Alpine (VBAS18) - Swiss border (VBAM22A) – Camedo route. The Cursolo-Monte Vecchio section also belongs to the itinerary called Sentiero Chiovini which retraces, from Fondotoce to Switzerland, the paths used by the partisans to escape the Nazi-Fascist raid of June 1944 in Val Grande. The Cursolo-Monte Vecchio-Orasso-Cursolo hiking ring has numerous testimonies of rural civilisation, enhanced by the thematic route known as the Circuito di Monte Vecchio. The Cursolo-P.te Teia-Gurro section is part of the geological route no. 2 of Valle Cannobina. The Orasso-Cursolo-P. teia-Gurro-Falmenta-Crealla routes belong to the route called Circuito San Carlo, which follows the ancient merchant road of the valley (12th century), later called Strada Borromea (in memory of the pastoral visit of Cardinal Borromeo, Bishop of Milan, which took place in 1574) and identifies and enhances important architectural and artistic presences (churches, oratories and chapels, often frescoed) together with traces of the working activities that once took place in the valley (hemp processing, woodland care, terraced agriculture, ...).

Bivouac and Refuge of Pian Vadà

Cursolo, municipality of Valle Cannobina, can bereached by car from Domodossola or Cannobio

Source: Ente Parco Nazionale Val Grande
Itinerary code: VGP
Phone coverage: partial
Recommended period: From May to October
Classification: Medium and low mountain provincial
Provinces crossed: Distretto dei Laghi