The 20 Most Amazing Peaks around Gaiola

great view

The "Dragon's Breath" is a large cavity between the rocks protected by a grill from which a light breath of air comes out. It is a bit hidden, it took me a while to find it. Once you reach the viewpoint you have to go down the steep path marked with the sign for the "Dragon's Breath". As soon as you see a blue sign on the rocks stop going down and take this path on the left, and after a few meters you will reach your destination. On windy days you might not hear this hiss of air coming from the cavity

Hill at the confluence between the path that comes from Bernezzo and the dirt road that comes from Chiot Rosa. From here you can easily reach Mount Tamone

beautiful in all seasons on foot, by bike and on skis.

I was really looking forward to going up to the Santuario della Madonna del Colletto. I had been to this area several times and had not had the opportunity to go up here. So on the trip through Piedmont in July 2022 I made sure that the planned route passed through here. We went up the western slope, the one used by the Giro d'Italia when it first went up here in 1999, on the famous stage where the Fauniera was climbed, with the spectacle of Pantani climbing and the stratospheric descent of Paolo Savoldelli. I have to admit that the climb itself is not very attractive. Once you leave the village of Festiona behind, you enter a forest and there are hardly any views over the valley. You can only focus on the road, its curves, straights (which there are) and difficult slopes. The asphalt is old, with a lot of gravel and very uneven, which obviously adds difficulty to the climb. The climb up the western side is 7.1 km, 576 metres of elevation and an average gradient of 8.1%. Therefore, it is very hard!! And there are several sections above 12%, especially in the first kilometres, where the gradient is irregular, with very hard sections and small rest areas. The views of the Valdieri valley from the Sanctuary are very beautiful, and also of all the mountains covered with forests and vegetation in the surroundings. We took advantage of the porch at the entrance to the Sanctuary to take shelter from the sun and the heat, and to stock up on food and eat some spectacular sandwiches. I remember it fondly. Below is the altimetry of the climb published by @cyclingcols, the best in these matters --> http://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Colletto

Protected pit from which hot air comes out

Easy hike to reach this panoramic peak. From Chiot Rosa it is possible to do a circular tour. The last stretch that leads to the summit cross is the steepest. Peak also frequented by many cyclists

Since 2023, work has been carried out on the path that leads from the Ortiga hill to the Alpe, with a mini excavator, the part that descends from the Alpe and still grooved, will be restored in 2024