The best running trails around Montalto Dora

On the shores of Lake Pistono stands the Archaeological Park, inaugurated in 2017, which features a life-size reconstruction of part of a Neolithic stilt village. In 2003, an excavation campaign promoted by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte had brought to light in the lake waters the traces of a stilt settlement dating back about 6500 years. The reconstruction includes a dwelling, a storehouse, and an animal shelter with an enclosure, built using the techniques and materials of the time — chestnut and hazel wood for the structure, straw and clay for the walls, lake reeds for the roof — and furnished with reproductions of everyday objects: fish traps, axes made of wood and green stone, baskets made of plant fiber. The park can be reached with a walk of about half an hour from the Exhibition Space housed in the municipal palace of Montalto Dora, where the original findings from the excavations are preserved and where thematic panels reconstruct the daily life, diet, and material culture of the village inhabitants. Lake Pistono is one of the five glacial lakes nestled among the morainic deposits of the Serra di Ivrea.

For mountain biking, the various trails you can explore are truly spectacular. It's hard to say which is the most beautiful!

Lake Sirio in the summer is a real gem. Lush nature on the edge of the lake with the possibility of running or walking for about 3 km around it, including a short stretch of dirt. For swimming enthusiasts there is an embarrassment of choice because of all 5 morainic lakes in the area of the 5 lakes, this is the largest in terms of extension. The stretch that I have defined is a lap that touches the landing stage of the private rowing club, goes around the yellow buoys for the entire lake in the parts close to the banks. From mid-April (for the more daring with a wetsuit) until the end of September the temperatures allow swimming. I strongly recommend everyone to swim, however always bringing with them a floating buoy or a board with a belt tied around their waist.

It is a unique place of its kind. In a rather small and circumscribed area 2 steps from the Montalto lake (also called "Rabbit" lake) there is an area with a very dark soil composed of water, peat, earth and medium-sized trees. Especially when the ground is wet or it has rained previously if you jump on the surface, it moves creating small waves making the surrounding trees dance. A real show! You can reach the dancing lands from 2 different dirt tracks. For those with good technical skills the entry or exit paths in both directions are also fun to pedal.

Regardless of whether you reach the Serra di Ivrea or not, even wandering around these lakes, taking advantage of the good signage present, pays off! There is a nice variety of environments and paths, from single track to dirt road, ending on cobblestone sections, never too banal, especially in the wet... the lake environments are beautiful, given that most of these lakes are not very urbanized, the stilt houses rebuilt on the shore of Lake Pistono are very beautiful, they certainly deserve a stop. Places also suitable for children, given that in the lake area the differences in altitude are very modest... just watch out for hikers, because the paths are open to everyone!

Located on the border between the municipalities of Chiaverano and Ivrea, in the Canavese area, Lake Sirio is home to the historic Canottieri Sirio Society, founded in 1887, and reaches a depth of almost 45 metres.

In this beautiful peat bog in Montaldo Dora there is a very particular natural phenomenon, which gives the place its name. The Terre Ballerine are in fact called this way because of the particular consistency of the ground, which makes those who walk on it feel like they are walking on a mattress.

Bring mosquito repellent.