Wednesday 5th September: Weather 10°C to 20°C: Cold but sunny then warm in the valley at Ronco Canavese
Talosio to Ronco Canavase DAY 17: 15k: 9am to 4.45pm: 7hrs 45 mins: Ascent 900 m, Descent 1300 m
Accommodation: Air Bnb Casa nel cuore del pease Altitude 948 metre
Blue as blue can be
Fabulous views from Colle Crest at 2040 metres on a stunning blue sky day. Lucky my favourite pack horse carried my bag to the col after I had a case of Italiano Belliano - sometimes called Delhi Belly, otherwise known as nausea and stomach cramps. The descent down 1100 metres was relentless and we were glad to get to our Air BnB at Ronco Canavese.
It’s freezing cold when Ian wakes at 5am. I had already been awake half the night with stomach cramps, either from a bug in the drinking water from the glacial streams, or too much Italian food late at night, or who knows. Breakfast is at 7am with our German friends and I manage just a cup of tea. I spend an hour blogging as there was no time last night after dinner, before we head off at 9am around the back of the Santuario to join the GTA.
Panorama back to San Lorenzo
Taking a break on the way up
My pack horse for the morning
Made it to the Colle Crest at 2040m
Morning tea with sweeping views
Lunch at the water fountain Maiseau
Down road through larch to Ronco
Ronco Canavese
Sorting photos in a warm bed
Feeling terrible, I did consider a bus - for a split second - before deciding I was going to complete our circuit of the Gran Paradiso no matter what. Ian kindly pack-horsed by back pack - lucky it was a light 6kg - up 700 metres to Colle Crest while I trudged along behind, stopping regularly doubled over with cramps. That’s enough drama. The views today were stunning with clear blue skies. No sheep poo and no sheep dogs, just an over friendly cow who wanted to lick us all over with her big slimy tongue as we tried to squeeze past her on the track.
At 11.30am, we’re at the top of Colle Crest at 2040 metres, and meet two more Germans on the way up the other side. That’s 20 Germans in the past 4 days. The GTA is a popular walk for them. We’ve been given the drum by the German girls at the Santuario to take the wide sweeping old GTA route instead of the new one which they did - straight up the mountain side with wet slippery grass, and no views because of the thick bushy growth. So we head off around the Cime Rosta and find a sunny spot for lunch with sweeping views. Sweet black tea for me, tea with honey and milk with a muesli bar for Ian.
I retrieve my back pack from Ian, job done thank you, as all I need to do now is skip down 1100 metres. Well almost a skip. The views on the way down are magnificent as we pass through meadows then larch forest. It take 2hrs 30 minutes of constant side stepping to get 800 metres down to Masonaje at an altitude of 1200 metres where there’s a fountain and stone seat - perfect for lunch of stale bread, butter and cheese for Ian, dry biscuits for me.
There’s still another 300 metres to descend along a road through more pretty larch forest to Canavese. It’s a pretty walk, and by 4.30pm, we’re in the deathly quiet village of Ronco Canavese with the Torrent Soane tumbling through. Sitting at the bus stop, I drag out my computer and google the Air BnB I have booked. Casa nel cuora del Pease in Via Alpetta. It’s only a few minutes away, and as we walk into the village of Ronco Canavese, we can see the 3 story house perched on the hill above. First stop is the Mini Market to buy some bread, milk, cheese for dinner before walking up to our Air BnB to be greeted by our wonderful host Manrita and her dog Pax. She opens the gate for us, and a we enter, Pax escapes up the road and into the fields.
Our Air BnB is fantastic - a whole top floor mini apartment to ourselves with a separate bedroom, dining room and kitchenette. First a hit shower, which isn’t too hot as we needed to let the boiler heat up for longer. Then some washing before dinner. I’m still a bu=it queasy and settle for bread and jam while Ian has bread, cheese, and a fatty cold cut salami. After dinner I sit perched in bed,feeling a lot better and blogging the days events before watching a Doc Martin.