메르세나스코‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪20‬개의 천연기념물

Lake Candia (in Piedmontese lagh ëd Candia), located in the municipality of Candia, in the Canavese area, about thirty kilometers from Turin, is the last highly natural lake basin in the Piedmontese Po Valley, before the mountain barrier represented by the Western Alps.

The area depicted in these images is located a short distance from the parking lot where it's best to leave your car and explore (on foot or by bike) the countless trails that surround the lake. This is one of the few truly accessible areas along the entire perimeter because, perhaps to protect the lake's fragile ecosystem, the trail that circles it is kept at a constant distance. In any case, aside from the lake, the entire surrounding rural area is worth a visit, still pleasantly unspoiled. A trip in autumn is highly recommended for the myriad colors of the vegetation. Both cyclists and walkers should be careful, as I didn't notice any distinction between trails reserved for mountain bikes and those reserved for pedestrians; many secondary paths have dead ends!

A photo on the park's pier is a must. Stunning view...

After crossing Vialfrè along via Roma and via Borghetto, after a trail that runs alongside a fence you find yourself... in a meadow! Luckily, a providential sign guides you, to the left, to the start of the erratic boulders trail, other signs, to follow, show the right path first along an asphalt road, finally, with another left turn at a hairpin bend, back on the right path. Here begins a nice flowing stretch, never difficult (S2 max), but not at all trivial, because the ground, almost always pebbly, requires constant attention when driving. The trail is not critical, in the sense that, even "skipping" some deviations, you still find yourself on other paths almost parallel to the one I took. In the end, all the paths converge almost in the same point... in front of the highway to Aosta: following the trail, other nice paths lead to Villate.

Small intra-moraine lake, fed by rainwater in the small basin created by the Balteo Glacier in this moraine, which dates back more than one hundred thousand years. The name “paolet” in the local dialect means “small swamp” because over time this lake has partially filled with organic material created by the decomposition of aquatic vegetation. At the moment the water remains only in a ring outside the lake while in the center an islet has already formed: if there is no human intervention, the lake will gradually fill up completely. This is a site of great naturalistic importance for the many species that inhabit it, including the Pelobates fosco insubrico, a small toad at risk of extinction and for this reason the subject of a European protection project.

Here, during the Ice Age, the Balteo Glacier transported enormous boulders to its surface, which were then released when rising temperatures melted the ice.

erbaluce vines of Caluso

Truly unique environment. Challenging surface: hollow and narrow sections, slightly treacherous gravel, many relaunches. A trail that always keeps the commitment high.