Le Col de la Lausa

The toponym of the Gorge della Reina refers to Queen Giovanna d'Angiò, who ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Naples in 1343 on the death of her uncle Roberto, at the age of only 16. Her life, decidedly adventurous but not excessively lucky, brought her only sporadically
to take refuge in search of rest and tranquility in the lands of the Cuneo area; however, this was enough to make her enter into myths and legends with the decidedly more popular name of "Rèino Jano".

Tradition has it that Queen Giovanna (the Reino Jano, hence the toponym of the gorges) refused to marry the son of the King of France. The latter, angry at her refusal, moved to meet her with her army. The Queen then took refuge in Roaschia, awaiting the events. The troops of the son of the King of France, who lined up on the top of the mountain to gain a dominant position before launching the attack, were however plunged by divine wrath into the abyss of the gorges, which opened up below them.

Reforestations are artificial forest populations, deriving from the planting of woody species in more or less extensive open spaces. Most of these plants are traced back to a period ranging from the thirties to the seventies. The building species are almost always the spruce and larch, which grow rather rapidly. Today interventions of this kind have lost all the interest of the past as the advance of the forest to the detriment of open environments is a "new" reality to be reckoned with.