Ring of the Bandito and the Butterflies
Valdieri
Ring of the Bandito and the Butterflies
Easy
Difficulty3h
Duration9,2km
Distance+238m
Positive Elevation-238m
Negative ElevationLoop
Course typeEmbed this item to access it offline
The butterfly trail itself takes about half an hour to visit: to make the excursion more interesting, proceed on the two banks of the Gesso stream, taking advantage of the beautiful cycle path. This brings you to the sunny hamlet of Andonno, the famous Grotte del Bandito, the ancient home of the cave bear and today a nature reserve, the capital Valdieri where a stop for refreshment is a must and, finally, the short but evocative circuit dedicated to lepidoptera. Easy and with a very modest difference in height, the naturalistic and cultural itinerary can be covered on foot or by mountain bike.
Description
From the bulletin board in front of the chapel, take the dirt road on the right in the quarry area towards Andonno (palina). At the first crossroads at the foot of the steps, turn right (boulder with notch): the path that comes from Valdieri will be the one used for the return. Proceed first uphill then descending again to road level to go up along a stream in the shade of shrubs and chestnut trees and then cross downhill on a dirt road as far as the first houses of Andonno, leaving the Chapel of the Madonna del Gerbetto on the left (point water). Arrived in the square of the hamlet of Andonno (fountain), go down to the provincial road, which you cross to reach and in turn cross the bridge over the Gesso stream. You will soon reach the shady village of Tetto Bandito (water point): here the cycle path begins and you take it to the right to quickly arrive in the shadow of the looming limestone wall that hides the Grotte del Bandito. In spring, it's better not to stay too long: in fact, unstable boulders have a tendency to choose the period of the thaw to decide to jump off. Walk along a sort of grassy beach along the Gesso stream and climb up and down towards the village of Cialombard. Proceed upstream among cultivated fields, pastures and rows of ash trees. At a trout farm (fountain), turn right onto the bridge to quickly reach Valdieri. You can take advantage of the fountain known as "della Bela Rosìn" to quench your thirst in front of the Art Nouveau villa, seat of the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps, and then go back up in the direction of the town hall. Before the town hall, turn right onto Via Umberto I, a panoramic balcony facing south which you can walk up to the canopy that protects the site of the necropolis of Valdieri. Here you turn left and – browsing through the reconstructions of houses and furnaces from the Bronze Age – you take the real butterfly path, giving preference to the more interesting branch, the one that runs at the foot of the cliff. Following the white and red notches you reach the site of the former quarry, where in spring and summer you can observe the work of insects. Proceed east until you come back in sight of the chapel of San Giovanni and the starting point.
Departure : Chiesa di San Giovanni (747 m)
Arrival : Chiesa di San Giovanni (747 m)
Towns crossed : Valdieri, Roaschia
Altimetric profile
Transport
Nuova Benese service company - Regular line Cuneo, Valdieri, Entracque - Telephone: 00 39 (0) 171 69 29 29 - www.benese.it
SNCF line TER Provence Alpes-Côte d'Azur For travel in the PACA region and towards Cuneo www.ter-sncf.com/pac
Trenitalia for travel in the Piedmont region https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html
SNCF line TER Provence Alpes-Côte d'Azur For travel in the PACA region and towards Cuneo www.ter-sncf.com/pac
Trenitalia for travel in the Piedmont region https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html
Access and parking
You park your car in the vast open space near the ruined Chapel of San Giovanni, just before the town of Valdieri. If you want to avoid crossing the provincial road, there are some parking spaces in front, right at the beginning of the path
Parking :
St. John's Church
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