Monregalese Balcony Trail

The Monregalese Balcony Trail is a hiking itinerary that connects a series of existing routes that are interesting from a tourist, naturalistic, and cultural point of view.
The context is varied and characterized by extensive areas referable to alpine landscapes and, more limited, flat and hilly areas. It ranges from a minimum altitude of 305 meters (Niella Tanaro) to a maximum of 2382 meters above sea level at Monte Mondolè.
The valleys are crossed by numerous streams and waterways, mostly characterized by torrent-like behavior, tributaries of the main rivers: Ellero, Maudagna, Corsaglia, Casotto, Roburentello, and Tanaro.
Along the route, one encounters very important naturalistic, geological, anthropic, and historical artistic features, which are directly related to the itinerary or are reachable with short detours, including:
• the Bossea cave in Val Corsaglia,
• the Caudano and Dossi caves in Val Maudagna,
• the alpine karst system,
• the alpine system of the Ligurian Alps,
• Lake Pianfei,
• the ancient "Certosa di Casotto" (Royal Palace and hunting estate of King Vittorio Emanuele II),
• the Sanctuary of Vicoforte,
• the system of archaeological sites of the Monregalesi Valleys (among the most important: Montaldo Mondovì, Monasterolo Casotto, Roburent), which also extend into the Tanaro valley, Mongia valley, and Pesio valley.
• a rich network of Chapels and Pillars spread throughout the territory;
• the peculiar and most attractive historic centers present in the low and high valley - including that of Mondovì Piazza, Prea in the Ellero valley, Villavecchia in Villanova Mondovì, la Prà in Roburent, Fontane in Val Corsaglia, the core of Pamparato, and the hamlet of Valcasotto in Val Casotto;
• the numerous alpine villages and scattered buildings that constitute important testimonies of the local construction tradition - including the enclosed-roof villages of Val Corsaglia, Val Maudagna, and Valle Ellero.