Soana Valley

Its main watercourse, the Soana River and its tributaries that flow down from north to south andinto the Orco River, characterizes the Soana Valley. The alpine mountains reach an altitude between 2,500 and 3,400 m with some traces of glacial-residue snowfields which belong to the Mastiff of Gran Paradiso. In this portion of the territory, steep and incised slopes alternate, and are rich in outcrops and steep slopes characterized by less accentuated and relatively uniform profiles. At these altitudes, alpine meadows dominate and grazing activities are still present although sharply diminishing compared to some decades ago.

Land use is divided between grazing activities for areas of higher altitude although rarely practiced inside the forest itself, and the various categories of forest activities.

The National Park of Gran Paradiso is of great interest; it is the original abode of the ibex and a good number of habitats, and plant and animal species of common interest.

The Pont Canavese is the production nerve centre of the Soana Valley, while Ronco Canavese, an important historic centre, remains the valley's important holiday resort together with Valprato, a historic centre that has recently seen an increase in hiking activities. Piamprato and Campiglia Soana are smaller and isolated but active as starting points for hiking activities.

Several minor settlements (mountain meadows in higher altitudes) are linked through a dense network of trails, that connect the Piedmont side to that of Valdpstano; in particular we would like to call your attention to the devotional route that converges atthe Shrine of St. Besso towards the Rosa dei Banchi hill, the link between the valleys of Soana and Cogne, and the link to the Camporcher valley through Larissa hill.