Po Valley and Mount Bracco

The territory of the Po Valley and Mount Bracco coincide with the upper Po River basin, from the source near the Monviso Massif to where it merges with the plain, beyond Paesana. The landforms are varied with alternating structural elements: the highest part is dominated by the upper alpine landscape of the Monviso Massif (3,840 m) along the watershed alpine border, with numerous cliffs and stony grounds, signs of its past and recent glaciations; the central part is made up of alpine mountains of high, medium heights and low slopes; the north-easternmost portions have lower slopes with reduced presence of arable areas and the east-central part has flatlands resulting from flooding.

The valley floor is a mosaic of arable land cultivated alternately with grasslands and fruit farming.

In the lower valley, the towns of Paesana, Sanfront, Rifreddo and Gambasca are divided into villages, arranged between the valley floor and the first mountain slopes.

The Po Valley is one of the historic commercial routes used to cross the border, although less frequented than the Varaita Valley. In 1460, the Marquis of Saluzzo decided to open a direct access through Monviso and gave a significant boost to trade and mobility.
The lower valley is characterized by castles and defence structures which are still recognizable, while the upper valley is morphologically less accessible, narrow and did not need to be defended.

Privileged points of observation identified in the PAYS.DOC “ Good practices for the landscape” created by a virtual observatory of the Mediterranean landscape.