The Lanzo Valleys are a splendid area a few kilometers from Torino that includes 3 authentic valleys: Viù Valley, Ala Valley and Grande Valley.
The Ceronda and Casternone Valleys to the south and the Tesso and Malone Valleys to the north are added to these splendours. Because of this proximity to Torino and the untouched natural landscape, in the 1800s and 1900s these valleys were a holiday destination for the nobility, who left their mark in the elegant liberty-style villas.
Today they have become a tourist destination for families and outdoor sports enthusiasts, in particular the lovers of trekking, climbing, road cycling and ski mountaineering.
Many outdoor proposals accessible to all have been developed thanks to the “Mountain for all” project. Those in search of silence and spirituality will find the mountain shrines in the valleys which they can reach on foot, including St Ignazio, Madonna del Ciavanìs, Marsaglia, St Cristina and the Shroud Itineraries, to discover the important Shroud representations that stud the territory from Lanzo to Balme to Ceres.
The best-known traditional products of the valleys are Toma cheese (a soft or semi-hard Italian cow’s milk cheese), breadsticks and torcetti (sugar-coated, twisted cookies) and there are many excellent food producers among the many farms, dairies and workshops.
Grande Valley, Ala Valley, Viù Valley
Grande Valley, located in the Graian Alps, is the northernmost of the three valleys. Framed by the Levanne group, it begins in Ceres and extends to Forno Alpi Graie, a hamlet of Groscavallo, crossing the territories of Chialamberto and Cantoira.
Ala Valley is the middle valley, the steepest, narrowest and wildest. It preserves a great variety of alpine habitats, from chestnut, beech and larch woods, to the rocky areas of Balme, up to Pian della Mussa at an altitude of 1750m, surrounded by imposing glaciers.
Viù Valley is the southernmost and is characterized by the presence of Lake Malciaussia and Lake “della Rossa”, whose dam, located at 2718m, represents the highest water barrier existing in Europe. It is dominated by Rocciamelone, and by the “sleeping giant” of Mount Lera.
Ceronda, Casternone and Tesso Valleys
The 6 municipalities of Fiano, Givoletto, La Cassa, Val della Torre, Vallo Torinese and Varisella form the territory of the Ceronda and Casternone Valleys, with churches from different eras and shirines, sometimes reachable only on foot, devotional and religious paths, numerous museums and eco-museums, frescoes or important architectural structures. Each village retains its own traditions, kept alive in picturesque events with colorful costumes, where it is not difficult to hear the dialect with ancient Franco-Provençal roots.
The Tesso Valley takes its name from the two branches of the homonymous stream that bathes and includes the municipalities of Coassolo Torinese and Monastero di Lanzo. The Malone Valley coincides with the morainic amphitheatre dominated by Corio, the only municipality to form this valley, which takes its name from the stream that runs through it.
This territory has been home to various handicraft activities, including the processing of stone, minerals and the weaving of hemp and cotton.
The holiday tradition experienced its golden age between the end of the 19th century and the early years of the last century.