Visiting the Valle Maira
A valley in the Piedmont Alps, west of Cuneo, that follows the Maira for some fifty kilometres up to the edge of the French border. At the bottom, Dronero keeps its medieval bridge and its arcades. Higher up, hamlets of stone and wood cling to the slopes, among larches and summer pastures, beneath peaks of over three thousand metres.
Occitan is still spoken here. No ski resort, no big hotel: the valley emptied in the 20th century, then chose slow walking over concrete. You come for its trails, its village inns and a silence you rarely find in the Alps any more.
You'll love it if
- You walk for several days and like sleeping from inn to inn
- You want quiet Alps, with no resort and no crowds
- You love stone villages and mountain food
Look elsewhere if
- You're travelling without a car and don't want to walk
- You want a ski resort or nightlife
- You expect hotels with pools and full service
The must-sees
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1 Dronero and its Devil's Bridge
The gateway to the valley. The Devil's Bridge has spanned the Maira since 1428, topped with swallowtail battlements, and the old town lines its arcades around the church. Try the droneresi, the town's rum chocolates, before heading up.
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2 The sanctuary of San Costanzo
Above Villar San Costanzo, a Romanesque church looks out over the plain, one of the great Romanesque monuments of Piedmont. Just below, the Ciciu del Villar raise columns of earth capped with big stone blocks, like giant mushrooms.
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3 The frescoes of Elva Art
At the end of a winding road, the church of Elva hides a cycle of frescoes painted around 1500 by the Flemish artist Hans Clemer: the life of the Virgin, in colours that have stayed bright. The village now has fewer than a hundred inhabitants, and the silence is total.
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4 The Percorsi Occitani Hiking
A great loop of the valley on foot, around 180 kilometres in some fifteen stages, from Villar San Costanzo to the pastures of Elva and Acceglio. Every evening, a hostel or a hamlet inn. You can do just two or three stages.
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5 Chiappera and the Rocca Provenzale Mountain
At the very end of the valley, the hamlet of Chiappera sits at the foot of the Rocca Provenzale, a needle of pale limestone. The springs of the Maira rise close by, and trails climb to high lakes and to the passes that look over to France.
The classic trap
Arriving without a booking, hoping to find a room along the road. The valley mostly has small inns with a few rooms, often full in summer and closed for part of the winter. Book every night ahead, and ask for half board: in the evening there is often nowhere else to eat.
Our itineraries in the Valle Maira
| Length | Route | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Dronero › Elva › Chiappera | The Devil's Bridge, the frescoes of Elva and the head of the valley |
| 5 days | Villar San Costanzo › Stroppo › Elva › Marmora › Acceglio | The Ciciu, the stone hamlets, the pastures and the first hikes |
| 1 week | Part of the Percorsi Occitani, on foot, from inn to inn | The valley at walking pace, from one side to the other |
Start with Dronero and the Ciciu del Villar, then head up to sleep in the middle valley, around Stroppo. The next day, go to Elva for its frescoes and pastures. Got a week? Leave the car and follow a few stages of the Percorsi Occitani, as far as Chiappera and the Rocca Provenzale.
When to visit the Valle Maira
| Appeal | Season | Temperatures | Highlight | Crowds and prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinterDec. to March | -8 to 5 °C | Ski touring and snowshoeing in untouched snow | Low | |
| SpringApril to June | 2 to 18 °C | Meadows in flower, with snow still up high | Low | |
| SummerJuly and Aug. | 10 to 25 °C | Open pastures and long hikes | Medium | |
| AutumnSept. and Oct. | 3 to 18 °C | Golden larches and empty trails | Low |
Our advice
Come from late June to mid-September to walk: the passes are clear of snow and all the inns are open. In early October, the larches turn gold and the trails empty. In winter the valley draws ski tourers, but many places close: check before you set off.
Getting to the Valle Maira
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By car from Nice The most flexible
From Nice, allow about three hours to Dronero via Cuneo. A car remains the simplest way to get up the valley, and a UK licence is all you need.
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By train to Cuneo Without a car at first
Trains run to Cuneo from Turin, then a bus goes to Dronero and, less often, up to the head of the valley. Check the timetables before you go: they're few, especially out of season.
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By plane to Turin or Nice The usual way
Turin airport is about an hour and a half's drive from Dronero, Nice about three hours. Both have direct flights from London and other UK cities. Hire a car there, or arrange a transfer with your inn.
Once there, a single road runs up the valley, narrow but well kept, and winding roads serve hamlets such as Elva or Marmora. If you walk the Percorsi Occitani, some inns carry your luggage from one stage to the next: ask when you book.
Getting around the Valle Maira
A car is almost essential if you don't walk: buses are rare beyond Dronero. The roads of the side valleys are narrow and winding, with few passing places. On foot, waymarked trails link every hamlet, and it's the best way to see the valley.
Good to know
Mobile coverage is weak in the high side valleys, and cash machines are rare beyond Dronero. Take out cash down below, and download your maps before heading up. Remember that Italians drive on the right.
What to eat in the Valle Maira
- Acciughe al verde: anchovies in green sauce, a reminder of the anchovy sellers who once left the valley.
- Gnocchi al castelmagno: gnocchi coated in the blue cheese of the neighbouring valley.
- Toma d'alpeggio: the cheese of the summer herds, bought straight from mountain dairies.
- Polenta: served with a stew, sausage or melted cheese, after a day of walking.
- Droneresi: chocolates filled with rum cream, the speciality of Dronero's pastry shops.
- Genepì: the mountain herb liqueur, served at the end of the meal in the inns.
To eat like the locals, take half board at your inn: dinner, often a single set menu, is made with produce from the valley. At lunchtime, on a hike, bring a picnic: the hamlets don't always have a café, and inns don't necessarily serve lunch.
Where to stay in the Valle Maira
| Area | What for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Dronero | Old town, Devil's Bridge, Ciciu del Villar | The most practical |
| Stroppo and the middle valley | Stone hamlets, Romanesque churches | The most central |
| Elva | Frescoes, pastures, silence | The most remote |
| Marmora and Canosio | High side valleys, hiking | The most alpine |
| Acceglio and Chiappera | Head of the valley, Rocca Provenzale, lakes | The wildest |
How much does a trip in the Valle Maira cost?
| Trip | Length | Budget per person |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (walkers' hostels, dormitories, picnics) | 5 days | €300 to €450 |
| Comfort (village inn on half board) | 5 days | €500 to €800 |
| Luxury (albergo diffuso, wellness, luggage transfer) | 5 days | €900 to €1,400 |
- Half board: it's often the best-value option, and sometimes the only one.
- Walkers' hostels: on the Percorsi Occitani, they offer a bunk and dinner for a modest price.
- Luggage transfer: handy on a hike, it adds to the cost of each stage.
- Fuel: fill up in Dronero, you'll hardly find a station higher up.
- Cash: bring some, as certain hamlets have neither a cash machine nor a card reader.
Traditions and way of life in the Valle Maira
The Maira is one of the Occitan valleys of Piedmont: the langue d'oc, a cousin of Provençal, is still spoken here, and the Espaci Occitan in Dronero tells its story. For centuries, its people went down to the plains in winter to sell anchovies, or, in Elva, traded in human hair for wigmakers.
In the 20th century the valley emptied, and whole hamlets were abandoned. The revival came on foot: the Percorsi Occitani, waymarked some thirty years ago, brought walkers back, often from Germany and Switzerland, and reopened inns in old stone houses. Sleeping in a restored barn? It may well have been saved by these trails.