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Piedmont, ItalyCompare the same experience on GetYourGuide and Viator, save what you like to My Trip, share it, and book when you’re sure. Nearest to this page first.
From royal rifles to protected wolves
These valleys owe their wild state to a king’s hobby: in 1857 Vittorio Emanuele II made Valdieri and Entracque his royal hunting reserve, which kept roads and development out for a century. The park born from it (1980, enlarged 1995) is now the largest protected area in Piedmont, running shoulder to shoulder with France’s Mercantour, the two have been twinned since 1987 and animals ignore the border entirely. Wolves came back here first among the Alps. Chamois are the everyday sighting, with ibex reintroduced from Gran Paradiso stock.
Where to walk
The classic day is the Valasco plain above Terme di Valdieri: an easy walk up a former royal carriage road to the neo-Gothic hunting lodge, with the option to continue to the chain of glacial lakes below the Argentera. Entracque’s side offers the lakes of the Gias del Prete and serious two-day loops for the fit. Summer and early autumn are the seasons. The visitor centers at Entracque and Valdieri sort maps and conditions.
Practical
Base yourself in Cuneo or the valley villages. The park is about an hour’s drive from the city and pairs well with the Langhe wine country on a Piedmont week. No entrance fee. If you want a soft option, the thermal baths at Terme di Valdieri have been soaking walkers since the Savoy kings came to shoot.
