La Reale Casa di Caccia del Valasco - Valle Gesso
L'ampio Piano del Valasco che si apre a quota 1764 sul livello del mare nell’omonimo vallone in Valle Gesso è uno dei luoghi più suggestivi delle Alpi Marittime. Qui, tra prati circondati da vette che sfiorano i 3000 metri si trova la Reale Casa di Caccia, edificio utilizzato dai Savoia come base per le battute di caccia all'interno di quella che era la Riserva Reale.
Indice dei contenuti
La Reale Casa di Caccia
La Reale Casa di Caccia del Valasco è una costruzione piuttosto atipica per lo stile alpine, composta da un solo piano con ha pianta quadrata ed un piccolo cortile interno.La chiara facciata dipinta a righe è ingentilita da due torrette angolari circolari.
La ristrutturazione effettuata tra il 2002 ed il 2007 ha mantenuto pressocchè inalterate le linee originali
Un pò di storia
La turrita Reale Casa di Caccia venne fatta costruire verso la metà dell’Ottocento dal re Vittorio Emanuele II quando, in visita nella valle Gesso, si innamorò del Piano del Valasco.Appassionato cacciatore di camosci e fauna selvatica, il re vide in questa porzione delle Alpi Marittime un luogo perfetto dove istituire una sua personale riserva di caccia e, a partire dal 1857 ottenne dai comuni di Valdieri ed Entracque la concessione esclusiva dei diritti di caccia e pesca su gran parte dell’alta Valle Gesso.
A quei tempi al Piano del Valasco erano probabilmente presenti quattro edifici: due chalet, una casa per le guardie e una scuderia.
La Reale Casa di Caccia nelle forme che oggi conosciamo risale a dopo il 1873, come dimora di campagna per le vacanze estive adatta anche a soggiorni prolungati.
L’edificio, purtroppo, ebbe una storia travagliata.
Requisito dall’esercito durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale con il consenso di Vittorio Emanuele III venne adibito a caserma per 250 soldati. In questo periodo fu danneggiato da un piccolo incendio, fortunatamente domato.
Anche durante il secondo conflitto mondiale venne utilizzato dall’esercito, come ricovero per le truppe e magazzino e anche in questo periodo fu rovinato da incendi e riparato sommariamente.
Finite le guerre venne lasciato dai militari e tornò a Casa Savoia che, nel 1957 lo vendette insieme ai terreni circostanti.
Da questo punto la Reale Casa di Caccia passò di mano in mano a diverse famiglie, diventando ricovero per gli animali d’alpeggio, per margari e cadendo sempre più in uno stato di abbandono fino al 1993 quando ancora una volta venne colpita da un incendio che ne distrusse interamente il tetto.
La nuova storia della Casa Reale di Caccia ha inizio nel 2022 quando Piero Lessona, proprietario dell’immobile, ne inizia un importante ristrutturazione che porterà l’edificio ad essere un rifugio per turisti in visita nella Valle e punto di partenza per gli escursionisti che ripercorrono i sentieri di caccia del re.
Dove siamo: la Valle Gesso ed il Piano del Valasco
Per quasi un secolo la Valle Gesso ospitò nel periodo estivo ed autunnale i membri di Casa Savoia che qui trovarono un luogo ricco di animali selvatici, scorci affascinanti , clima salubre e acque curative nelle vicine Terme di Valdieri.In effetti la Valle Gesso è un vero paradiso naturalistico, con una varietà di flora e fauna così importante da giustificare la creazione di una grande oasi di natura protetta, ora Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime.
Il suo territorio è ricco di rii, torrenti e cascate, conta oltre ottanta laghi, incastonati tra le rocce in alta quota o lambiti da prati e pascoli, e vede la presenza di ben ventiquattro vette che superano i 3.000 metri .
Questa valle cuneese ha una conformazione a ventaglio particolarmente complessa che dall’alto ricorda il palmo di una mano aperta con le diverse ramificazioni che si chiudono verso l’abitato di Valdieri.
Uno di queste è il Vallone di Valasco, luogo dove, tra boschi di latifoglie e larici, è stata costruita la ex palazzina di caccia.
Il Rifugio Valasco, come è conosciuto ora, si trova al centro del Piano del Valasco, una vasta torbiera di origine glaciale attraversata da un torrentello e circondata da alte cime del massiccio dell’Argentera.
In realtà questo è ciò che rimane del fondale di un antico lago che nel corso dei secoli si è riempito di detriti alluvionali e che rappresenta una delle zone più interessanti dal punto di vista naturalistico con un’incredibile biodiversità tutelata dal Parco.
La sua conformazione a “U” è un chiaro segno dell’origine glaciale e le due bellissime cascate a monte e a valle hanno rappresentato, nel passato, lo sbarramento naturale del pianoro favorendo, durante il suo ritiro, l’origine del lago.
Qua si annovera, ad esempio, la presenza di una piccola rana rossa montana, la Rana Temporaria, e di due piante carnivore, la Drosera Rotundifolia e la Pinguicola Leptopceras, che si nutrono dei numerosi insetti che abitano la zona umida.
Accesso al Piano del Valasco
Per raggiungere il Piano del Valasco e quindi la Reale Casa di Caccia da Cuneo occorre prendere la SS20 in direzione Borgo San Dalmazzo e poi risalire la Valle Gesso lungo la SP22.Oltrepassato Valdieri s’imbocca la SP239 che sale a Sant’Anna e quindi alle Terme di Valdieri dove si lascia l’auto nel parcheggio a pagamento (3,50 euro) posto dopo lo stabilimento termale (1350 metri circa).
In inverno, con la neve la strada è chiusa a Tetti Gaina, 5 km prima delle Terme di Valdieri.
L'itinerario dell'escursione
L’itinerario verso quindi la Reale Casa di Caccia ha inizio dal parcheggio dove s’imbocca a piedi la strada ex-militare che risale il Vallone di Valasco tenendosi sulla sinistra idrografica.Volendo è possibile raggiungere il Piano del Valasco continuando su questa rotabile oppure, al primo tornante, si prende il sentiero che sale lungo il torrente tagliando i numerosi tornanti dell’ex- militare, incontrandola varie volte.
A quota 1705 metri si torna definitivamente sulla strada, si passa accanto ad una cascata seminascosta tra i larici e finalmente, dopo circa un’ ora si sbuca sull’ampio pianoro al cui centro sorge la pittoresca Reale Casa di Caccia (1763 m).
Scheda tecnica dell'escursione
⚠️ Difficoltà: T/E
⏳ Durata totale: 1 ora
🧗♀️ Dislivello: 380 metri
⇌ Lunghezza: circa 8 km
➡️ Punto di partenza: parcheggio Terme di Valdieri 1368 metri
⬅️ Punto di arrivo: Casa Reale di Caccia del Valasco 1763 metri
🏠 Rifugi e/o bivacchi: Rifugio Valasco 1763 metri
🛣️ Segnaletica: N43
Valasco Royal Hunting House
The wide Piano del Valasco which opens at an altitude of 1764 above sea level in the homonymous Valley in Gesso Valley is one of the most evocative places in the Maritime Alps.
Here, among meadows surrounded by peaks that reach almost 3000 metres, is placed the Valasco Royal Hunting House , a building used by the Savoy as a base for hunting within what was once the Royal Reserve.
The Valasco Royal Hunting House is a rather atypical construction for the alpine style, composed of a single floor with a square plan and a small internal courtyard.
The clear striped painted facade is softened by two circular corner turrets.
The renovation carried out between 2002 and 2007 has kept the original lines almost unchanged
. It was built in the mid-nineteenth century by the king Vittorio Emanuele II when, visiting the Gesso Valley, he fell in love with the Valasco plain.
A passionate chamois and wildlife hunter, the king saw this portion of the Maritime Alps as a perfect place to set up his own hunting reserve and, starting in 1857, he obtained from the municipalities of Valdieri and Entracque the exclusive concession of hunting and fishing rights over a large part of the upper Gesso Valley.
At that time, there were probably four buildings on the Valasco plain: two chalets, a house for the guards and a stable.
The Valasco Royal Hunting House in the forms we know today dates from after 1873, as country house for summer holidays also suitable for extended stays.
Unfortunately, the building had a troubled history.
Required by the army during the First World War with the consent of Vittorio Emanuele III, it was used as a barracks for 250 soldiers. In this period it was damaged by a small fire, fortunately extinguished.
Also during the Second World War it was used by the army, as a shelter for the troops and warehouse and also in this period it was ruined by fires and summarily repaired.
After the wars it was left by the military and returned to the House of Savoy who, in 1957, sold it together with the surrounding land.
From this point the Valasco Royal Hunting House passed from hand to hand to different families, becoming a shelter for the pasture animals, for shepherds and falling more and more into a state of abandonment until 1993 when once again it was hit by a fire that completely destroyed the roof.
The new story of the Royal Hunting House began in 2022 when Piero Lessona, owner of the property, started an important renovation which will lead the building to be a refuge for tourists visiting the Valley and a starting point for hikers who retrace the king's hunting trails.
For almost a century, the Valle Gesso hosted the members of the House of Savoy in the summer and autumn who found here a place full of wild animals, fascinating views, a healthy climate and curative waters in the nearby Valdieri hot springs.
In fact, Valle Gesso is a true naturalistic paradise, with such an important variety of flora and fauna as to justify the creation of a large oasis of protected nature, now the Natural Park of the Maritime Alps.
Its territory is rich in rivers, streams and waterfalls, has over eighty lakes, set among the rocks at high altitudes or bordered by meadows and pastures, and sees the presence of no less than twenty-four peaks that exceed 3000 metres.
This Cuneo valley has a particularly complex fan shape which from above resembles the palm of an open hand with the various ramifications which close towards the town of Valdieri.
One of these is the Valasco Valley, a place where the former hunting lodge was built amidst deciduous and larch woods.
The Valasco Refuge, as it is known now, is located in the center of the Piano del Valasco, a vast peat bog of glacial origin crossed by a small stream and surrounded by high peaks of the Argentera massif.
In reality this is what remains of the bottom of an ancient lake which over the centuries has filled up with alluvial debris and which represents one of the most interesting areas from a naturalistic point of view with an incredible biodiversity protected by the Park.
Its "U" shape is a clear sign of its glacial origins and the two beautiful waterfalls upstream and downstream represented, in the past, the natural barrier of the plateau, favoring the origin of the lake during its retreat.
Here we can mention, for example, the presence of a small mountain red frog, the Rana Temporaria, and of two carnivorous plants, the Drosera Rotundifolia and the Pinguicola Leptopceras, which feed on the numerous insects that inhabit the wetland.
To reach the Piano del Valasco and then the Valasco Royal Hunting House from Cuneo take the SS20 in the direction of Borgo San Dalmazzo and then go up the Gesso Valley along the SP22. After passing Valdieri, take the SP239 which goes up to Sant'Anna and then to the Terme di Valdieri where you can leave your car in the paid parking (3,50 euros) located after the spa (about 1350 meters).
In winter, with snow, the road is closed at Tetti Gaina, 5 km before the Terme di Valdieri.
The itinerary therefore towards the Valasco Royal Hunting House starts from the parking lot where take the ex-military road that goes up the Valasco Valley keeping to the left hydrographic.
If desired, it is possible to reach the Piano del Valasco by continuing on this road or, at the first bend, take the path that climbs along the stream cutting the many hairpin bends of the ex-military, meeting it several times.
At an altitude of 1705 meters you return definitively on the road, pass next to a waterfall half-hidden among the larches and finally, after about an hour, you come out on the large plateau in the center of which stands the picturesque Royal Hunting House (1763 m).
Particolare della Casa di Caccia Reale del Valasco
The wide Piano del Valasco which opens at an altitude of 1764 above sea level in the homonymous Valley in Gesso Valley is one of the most evocative places in the Maritime Alps.
Here, among meadows surrounded by peaks that reach almost 3000 metres, is placed the Valasco Royal Hunting House , a building used by the Savoy as a base for hunting within what was once the Royal Reserve.
The Valasco Royal Hunting House is a rather atypical construction for the alpine style, composed of a single floor with a square plan and a small internal courtyard.
The clear striped painted facade is softened by two circular corner turrets.
The renovation carried out between 2002 and 2007 has kept the original lines almost unchanged
. It was built in the mid-nineteenth century by the king Vittorio Emanuele II when, visiting the Gesso Valley, he fell in love with the Valasco plain.
A passionate chamois and wildlife hunter, the king saw this portion of the Maritime Alps as a perfect place to set up his own hunting reserve and, starting in 1857, he obtained from the municipalities of Valdieri and Entracque the exclusive concession of hunting and fishing rights over a large part of the upper Gesso Valley.
At that time, there were probably four buildings on the Valasco plain: two chalets, a house for the guards and a stable.
The Valasco Royal Hunting House in the forms we know today dates from after 1873, as country house for summer holidays also suitable for extended stays.
Unfortunately, the building had a troubled history.
Required by the army during the First World War with the consent of Vittorio Emanuele III, it was used as a barracks for 250 soldiers. In this period it was damaged by a small fire, fortunately extinguished.
Also during the Second World War it was used by the army, as a shelter for the troops and warehouse and also in this period it was ruined by fires and summarily repaired.
After the wars it was left by the military and returned to the House of Savoy who, in 1957, sold it together with the surrounding land.
From this point the Valasco Royal Hunting House passed from hand to hand to different families, becoming a shelter for the pasture animals, for shepherds and falling more and more into a state of abandonment until 1993 when once again it was hit by a fire that completely destroyed the roof.
The new story of the Royal Hunting House began in 2022 when Piero Lessona, owner of the property, started an important renovation which will lead the building to be a refuge for tourists visiting the Valley and a starting point for hikers who retrace the king's hunting trails.
For almost a century, the Valle Gesso hosted the members of the House of Savoy in the summer and autumn who found here a place full of wild animals, fascinating views, a healthy climate and curative waters in the nearby Valdieri hot springs.
In fact, Valle Gesso is a true naturalistic paradise, with such an important variety of flora and fauna as to justify the creation of a large oasis of protected nature, now the Natural Park of the Maritime Alps.
Its territory is rich in rivers, streams and waterfalls, has over eighty lakes, set among the rocks at high altitudes or bordered by meadows and pastures, and sees the presence of no less than twenty-four peaks that exceed 3000 metres.
This Cuneo valley has a particularly complex fan shape which from above resembles the palm of an open hand with the various ramifications which close towards the town of Valdieri.
One of these is the Valasco Valley, a place where the former hunting lodge was built amidst deciduous and larch woods.
The Valasco Refuge, as it is known now, is located in the center of the Piano del Valasco, a vast peat bog of glacial origin crossed by a small stream and surrounded by high peaks of the Argentera massif.
In reality this is what remains of the bottom of an ancient lake which over the centuries has filled up with alluvial debris and which represents one of the most interesting areas from a naturalistic point of view with an incredible biodiversity protected by the Park.
Its "U" shape is a clear sign of its glacial origins and the two beautiful waterfalls upstream and downstream represented, in the past, the natural barrier of the plateau, favoring the origin of the lake during its retreat.
Here we can mention, for example, the presence of a small mountain red frog, the Rana Temporaria, and of two carnivorous plants, the Drosera Rotundifolia and the Pinguicola Leptopceras, which feed on the numerous insects that inhabit the wetland.
To reach the Piano del Valasco and then the Valasco Royal Hunting House from Cuneo take the SS20 in the direction of Borgo San Dalmazzo and then go up the Gesso Valley along the SP22. After passing Valdieri, take the SP239 which goes up to Sant'Anna and then to the Terme di Valdieri where you can leave your car in the paid parking (3,50 euros) located after the spa (about 1350 meters).
In winter, with snow, the road is closed at Tetti Gaina, 5 km before the Terme di Valdieri.
The itinerary therefore towards the Valasco Royal Hunting House starts from the parking lot where take the ex-military road that goes up the Valasco Valley keeping to the left hydrographic.
If desired, it is possible to reach the Piano del Valasco by continuing on this road or, at the first bend, take the path that climbs along the stream cutting the many hairpin bends of the ex-military, meeting it several times.
At an altitude of 1705 meters you return definitively on the road, pass next to a waterfall half-hidden among the larches and finally, after about an hour, you come out on the large plateau in the center of which stands the picturesque Royal Hunting House (1763 m).
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