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Trail 27 | Ancient Road of the Traverses

  • Difficoltà: media

  • Punto di partenza: Sassi

  • Destinazione: Superga

  • Tempo di percorrenza: 1h 55'

  • Lunghezza: 4,7 km

  • Altitudine: 670 m

  • dislivello: 440 m

The route begins at Piazza Modena, in front of the cog railway station, and in the very first meters it follows Route no. 28, which it soon leaves by turning right onto Via Borgofranco. This road passes under the cog railway and leads to State Road No. 10 to Pino Torinese.

You walk along this busy road, staying on the sidewalk, and quickly reach the beautiful entrance of Villa Sassi. A little further on, you come to a small open area facing the entrances to the Città dei Ragazzi and Villa Capriglio.

An information board placed between the two entrances provides brief notes about these two important sites on the hill. Following the signs, you pass near the old villa and reach Strada del Durio (a link to Route no. 26), where you turn right, going steeply uphill along Strada delle Traverse.

The path passes alongside stone gabions supporting the slope where Villa Martina stands, then runs along the upper wall of Villa Novarese di Moransengo; shortly after, it flanks, on the left, the long wall of Villa Cannone, which continues up to Villa Bocca.

Strada delle Traverse runs behind Villa Bocca and, after crossing a landslide area, leads first to a chapel and then to Villa Richelmy.

Shortly after the villa, you reach a fork where you can choose between two paths: the road route (which quickly leads to the main road to Superga) and the "adventure route," which climbs up the Ravicchio stream and a steep ridge to reach Strada dei Tetti Bertoglio. The two trails merge near the cog railway stop at Pian Gambino, and the route continues within the property of the Province of Turin, rejoining Route no. 28.

From this point onward, the trail is marked—under the care of the Superga Hill Natural Park—with a blue footprint on a white background. The route now follows a path that climbs the ridge and, after a short stretch running parallel to the cog railway line, emerges near an abandoned house close to an underpass (beyond it, 150 meters away, is the Strada Comunale di Superga). The route heads left on level ground along the cart track that leads from the underpass toward the head of the Costa Parigi Valley; you cross a large landslide and then a ford. From here, a few rounded stones on the path near a hillside ridge mark where you leave the cart track and start climbing steeply along the ridge itself. The climb is steep, but it's an opportunity to pause and observe the wooded valley below through the trees.

Eventually, you reach a fence, following which—gently ascending to the left—you briefly emerge from the brambles onto a dirt road near a couple of abandoned houses. From here on, the route merges with trails no. 29, 60, 62, and GTC. Climbing to the right, you quickly reach the entrance to Villa Canale, then the entrance to the former Provincial Institute for Childhood, and shortly after, the underpass of the cog railway and the Strada Vicinale della Funicolare di Superga. Turning left on this road, you pass at the foot of the villa which, as a plaque recalls, was once inhabited by Cristoforo Negri. You soon arrive at the cog railway station, from which you can reach the square in front of the Basilica, where trails no. 26, 27, 29, 50, 59, 60, 62, 65, and 66 converge. In Superga, you will find the upper station of the cog railway (or its replacement bus) and the visitor center of the Parco della Collina Torinese.

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