Val di Pesio

I'd like to recommend to all mountain lovers a truly special place, also ideal for those with small children: the Pesio valley. My family and I go there at least once a year in summer. This year we stayed at the Cascina Veja, where the food is excellent and the price reasonable. In the courtyard in front there's a nice playground and Matteo, my little boy, always has a great time. The first destination of our excursions is the Pian delle Gorre refuge; many families come here for Sunday picnics — in fact there are many equipped tables (you can easily reach the refuge by car, though I've been told that in the busiest periods you might find the barrier a few hundred metres earlier), a lovely fountain with ice-cold water and a big barbecue; the refuge also rents out deckchairs and parasols. Several excursions start from Pian delle Gorre; we did several, all beautiful and highly recommended.

The first is downhill; even Matteo, who is two and a half, had no difficulty. You reach a deer enclosure; actually we didn't see the deer, they were hidden by the vegetation, but the path to get there was pleasant and shaded. On the way back from the enclosure the little one wanted to swim in the river and we went along with it. The second excursion, to the Sault waterfalls, is instead largely uphill, but don't worry, it isn't very steep and we did it with the pushchair, though I wouldn't recommend it, because the last stretch isn't suitable for a pram; the waterfalls are truly very beautiful, the child liked them a lot, and they're part of a ring of 4 waterfalls, but we only saw those. The last excursion, the most demanding, is the one to the Garelli refuge; I recommend it to those with older children, unless you want to carry the little one in a baby carrier backpack.

The path to get there is very beautiful and relaxing, and at the refuge the food is divine. A few kilometres from Pian delle Gorre at Chiusa di Pesio there's a nice playground, and if your child isn't tired yet you can take them there; if instead you want a cultural visit, there's the Certosa di Pesio right on the road to Pian delle Gorre. In short, as you'll have gathered, the Val di Pesio really delighted us and we recommend a visit to everyone!!!