A Solo Hiker's Tale: Exploring Castle Trails and Ancient Vines

Regions Piedmont and Valley D’Aosta in Italy are known for an incredible quantity of castles and other kinds of fortifications. I love visit them

This is the castle of Montestrutto and the sports area, La Turna

The regions of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta in Italy are known for an impressive quantity of castles and other kinds of fortifications. Many of them are visitable: some are managed by the state or region, others are private, and many are ruins, but loved by tourists. The downside is that many interesting places are normally closed. Some of them open on Sundays in the summer, thanks to volunteers. It's important to find the website of the castle and contact the responsible person to ensure that your desired place is open.

There was one castle that had been on my list for a few years, but it was always so easily accessible that I never found the time to visit. Once, when I passed by, it was even open, but there were too many people waiting for the visit... I'm not a fan of crowds.

About a week or two ago, before the rains started, I finally went there. However, it was a Saturday, one of the first sunny days of the spring, and it seemed like the entire population of the region was there to enjoy. So, I decided to go to another place on my list instead — the Tower of Pramotton. I'll share more about that in my next story.

I have a few GPS apps for my walks, and they show two paths that cross the crag. Even though I'm not trained to climb crags, I wanted to have a little adventure and spend a few hours walking.

The situation with the path on the right isn't good; it's not well-maintained. The climbers advised me to take the other path. They said it's only 10 meters on the ferrata, and then I would come out on the street...

Climb The Ferrata of the Crag of Montestrutto