Are you looking for hiking in Piedmont, Italy? Piedmont is a region in the northwest corner of Italy that borders with France and Switzerland. True to the meaning of its name (foot of the mountain), Piedmont is a land of mountains. It is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, with the highest peaks and largest glaciers in Italy.

If you love the mountains, there’s hardly any trip more rewarding that this itinerary anywhere in the world: here you can combine excellent riding through stunning scenery with superb cuisine, fine wine and relaxing evenings in beautiful and culturally-rich locations.

One of the top trails for hiking in Piedmont (Italy)is the Assietta Road : a first rocky stairway to heaven, also known as the SP173. The Assietta Road has been heralded as one of the most spectacular roads in the world and it is a wonderful trail for hiking, nature trips and mountain biking.

The road is a military carriageway along the ridge that gathers Pian dell’Alpe to Sestriere, located in the Province of Turin (North Italy). The track unfolds for over 30 km, almost entirely over 2.000 meters above the sea level.

The road can be travelled in the two ways, coming both from Sestriere both from Colle delle Finestre, the Assietta is a very scenic gravel road which runs for most of the time on top of the mountains.

The road climbs up to the foot of Testa dell’Assietta, a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2. 566m above the sea level. On the summit, there’s an obelisk dedicated to a 1747 battle, a significant event of the War of the Austrian Succession.

Travelling on the Assietta road offers a unique chance to discover some of the most significant historical landmarks of one of the most striking corner of the Western Alps.

It’s an incredible historical, artistic, environmental and recreative itinerary. The road is travelled each year by hundreds of passionate excursionists, bikers, cyclists, mainly coming from abroad.

A curiosity: The North Side is one of the legendary cycling climbs in Italy for Giro d’Italia. It’s one of the toughest in the Alps, but the grade is steady. It’s almost always either side of 9%.

Hiking in Piedmont, Italy -Useful information:

The Assietta Road is not a road for beginners. It is passed through by cyclists, bikers, on foot and on horseback excursionists, motorized vehicle users (when allowed), from June 1st to October 31st, weather permitting. Transit is forbidden to vehicles over 3,5 tons weight and over 2 metres wide.