FIVE IRRESISTIBLE SNOWSHOE ROUTES

Walking in the snow, slowly, to relish the pure air in your nostrils, the silence, and notice all the details. Exploring Oasi Zegna with snowshoes on your feet is one of the most beautiful and intense experiences possible for someone who loves to embrace nature and become part of an uncontaminated landscape, one that’s also privileged to be super-panoramic, with alpine peaks on one side and the vast plains of the Po valley on the other.

Oasi Zegna has many itineraries to offer, all well signposted (you’ll find the map in the download section). They’re of different grades, to enjoy on your own or with friends or family. You can also enjoy them with a guide: just contact OverAlp (tel. 349 6252576).

We’ve chosen five of them for you. If you need further advice or details, you can contact Amici del Fondo, an association (tel. 320.9616218; amicidelfondo20@gmail.com).
 Two important things to remember. Before setting out on a hike, check that the facilities (foodservice and equipment rentals) are open and find out about the weather and traffic situation.
 

1. FROM CASCINA LUNGA TO MONTICCHIO: THE SPECTACLE OF THE ALPS
   no. 1 on the map; medium difficulty

This trail immediately offers a panorama embracing the alpine chain from the Cottian Alps, with the unmistakable Monviso, to the Maritime Alps, the hills of the Canavese and Monferrato areas and the plains around Turin and Novara and beyond. Walking up, you come to a fork: right leads to Monticchio (steeper and more difficult), whereas left takes you through Alpe Musìn to Colma Bella, which is easier and suitable for families too. From up here there’s a marvelous panorama across the upper Valsessera and Cima di Bo (the highest peak in the area).
 

2. BOCCHETTO SESSERA LOOP: AMIDST BEECHES AND CONIFERS
   no. 4 on the map; medium-high difficulty

The ingredients of this hike include views of the upper Valsessera, with its conifers and beech trees and the Sessera itself, the valley’s main stream. Walking through the snow-laden trees, you come the archeo-mineralogical site of Rondolere and then Casa del Pescatore, having crossed back over the Sessera on a wide bridge. From here, a broad track leads up to Bocchetto Sessera, with fine views downstream along the valley or up over the beechwoods to the mountain crests.
 

3. BOCCHETTO DI MARGOSIO: MONTE ROSA IN FULL VIEW
   no. 8 on the map; easy

The first section of this route is through woodland as far as Bocchetta di Margosio, where on a clear day you have an incomparable view of the Monte Rosa group. This looping path can be done in either direction, the views coming a different order of course, and is also suitable for families with small children, given it’s only 2 km and with a height gain of 100 meters.
 

4. SANTUARIO DI SAN BERNARDO, OASI ZEGNA’s “BALCONY”
   no. 9 on the map; medium-high difficulty

Undoubtedly one of the most fascinating routes because it offers some of the best views in Oasi Zegna, like the one of the Monte Rosa group from Bocchetta di Margosio or the views across the Piedmont plains from the crest of Monte Rubello. The trail also takes in the Santuario di San Bernardo, another extraordinary spot, with a 360° panorama from Monviso in the west and the plains enclosed by the Maritime Alps and the hills of Monferrato and Le Langhe in the south to the peaks in the east like Piz Bernina, the circle closing with the Monte Rosa massif farther north.
 

5. BOCCHETTO SESSERA AND COLLE MARCHETTA: TAKING IT EASY IN THE SNOW
   no. 10 on the map; easy (with a medium difficulty alternative)

This easy loop is fine for everyone, being only 2 km long and with a limited elevation difference. It starts at Bocchetto Sessera with an easy forest track leading to Buca di Forno and then on to Colle Marchetta, where it loops back to the start via a well signposted fork: the right-hand path is the easy option, whereas the left-hand trail goes down steeply and is for more experienced hikers. Bocchetto Sessera offers two views, one towards the upper Valsessera and the north, the other one south across the Biella and Piedmont plains.