Sport Itineraries: Issime

The road for San Grato begins on the left just after the piazza in Issime. Before you get to the end of the road, take the mule track on the right that leads to the chapel of San Grato. Go past the chapel and continue on the left along the valley, and after about an hour and a half, you come to Munes, near which you will find the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Snow (Madonna della Neve). Continue into the valley and at a crossroad follow the track on the left that soon takes you to Col Dondeuil Muhnuvurku, ignoring the branch to the left that leads to Alpe Betti.

Itinerary on a private road that connects the church of Issime to the charming hamlet of Tzendelaboa in Gaby, in a particularly characteristic rural atmosphere, going past hamlets with the classic architecture of the valley. You can park in the facility area in Rickard and in the play-sports area of Tzendelaboa.

At the square near the elementary school in Issime, turn left for the hamlet of Cugna - Künju , where a well-paved mule track goes up on the left of the waterfall.
After a small votive chapel, trail n. 2 leads into the valley and continues along it as far as crossing the stream. The trail now becomes steeper and, surrounded by bushes, leads to Alpe Stolen (about 1750m) then to Alpe Mühnu (Munu) (1950m). Here on the left the GSW (Grande Sentiero Walser) leads to the San Grato Valley while continuing on path n.2 you reach first a big stone cross, then Alpe Pianhi and shortly after Alpe Merhui (2230m). The trail climbs through grassy slopes as far as a bifurcation, on the right it leads to bivouac Cravetto at alpe Chlekch (2422m) and on the left to Alpe Balmalunge (2350m) and after about 35/40 minute walk to col Chasten (2555m)

Starting from the centre of Issime, drive on the road to the San Grato valley and park your car (unfortunately there’s little space available) near the prohibition sign that you meet before the start of the dirt road. Walk for about 350 metres until you reach path no. 1, the starting point of the itinerary.
The path goes uphill in the middle of a forest, then crosses a series of clearings and pastures rich in rural buildings. Once you reach the San Grato chapel, you will find yourself immersed in a place where people had been living since ancient times, in perfect harmony with the surrounding nature. These characteristic elements of the valley will follow the hiker along the entire route. From there, the path leading to Col Dondeuil (2342 m) passes by various rural buildings and gradually becomes less steep. Among larch woods and meadows, the trail ends up reaching the Mühni huts (2021 m) which mark the highest point of the itinerary. Near the chapel of Mühni, take path no. 1F starting the long descent to the other side of the valley. Go past the various junctions that you will come across while remaining on path no. 1F, until almost reaching the end of the route, near the main stream of the valley. Here take the almost flat path no. 1 that allows you to reach the starting point of the trail and the dirt road that leads back to the place where the paved road begins.

From Issime, you come to the hamlet of Seingle Superiore, placed on the orographic left bank after the municipal seat, where you can leave the car in a small square, before the bridge over the stream that descends from the valley of Col Lupo. Go back up the mule track with steps that leads to the hamlet Bioley. After the hamlet continue up the steep slope amidst rocky areas and little clearings with cabins.
After this steeper section, the path crosses over to the right to reach Alpe Tourison. Continue up a gentler slope to reach the basin of Lake Chiaro. From here, a grassy slope along traces of the trail takes you to Col Lupo.

Walk along the lane which, along a series of turns, goes uphill cutting the rough rocky section at the narrow start of the Scheity valley. After about 1 hour, you come across the start to a mule track (marked with an A on a yellow background). Continue along the mule track until you reach the Walser settlements of Tschukkjni and Benecoadi: the climb becomes more gradual and you emerge from the wood.
You go past a junction and again start climbing up the ridge between sparse larch trees and low bushes; after a few turns you continue across the mountainside going southwards towards your destination. Make your way across a small settlement and again you find some handrails that help with your orientation, climbing up the last ridge which leads you to a point opposite the spectacular Bühl rascards: turn left and then you soon come to the small characteristic church of San Grato - Chröiz (1667 m).
You start the downhill path, by taking the farm road that begins near the last group of buildings at the top of the village. Follow the path until you reach the starting point.

WALSER TRADITIONS
Wide wooden balcony, large verge…and a lot of flowers, in the windows and on the balconies. If you see houses like these at the side of the road, you have entered Walser “territory”. But the structure of the habitations is not the only idiosyncrasy of the upper Gressoney Valley. There is also an unusual dialect, different from the patois used by most of the people in Aosta Valley: It is Titsch, a parlance of German roots. The population of Walser in fact originates from Valais, from which they migrated, between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, settling here and in the adjacent Ayas Valley. The first Walser village that you encounter upon climbing the the hollow is Issime, village of ancient origins.

THE SAVOY CASTLE
Two stops in Gressoney-Saint-Jean. The first is the Savoy Castle, which you can see in the pine forest on your left. Completed at the end of the 1800’s by Queen Margherita, passionate mountaineer, stands on a panoramic terrace where you can enjoy a splendid view of the entire valley all the way to the Lyskam glacier. The second stop can be made at Gover Lake for a relaxing walk.

MONTE ROSA
Continue towards Gressoney-La-Trinité through Walser villages, pastures and woods. Monte Rosa awaits you majestically at the end of the itinerary.