Mtb itinerari Dronero ING

DRONERO – COLLE DI VALMALA – COLLE DELLA LIRETTA

km 32
Route: mixed (asphalt and dirt)
Gradients: 1.200 m
Difficulty level: difficult

Starting from the town of Dronero, from Piazza XX Settembre you go to Villar San Costanzo on the state road for a short stretch in downhill and almost immediately turn left and follow directions for Santuari, go up and the first 2,5 km are hard, you get to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Delibera (712 meters) and just beyond the chapel (the cross) the stretch of asphalt ends and ignoring the fork to the right and it climbs on a smooth dirt road to the Abbey San Costanzo al Monte (800 mt.).

To take for gravel ramp that curves to the left and climb to the plateau of Croce Pian l'Alba following the yellow marks of the P.O. that lead to the Fountain dell'Asino (1.100 meters) – Borgata Oggero and after a quick ups and downs in Borgata Castello (1.027 m), to the exit of this township to take again to the right on the dirt hill following the signs for Colle di Valmala, after 2 km of steep and gravelly switchbacks it reached Rocca Castlas (1.256 meters).
At this point no longer follow the marks of the P.O. and you ignore the dirt more comfortable that goes to the left towards Sant'Anna, and instead it takes uphill for about 3 km through pine forests up to the grassy saddle at km 16 of the excursion (1.541 m).

To the top of the Colle go down through the steep dirt road, it passes to a asphalt road until the clearing of Pian Pietro (1.352 m) and then you skirt the mountain on a dirt road and ignore the various branches that descend to the left to Lemma and Venasca and keeps the main direction up to the Colle della Liretta to 22 km (1.105 m).

From here, take the dirt road that descends to the right, you also ignores the next branch to the left, it continues to going down, you meet a first house where there will be a series of steep gravelly switchbacks gravelly, near the second bend to follow a path that goes into the woods crossing a small stream and joins the dirt that taken from the right arrives at the Abbey of Monte San Costanzo (800 m - km 28), from here take the same road of the going to reach the starting point of Dronero.