Tour of the Five Towers – Stage 1: Monastero Bormida - San Giorgio Scarampi

Outdoors

In Monastero Bormida you will find the first signposts after crossing the beautiful medieval bridge which features four arches and a central chapel. At the next junction, turn right onto the provincial road towards Roccaverano, you pass by the cemetery and move past the tiny chapel of Sant'Orsola to your left and then the small church of San Rocco.

Halfway along a straight stretch, opposite a farmhouse, leave the asphalted road and turn right onto a dirt road that leads to the ford over the Tatorba stream.

However, if it is not possible to wade across the stream, you can go on for about a hundred metres along the provincial road and then turn right onto the first asphalted road. Next, you turn right again and, after crossing two small bridges, you find yourself on a dirt road that runs alongside the river and takes you to the other side of the ford mentioned above. Just opposite the ford, follow the small path uphill which leads to a group of houses and then, once past them, follow the red and white horizontal signage on the walls and trees and keep going up towards the top of the hill. The path takes you into the wood along a flat road to the right, then you turn left and climb up along the trees to the wooded ridge, heading south towards the summit of the Bric del Moro.

The trail passes by a field and then goes into the wood below the summit of the Bric del Moro. As you continue along the path through the oak wood on the hillside towards the Tatorba stream, you will reach a hillock overlooking a deep valley that seems to be dividing the hill. Here, by following a forest road and then a ridge, you descend towards the ruins of a house, you leave it to your left and continue on a nearly flat dirt road that runs alongside a vineyard below.

Next, you walk along a stretch of path that passes by the deep Riané valley to reach a small asphalted road where you turn left and walk uphill through fields, vineyards, hazelnut groves and farmhouses. Once you reach the Madonna della Neve junction, turn left and continue on the slightly uphill asphalted road. Then, just before a bend to the right that leads to a farmhouse, you leave the asphalted road and climb up along a grassy slope to the right until you reach a small road which, once past the ridge, takes you to another asphalted road. Here you turn left and follow the road until, after a hairpin bend, you reach a group of houses. When you get to the first house on the left you follow a path that descends into the woods and, after crossing a small stream, climbs up again into the woods along a forest road leading to an asphalted road and, once you are here ,turn left again towards Regione Bertonasco - Galli.

The trail continues along the asphalted road across a group of houses (Case Galli). To the left, overlooking the opposite Langa, you can see Roccaverano, the tower of Vengore and the church of San Giovanni, whereas to the right, in the Bormida Valley of Cortemilia, you can spot the villages of Cessole and Vesime and the imposing tower of San Giorgio Scarampi which clearly stands out. On the right side of the road, you can enjoy some beautiful dry stone walls made of Langa sandstone.

After a slightly downhill slope you reach a stone chapel with an archway (Cappella Galli). Pass under the archway and turn left onto a gravel road that runs along the ridge. When the road becomes asphalted again, walk along it for a few more metres and then leave it to climb to the right along the old mule track that leads to the village of San Giorgio Scarampi.