Sentiero Azzurro (Light Blue Trail)

Water, a precious commodity, an asset that belongs to everyone and which Fontanile, with its springs, has always managed with scrupulous care. It is with this awareness that we would like to present to you the CAI light blue trail (white-red signposts) which, starting from the centre of the village, covers 8 km in its full version and will keep you busy for about three hours with ascents and descents through vineyards, fields, panoramic viewpoints and the ever present fountains.

Leave your car in Piazza Trento Trieste, in what used to be a joyful playing field for the elastic ball game. If you look up, you can see the splendid dome of the Church of San Giovanni Battista. A pretty good start, isn't it? Follow Via Mignone to arrive, via a small road that descends steeply between the village houses, at the old "public washhouse" (built in 1687), a place that was buzzing with life when washing clothes was both a social and tiring activity. You reach Valle Robiano and, via a small road through fields and trees, join the SP 45 road near the cemetery and then turn right onto an asphalted road, passing by the San Martino hump (where the ancient leper hospital once stood).

There are two alternative routes now: you can choose the Variant trail marked “A” and go left downhill, or go straight ahead (A1 Variant trail) and reach a small gravel road where you will find, in the shade of three oak trees, the giant water-green bench of Chris Bangle's project: a panoramic stop, in silence, also ideal for meditation.

Continue through the vineyards, keeping to the left, and then go up along the asphalted road where you will find the A Variant trail and reach "Fontana superiore" (upper fountain) or "Fountain of the Evangelist" which dates back to 1702. After 30 metres, turn right downhill on a dirt road and you get to “Fontana inferiore" (lower fountain) in a very humid area and continue through the vineyards halfway up the hillside: in the flat part of the trail, you will be able to enjoy a botanical peculiarity: a gigantic willow tree, listed as one of Piedmont's monumental trees, on which branches of cherry, oak and walnut have grown.

Once you reach the asphalted road, you can choose whether to return to the village or continue towards Val Cervino where, after crossing the homonymous stream, you will be immersed in the tranquillity of the Santuario Nostra Signora di Neirano, a small and intimate country parish church dating back to the 14th century, which stands in the middle of the vineyards in the Regione Croci.

Your walk will take you along asphalted roads and through vineyards before coming to the provincial road SP 45 road near the small church of San Sebastiano and, after passing the Cantina Sociale, back to your starting point or, depending on your energy levels, take the A2 Variant and continue your trek along a grassy path, past clearings, small vineyards, dense woods and hazel groves. A varied landscape will keep you company until you reach the asphalted road that will take you back to the car park situated at the foot of the great dome of Fontanile.