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Via Geoalpina
A journey through the Alpine and South Alpine regions, a journey through space and time across the ancient continents (Africa and Europe), a trek across the rocks of the deep crust and the Earth’s mantle, a tapestry of physical and natural landscapes: this is the section of the Via GeoAlpina that unfolds in seven stages along the Insubric Line – the most important tectonic feature of the Alps – which, in the section running beneath the National Park and the Geopark, is known as the Canavese Line.
A geostructural, lithological and geomorphological diversity that ranks among the most significant not only in the Alpine arc but in the world, constituting a unique model for the interpretation of geophysical data from the continental crust, and exhibiting landscape and environmental features and characteristics that can be discovered stage by stage.
The route, which essentially follows the tectonic lines of the Canavese and Pogallo-CMB regions, runs lengthways through the internal structure of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (stages 1A, 5, 6, 7), the Sesia-Lanzo Zone (stages 6–7) and, transversely, the Massiccio dei Laghi with the Serie dei Laghi, the Strona Ceneri and the Scisti dei Laghi (stages 1B, 2 and 3).
The lithological variations are highlighted, on the one hand, by the morphology of the slopes, which becomes very rugged – for example, in the Ivrea-Verbano area, characterised by steep and jagged slopes, or along the Pogallo Line, in the gorge through which the stream of the same name flows, with orthogneiss, massive rocks that are highly resistant to erosion, with the slopes becoming almost vertical and the path cantilevered out from the rock face. On the other hand, a lithological geodiversity which, as well as giving rise to a rich variety of colours in the landscape (from the ochre hues of the peridotites to the blacks of the Kinzigites and the white marbles of the lake of the same name), also reveals exceptionally rare rock formations normally found at depths of 30–35 km.
These lithological differences are illustrated, in particular, by the themed displays found along stages 1B, 3 and 6, as well as the geological section of the Malesco Park Museum, the Sumbughetto Museum and the geological laboratories (GeoLab) in Gurro and Vogogna. Finally, alongside the structural orogenic features, the variety of routes and landscapes is further enriched by geomorphological systems, such as those resulting from fluvial-glacial processes across various geological periods, particularly those of the Quaternary. Notable examples include not only the large U-shaped gorge of the Toce Valley, through which the Ossola glacier once flowed – which is crossed between Vogogna and Pieve Vergonte (stages 6 and 7) – but also a variety of features such as the river terraces (Pogallo valley), glacial deposits (the villages of Cursolo, Orasso and Gurro), glacial landforms such as the rounded southern slopes of Colma di Premosello (stage 3), the peaks of Mater and Colmine (stage 1), and Bavarione (stage 1B), glacial cirques found along virtually all stages, rock outcrops (stages 1 and 6), the erratic boulders of Montevecchio and Gurro (stage 1), and the gorges of the Cannobino, the Pogallo and the Rio Val Grande (stages 1, 3 and 5).
Finally, the presence and abundance of different types of rock have fostered a culture of stone, and its evolution into ‘history’, as in the most striking example of the pink marble of Milan Cathedral – a material culture that is widely evident in the styles and artefacts that characterise large sections of the Geo-Alpine routes.
Link:Via Geoalpina
THE STAGES
A description, journey times and other useful information for each stage are available via the following links:
Stage 1: Cursolo – Pian Vadà Mountain Hut
Stage 1a: Piancavallo – Pian Vadà
Stage 2: Pian Vadà Mountain Hut – Alpe Curgei
Stage 3: Alpe Curgei – Alpe Pian di Boit
Stage 4: Alpe Pian di Boit – Alpe Scaredi
Stage 5: Alpe Scaredi – Alpe La Colma
