The vineyards trail

Visualizza Il sentiero dei vigneti in una mappa di dimensioni maggiori

The path with its thirteen points of interest doesn't present any particular difficulty. This excursion follows the production of the Carema DOC wine and is well-marked along the way with signs for "Sentiero dei Vigneti," or "Trail of Vineyards."

Park your car in Via Torino where the town's playing fields are located, and take the trail that runs along the service station at the border of the Aosta Valley. After a series of curves through the vineyards, the road splits. Take the right until reaching St. Rocco Chapel, which opens up to a beautiful, natural amphitheater of a view framing Carema.

The trail opens up to a private road where you can observe the terraced hills equipped with the modern monorail. This jewel of a technological invention was finished in 2003, a pilot project created for transporting material and people to the hard-to-reach vineyards at minimal environmental cost. Excavated into the rocks on the peak of Mount Maletto, the pergola trellises are constructed with stone pillars. At night, the stone releases the heat stored up during the day, creating a microclimate that’s perfect for vine growth. Continue along this road until you arrive in the historical center, Località Foriana: in Via Basilia, see the beautiful granite fountain with the carving of the sun.

Not far along is the House of Music, the seat of the town band. Climb up until Piazza del Municipio and pass by the St. Martino church, its bell tower, and the large Palazzotto Ugoneti building. At the end of the road is the mighty safe Gran Masun, a stone building constructed in the early Middle Ages.

Leaving the asphalt road, continue until the chapel Siei, a landmark along Via Francigena dedicated to St. Grato. Here, the course rises to its highest point. Near the chapel, turn onto the gravelled shortcut along the steep street that descends among the vineyards. At the second fork, turn to the left to a narrow trail flanked by pylons.

Follow this until the main Road 26: the last stop of the itinerary is the Cantina of Nebbiolo Producers of Carema, open for purchases (we recommend carrying an empty backpack on the trail!). From here, walk along Via Torino to return to your point of departure.