How to reach the Vignassa

There is only one road which leads to Torre Pellice, the SP 161. Once you have reached Torre Pellice on this road you should follow it through the village past the Esso petrol station on your left. As you begin to come out the other side of the village you will find a Tamoil petrol station on your right.

Take the first turning on your right after the Tamoil petrol station. This is Via Pietro Valdo though the sign is not particularly obvious. At the Stop sign (notice the statue of Arnaud in front of you) go straight across the cross roads into Via R. D'Azeglio. When you come to the end of the road (there is a school/library on your right) turn left into the tree-lined avenue called Viale Dante. Follow this up to the top passing the roads Via Deportati e Internati, Via A, Manzoni and Via Willy Jervis on your left. Just past Via Willy Jervis the road turns sharp right and changes name to Via Giordanotti. Here the road begins to climb. Ahead of you the road splits with Via Miravalle on your right and the continuation of Via Giordanotti on your left. Turn sharply left following Via Giordanotti. The road now curves right as it passes a field to the right and a stream to the left. It then curves hard left passing a small road on the right, changes name to Via Tagliaretto, crosses the stream and heads straight for a house with the sign Crespo No. 5. Just in front of this house the road curves sharp right and then left. You pass a gravel road which cuts across the fields on your left. Stay on the asphalt and 100 meters after this gravel road take the first turning on your right. You should prepare for the turn by driving wide as it is both sharp and steep. As soon as you have got round, you come off the asphalt onto a gravel road.

A few meters after the end of the asphalt the gravel road bends left and then right and goes down towards a large house with metal gates. The road passes to the left of this house to bend left past and old stone barn on your left. It then begins to curve to the right past a covered parking space on your left and across a small bridge (drive wide here!!). At this point the road splits, one going sharply up to the left, a mule track going steeply down to your right and the road you want in the middle (the road has a 'no entry' sign attached to a tree). It climbs up a little, curves sharply to the left and then 50 metres after passing through a barrier dips down to the Vignassa.

If the barrier is closed for some reason, it may not be locked in which case pull it open and drive though, If it is locked, leave the car there (do not attempt to reverse back) and come forward on foot.

If you get lost do not ask for directions to Via Cianramà and do not use a sat-nav as there are two roads with the same name, one which everybody knows and which is not us and us which nobody knows. There are also unfortunately two Vignassas. Your best bet is to ask for Via Giordanotti and then for the Vignassa or for the "Inglese?" (the English guy).

On the rare occasions that you meet another car along the gravel road, the usual practice is that the car nearest a place to pull in does so, though it is usually the most agile car that ends up going backwards. IMPORTANT: Please read the chapter "Our road (please read!)".

Having said all this if you are unfamiliar with driving in Italy or you speak a language other than English or Italian our usual practise is to drive out to meet you.