On a granite hill rising above the Canavese plain north of Turin, the Sacro Monte di Belmonte looks out over the foothills toward the Alps. The sanctuary, run by Franciscan friars, has a church and a circuit of chapels representing the stations of the Passion, built in the early eighteenth century on a site that had long been a place of pilgrimage. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, and the walk around the chapels, under chestnut and oak trees, is calm and shady even in summer.
The hill has an older story too. Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric and early medieval settlement on Belmonte, and the strategic view over the Orco and Soana valleys explains why people have long sought refuge here. From the top, on a clear day, you can see across the plain toward Turin and up toward the peaks of the Gran Paradiso.
Riding up from Valperga or Cuorgnè, the road climbs through woods in a series of tight hairpins, narrow but well surfaced, and it makes a short, satisfying detour. The real riding lies further up the Orco valley, past Locana and Noasca to Ceresole Reale and the Colle del Nivolet, at 2612 metres one of the highest roads in the Alps, ending in a dead end amid lakes and high pastures within the Gran Paradiso national park. The upper road is open only in summer and is sometimes subject to traffic restrictions on certain days, so check before you go.
Cuorgnè, three kilometres away, is the local centre, with fuel, shops and a pleasant arcaded main street. The Canavese is known for its wines, especially Erbaluce di Caluso, and for its cheeses and cured meats. Come in spring or autumn, when the chestnut woods are fresh or golden, and avoid summer weekends, when Turin escapes to the mountains and the valley roads fill with traffic.