The Giro del Viso became truly famous in the 1970s as the “Tour du Mont Viso”: it was indeed the French who rediscovered this route. Curiosity, or perhaps the excellent cuisine of the Italian refuges, or simply the extraordinary beauty of the landscape, brought thousands of French hikers around Monviso. In the following years, the number of Italians also increased, as well as Germans, Dutch, and Swiss, who discovered the Giro del Viso thanks to the Grande Traversata delle Alpi.

Few treks offer such spectacular views of all sides of the mountain while simultaneously overlooking three different valleys: Po, Varaita, and Guil. Elevation changes are always moderate, and you never lose too much altitude: from the 2,000 meters of Pian del Re, you descend only once to 1,937 meters, and then enjoy a fantastic walk across passes between 2,655 meters at Colle di Viso and 2,947 at Colle delle Traversette. Elevation changes are also manageable starting from 1,590 meters at Castello, the hamlet of Pontechianale where the tour begins in Val Varaita, or from 1,787 meters at Roche Ecroulée in the Queyras Natural Park. The first day can be completed in half a day, regardless of which valley you start from; the presence of the five refuges around the “Giant of the Cottian Alps” allows hikers to plan the following stages freely.

For those who enjoy “variants,” and for those starting from Pontechianale or the Queyras, there is the interesting “Postman’s Path”: a panoramic mid-slope trail along the cliffs of Punta Roma and Punta Venezia, between Lago Chiaretto, the Giacoletti Refuge, and the Col des Traversettes, which avoids descending to Pian del Re. While this variant offers a shortcut, some choose to extend the trek toward Val Pellice. From the refuge du Mont Viso, one can reach the Granero Refuge via Col Selliere, the Jervis in the beautiful Prà basin, or even the Barbara Refuge. The Alpetto Refuge, built near the historic 1866 construction and not far from the Sella Refuge, provides hikers with an additional overnight option.