Monte Viso

Monte Viso, or Monviso, is a 3,841-metre pyramid that dominates the Cottian Alps on the border of Piedmont and France. Standing well clear of surrounding peaks, its distinctive shape is visible from the plains of Turin and even, on rare clear days, from the outskirts of Milan.

The mountain is the source of the Po, Italy's longest river, which rises from springs on its flanks at Pian del Re. Monviso also holds a place in history as the site of the Buco di Viso, a fifteenth-century tunnel driven through the ridge for salt traders, the oldest such Alpine tunnel, still passable today.

Climbing it is a serious undertaking. First ascended in 1861 by the British climbers William Mathews and party, the normal route from the Quintino Sella hut is a long rock scramble with exposed grade II to III passages, requiring sure footing, rope for the harder steps and an early start to avoid storms; harder ridges and faces reach higher grades on solid gneiss and quartzite. The rock is generally sound but the route is long and committing.

The Quintino Sella and Vallanta huts serve as bases on the Italian side, linked by a fine circular trek around the peak. The dependable season is July to September, when the approach is snow-free and the huts are staffed. Crissolo and the Po valley are the road approaches, with guides available in the resort. The round trip from the hut takes a long day, and the summit repays it with a sweeping panorama across the Alps, the Cottian glaciers and the great plain of the Po stretching to the horizon.