Grande Traversata delle Alpi

The Great Alpine Traverse of Piedmont, or GTA, runs roughly 1,000 km along the Italian side of the western Alps, from the Ligurian border near the Colle di Tenda north to the Ossola valleys by Switzerland. Walking the full line takes about two months, though it splits into many self-contained sections around alpine valleys.

It deliberately avoids the crowds, seeking out the quiet, half-abandoned valleys of the Maritime, Cottian and Pennine Alps rather than famous summits. The reward is authentic mountain culture: Occitan and Walser villages, stone hamlets, chestnut woods and high pastures, with the great peaks of Monviso and Monte Rosa framing the horizon.

As a trek it is strenuous and remote, with daily passes and long gaps between services in the less-visited valleys. The route was designed around posti tappa — simple village hostels — and mountain rifugi, giving walkers a bed and a hot meal each night without camping, though planning is essential where lodgings are sparse. Waymarking follows red-and-white balise; no permit is required.

The GTA was created in the 1970s partly to fight depopulation, giving struggling mountain communities a reason for walkers to pass through and stay. The dependable season is late June to September, once the snow clears the higher cols; late summer brings the most reliable weather and the best chance of finding the posti tappa and dairies open.