Ferrata della Sacra, from Sant'Ambrogio

Access

From Turin, take the A32 motorway to Bardonecchia, exiting at Avigliana - Almese; continue to Avigliana and then to Sant'Ambrogio di Torino. Pass through the town along Via Torino, Corso Umberto I and Via Susa until you come to Via Antica di Francia: walk along it for about one kilometre until you reach the car park in front of the via ferrata attack.

Introduction

An evocative combination of the outdoors and history: the Ferrata della Sacra 'Carlo Giorda' allows us to practise a fairly demanding route without insurmountable difficulties, and at the same time allows us to enjoy and breathe in an air of millenary history, among the stones that make up the imposing building of the Sacra di San Michele.

Description

A few metres from the car park, you immediately come across the start of the ferrata route: an explanatory panel describes the difficulties you will encounter, the duration of the route and the equipment required. One immediately sets off among the first rocks and, after encountering a cement cross, hooks onto the ropes of the ferrata. The first detail is the plastic material covering the steel ropes: a great idea! The first section of the ferrata is relatively easy and often allows one to relax a little at the sight of the distant silhouette of the Sacra on the horizon. The rock is good, at times some of the holds are a little smooth, but in general it makes the route pleasant. One then climbs an initial section where one gains height slightly until reaching a 'ridge' that on the left side descends over quarries used for quarrying stone. Continue again on sloping slabs, beginning to encounter the first roughness: after a step, there is a short traverse to the right that leads to a small chimney, which leads to a small ledge full of small trees that obstruct the passage a little. The rock is taken up again with another small tear, however rich in extra holds, and then continues on a fairly vertical section until reaching a new ledge: a little respite and some sublime views of the Val di Susa and the ascent is resumed. The next section does not present too many hostilities, the climb proceeds on well gripped rock and shortly the first "step" of the route is completed: after about 1h45' you reach Pian Cestlet, a small shelf from which the first path starts to be considered as an escape route. The ascent resumes with the second part of the itinerary; having passed a small wooded strip, a long traverse is made (without excessive difficulty) that decisively shifts the axis of the route without gaining metres in height. At the end of the long traverse, we turn left and start climbing a nice stretch of reddish rock that continues towards a nice crack. You reach one of the few challenging passages, the notch, which is overcome with a couple of somewhat physical steps; just above, a short diagonal to the left proves to be a little more challenging than it looks: there are many supports on the rock that allow you not to waste energy trying to exploit the pegs (which are slightly apart). We then reach the "Saut di Cin", jump of the dog: second exit point (3h00'). The last part of the route does not present any particular roughness, we cross the ledge known as "U Saut du Cìn" and cross a rocky section that has now totally lost its verticality. The vestiges of the Sacra are now in sight and we reach the end of the via ferrata (3h15'). Continue along the path that skirts the western side of the Sacra until it joins a small road that leads in a few minutes to the Sacra di San Michele (3h30'). For the descent, it is advisable to take the path leading to San Pietro and then to Sant'Ambrogio di Torino (1h45'): from the latter, follow the small road to the starting point (2h00')