Chianale
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
At 1,800 metres, this cluster of stone houses is the last village at the head of the Val Varaita before the French border, and part of the comune of Pontechianale. Walkers use it as a base for the Monviso group and the Bosco dell'Alevé, and the local dish is ravioles: potato and cheese gnocchi dressed with butter and sage.
Highlights
- The Bosco dell'Alevé, Italy's largest stand of Swiss stone pine
- The Museum of Costume and Textile Crafts
- The church of San Lorenzo and its feast on 10 August
- Hikes and climbs in the Monviso group
- Cheeses from the high summer pastures
Text adapted from Wikivoyage (Chianale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to see
Events through the year
- Feast of Saint Anthony
- Carnival
- Feast of Saint Mary MagdalenePatronal feast of the municipality, held in the hamlet of Maddalena
- Feast of San Lorenzo
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Pontechianale), Wikivoyage (Chianale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- RaviolesDishGnocchi of potato and cheese, dressed with butter and sage
- Alpine pasture cheesesCheese
Adapted from Wikivoyage (Chianale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
5 places to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 3
- Mountain huts 2
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Plan de Phazy (IT) · ~1 h 03 by car
- Hot spring: Source de la Rotonde (IT) · ~1 h 03 by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Saint-Véran · 12 km
- Ostana · 16 km
- Mont-Dauphin · 30 km
- Usseaux · 45 km
- Colmars · 60 km