Brocan Lake

The province of Cuneo is full of wonders, many of which are little known to the general public but certainly worthy of very high consideration and of a careful and thorough visit.

One of these is undoubtedly the Valle Gesso, one of the valleys of the Maritime Alps, which is characterized by the presence of the same name torrent.

Here are the summits of Monte Argentera, the two highest in the Maritime Alps.

The extraordinary peculiarity of this great valley is to be composed of more “parts”.

From the main segment you can in fact come to a sort of bifurcation.

To the south-west it’s possible to enter in the Valle Gesso della Valletta, while to the south-east you find yourself in the Valle Gesso di Entracque.

It is just inside the latter, where the village of Entracque is situated, that you can admire some of the most fascinating lakes of the entire North.

At first the Lake Piastra, an artificial basin, and then, proceeding to the locality “Ponte delle Rovine”, you reach another bifurcation.

To the south-west you continue to the Valle delle Rovine, up to the Lake Rovina: we are already at 1535 meters.

This lake, now virtually reduced to half its original size, is connected via a path with the dam of Chiotas Lake, which is also an artificial basin.

Finally, at a very short distance, another very impressive place can be reached.

The Brocan Lake – this yes, natural – placed in a beautiful alpine conch dominated by rocky peaks that exceed 3000 meters.

Being part of the Natural Park of the Maritime Alps, Lake Brocan is characterized by the presence of a beautiful wildlife near its shores.

It is not uncommon, in fact, to bump into exemplaries of ibex or, more rarely, chamois.

If you want to stay to enjoy best the enchanting landscapes offered by Lake Brocan, you can go to the Genoa-Figari refuge, at more than 2000 meters of altitude – reachable even in winter – equipped with bar, restaurant and hotel facilities, which consist of about 60 beds in total distributed among the various floors.

From the bifurcation after the “Ponte delle Rovine”, going south, we find instead the Valle Gesso della Barra.

After the hamlet San Giacomo, continuing south-west, we find ourselves in front of mount Gelas and at its feet another refuge, Soria Ellena.

This building also has around sixty beds, and in winter the underlying structure can serve as an emergency shelter, with a capacity of about six seats.