Basilica di Superga is an 18th-century church located at the top of the Superga hill above Turin. Its Royal Crypt is the burial place of the Savoy family (although earlier members were buried at the Hautecombe Abbey near Chambéry). The Basilica also has a dome with an outside observatory that offers a great view on Turin and the Alps.
Last fall, I went on a walk around Tête de la Cicle, in the Beaufortain mountains near Mont Blanc: I started at Col du Joly and walked through Col de la Cicle and Col de la Fenêtre, two passes on opposite sides of Tête de la Cicle.
Last fall, I went on a walk along the Arve river, from Annemasse (Haute-Savoie) to La Jonction in Geneva.
Last fall, starting in Ugine, I went on a hike to Mont Cornillon, a smaller mountain in the Beaufortain, then went down towards Albertville.
Last fall, starting from Andilly not far from Col du Mont Sion, I walked through Cascade du Nant Trouble, Gorge des Usses (visiting the Bains de la Caille there) and Pont de la Caille.
The Bains de la Caille (Baths of La Caille) are former thermal baths, now lying in ruins at the bottom of Gorge des Usses below the Ponts de la Caille, between Cruseilles and Allonzier-la-Caille in Haute-Savoie. There have been baths on the site since the middle ages, because of the presence of a source of sulfur water. However, the modern Bains were built in the mid-19th century. It drew customers from Annecy and Geneva and there was extensive construction done over the years, including a hotel, a church and even a casino. The Bains closed for good in 1960. Most of the buildings have been dismantled it seems but, for some reason, the building containing swimming pools is still standing today. There is also a small metal bridge (which is kinda falling apart) to cross the Usses river near the swimming pool building, as well as ruins here and there on both sides of the river.
Visiting the Bains is officially forbidden and dangerous (apparently there is a risk of rockfall from the cliff above) but the ban is not really enforced and the path is not blocked very convincingly. The most direct way to come is by hiking down from the Ponts de la Caille (Bridges of La Caille), on the Allonzier side: There is a steep road with many switchbacks that goes to a large bridge over the Usses and then to the Bains nearby. However, erosion over the years and lack of maintenance have transformed it into more of a trail (barely passable at one point). There is also an easier path from the mouth of Gorge des Usses: This is the one I took on the way in, hiking from Copponex (I used the direct road to the Ponts on the way out). I will post more details about that hike in a few days.
Last fall, I went on a hike in Faverges, south of Lake Annecy: I walked up to the summit of Crêt de Chambellon, a small mountain that overlooks the town, then walked along the Eau Morte river, making a detour to the Source du Biel, which used to provide drinking water to Faverges.
Last fall, I went back to Chamonix, in the Balme-Vallorcine area: I walked up L’Arollette and Tête de Balme (which are mountains in Switzerland) then took a trail down along Glacier du Tour.
Back in October, I headed to Italy starting with Turin, the former capital of the Duchy of Savoy, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Italy. I went there by direct bus from Annecy through Flixbus. It took about 4h and just €15, passing through Chambéry and Tunnel de Fréjus on the way. I stayed in Turin for one week and did a lot of visiting. The weather was not that great but I still had a good time. Here are a few photos I took with my new Sony RX100 VII I had bought before the trip. I will soon make more in-depth articles (once I have cleared the backlog of hikes from the summer / early fall).
I mentioned in my last post that last fall I visited Fort du Saint-Eynard in the Chartreuse mountains above Grenoble. It is a fortress built in the 19th century as defence against a potential Italian invasion. It is accessible by car but there are also multiple hiking trails to get there. It offers a great view on Grenoble and the surrounding mountains.