Corma de Machaby, from the Machaby car park

Access

Leaving the motorway at the Verrès exit, turn right onto the main road in the direction of Turin. Pass the village of Verrès and, after 4.5 kilometres, you will reach the Arnad roundabout. Take the second exit and continue towards the town unable to parse following the signs for the Machaby sanctuary. Go up the municipal road for about 2 kilometres, skirting the complex of the Romanesque church of San Martino and passing near the Valleise Castle until you come to the fork for the Machaby parking area: go straight on for about 700 metres until you come to a large car park where you can leave your car. In the area there is a panel with the indications of the municipal path network.

How to get there with GMaps

How to get there with Apple Maps

Description

From the esplanade, take the wide road (former military road) that leads in three hairpin bends to the Machaby sanctuary. At the sanctuary, take the road that branches off to the left of the esplanade and in a few minutes you reach the village of Machaby; at the crossroads, take the road that descends, passing in front of Lieutenant Lucini's fortification building, at the end of which you turn left and take the road that tends to climb (following the indications on wooden signs). With a series of hairpin bends, in about twenty minutes, you reach the large clearing of the Machaby battery. Detour to the Corno di Machaby Horn If you want to climb to the Corno di Machaby, you must return to the crossroads, continue towards the last buildings in the village and take the obvious path that climbs up from the houses, which soon leads to the panoramic summit of the Corno with a small summit cairn and beautiful views of the central valley. Floristic Sightings: Crocus

Historical Notes The construction of the Machaby sanctuary dates back to the early 1500s (first reports from 1503); since the end of the 17th century, the sanctuary has been gradually enlarged, preserving only the presbytery of the original building. The main altar dates back to the 17th century, while the two altars in the side aisles date back to the 18th century. A characteristic feature of the sanctuary is that it preserves numerous ex-votos. Behind the sanctuary in a series of external niches are frescoed various scenes from the mystery of the Rosary. In general, the tour follows a military road from the Napoleonic era that served several fortifications built in support of the Fortress of Bard, including Fort Tenente Lucini (now restored and used as a hostel) and the Machaby battery, also used as a refuge by partisans during World War II.