Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Guard, from the Hermits' Pass

Introduction

This excursion allows one to take a beautiful ride along the ridges of the Ligurian Apennines and at the same time fuse sport with the culture of pilgrimage, towards one of the area's certainly best known destinations: the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Guardia on the summit of Mount Figogna. Basically, it is a long traverse on well-trodden paths between the provinces of Alessandria and Genoa and, for a good part, on what is known as the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri.

Description

The start is from the Valico degli Eremiti (559m) in Piedmontese territory, a few kilometres from the village of Voltaggio; the path leads, after about forty minutes, to the Passo della Dagliola (858m). Continuing in a south-easterly direction and leaving on the right the track that climbs to Monte Tobbio, we reach Cascina Carrossina, where it is easy to spot young fallow deer; we then set out on the ascent that will take us to the highest elevation of the entire excursion, Monte delle Figne (1172m). From the summit of the Figne the view can sweep 360° and on a clear day you can enjoy the view of the Alpine arc to the north and the sea (Genoa) to the south; the view of the Bruno and Lungo lakes below in a south-south-westerly direction is also suggestive. We now descend pleasant, rather rocky meadows, which here and there are spotted with the colourful blooms of various species of mountain flora (daffodils, dog's tooth, etc.) to arrive at the Mezzano Pass; the ascent to Monte Taccone (1113m) is a must: a few minutes and you are on the summit, and then down again on the south side to rejoin the Prato Preseghin col. With a walkway almost on the ridge, we continue with a few slight ups and downs that lead, after about 1.6 km, to the summit of Bric di Guana. As luck would have it, we were able to spot a bird of prey that is quite rare in this area: the short-toed eagle, a large falcon with an elegant and majestic flight, gliding placidly right above us, at a rightful height. Now the path descends again and takes us to the Observatory, a sort of hut used for nature observations; we continue for a few more minutes on a dusty cart-track until we enter a beautiful hooked pine forest, leaving the dirt road (signposted) on the left. One ascends into the forest and then continues on a track of mixed undergrowth with splendid blooms, taking care not to lose altitude but always aiming for the highest peaks of the ridge, with the path sometimes not direct. We touch the summit of Mount Orditano, a rounded and broad peak, and descend to the Canile pass, where we cross the provincial road again; the trail now climbs the eastern slopes of Mount Sejeu, but leaving the track behind, we climbed the slope at its steepest to reach the summit (961m). Our idea was to do the entire route with a walkway that was in principle as high as possible, so at times, we deliberately left the main path to keep to the ridge, or we climbed some of the mountains that were not directly on the route; this allowed us to always have the best views and vantage points at our disposal. After descending from Sejeu we continued for a few minutes on a dirt track where it is not uncommon to meet mountain bikers; after a few minutes, fed up with the stony cart track, which among other things would have denied us the summit of Proratado, we climbed a short but sloping grassy-rocky gully which within a few minutes led us to the summit. We descended again, first into a sort of undergrowth, and then, after regaining the main track, we headed for the penultimate elevation of the hike, Monte dè Torbi, from which we reached the little Lencisi chapel a little further down, now reduced to a bivouac-shelter: a family was having lunch in the warmth of the lit fireplace. After a chat and a glass of excellent genepì, we set off towards the last effort of the day: the ascent to Mount Figogna, or the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Guardia. We climbed along the track through the forest, crossing the asphalt road from time to time, came to a trattoria and then took the last and tiring part of the path which, after numerous bends, allowed us to reach our destination. There's no denying it, a great crossing through the many peaks of the Apennines, an excursion that knows how to give those small but intense emotions that seem to be the prerogative of times past, when the rhythms of life flowed more slowly. In addition to the beauty of the places, the flora and fauna, the common thread of the traverse remains this pilgrimage to a holy place, which allows one to savour the sensations experienced by the ancient wayfarers enraptured by the greatness of Creation and strong in their devotion to the mysteries of the Almighty.