Monte Cucco, from Oneglie

Description

From the car park, take a track to the right, near a spring, that reaches the Cascina San Martino farmstead and follow it for about 200m. After passing a small stream, go uphill to the left, into the woods, passing by old farmsteads that are now in ruins, until you rejoin the road, which has made a very long detour, and follow it until it veers sharply to the right to take you to the meadows below the cascina San Martino. The farmstead offers comfortable shelter for a possible rest under a large canopy. From the farmstead, or even from the previous clearing, ascend the slopes above with wide bends, keeping to the left on beautiful open ground, until reaching Cima Cucco (1288m). Follow the wide hump that to the right, passing above the Brunetta farmstead (1398m), leads to the summit. The peak is a large panettone, marked by the presence of a perch with a statue of the Madonna of Oropa in a glass case on top. The panorama is stupendous, both over the Cervo valley and its mountains, including Monte Rosa towering above them, and towards the Oropa basin, as far as the plain and Monviso. The attached photos were taken on different climbs. The route is advisable even after heavy snowfall, as it is absolutely free of danger, and, given its east-southeast orientation, has snow that remains powdery for a long time. The route is also practicable with snowshoes without any problems. Descent by the ascent route, keeping to the hump in the first section so as not to cut the slope to the left, and if the snow is scarce in the lower section, simply following the track, which faces east and is generally always snow-covered.