Granges de l'Autaret
The place
Unstaffed alpine barns set at 2560 m at the head of Val Varaita di Bellino (Casteldelfino, province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy), at the foot of the Colle di Bellino and the Col de l'Autaret — a border pass between Italy and France (Queyras side). A remarkable location on the Italo-French border high pastures of the Queyras-Ubaye-Cottian Alps sector, right next to the Tête de l'Autaret (3021 m) reachable via the Italian Val Varaita. Former summer-grazing buildings converted into hiker shelters, evidence of the cross-border transhumant pastoralism of the Cottian Alps. An exceptional mineral setting of the southern high Alps: subalpine grasslands, high-altitude larches, panorama over the range's iconic peaks (Monviso visible in clear weather). Iconic wildlife: chamois, ibex (reintroduced), marmot, golden eagle, bearded vulture, alpine ptarmigan. A stop on the Queyras-Ubaye-Val Varaita cross-border loop routes.
Getting there
At the head of Val Varaita di Bellino (Casteldelfino, Piedmont). Queyras-Ubaye-Val Varaita cross-border loops.
The setting
Val Varaita di Bellino (Cuneo, IT), Autaret border pass, near Tête de l'Autaret (3021 m).
