Читать книгу Through the Italian Alps. The GTA - The Grande Traversata delle Alpi онлайн

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Pathways can be enjoyed in peace and quiet for days on end as the itinerary is little trodden – unless herds of chamois, comical marmot families and impressive birds of prey are taken into account. In between outstanding stages the occasional link stretch can be less exciting, but such days give time to meditate on past experiences without risking ‘overload’ and being overwhelmed by an excess of brilliant alpine scenery! Few parts of the Alps can guarantee such a memorable kaleidoscope of experiences for walkers.

Italy’s Western Alps

Have I discovered a district that exceeds all others in beauty? Or do the Alps become more beautiful to us at each succeeding visit? Or is it that after an absence of nearly two years I beheld them with the eyes of the exile who is restored again to his beloved home? Whatever be the reason, I am like a man who has found a treasure, and whose avarice cannot check his longing to declare it.

(R.L.G. Irving, 1911)

The western sweep of the Italian Alps traversed by the GTA embraces distinct mountainous groups, and walkers cannot fail to notice the changes in the landscape as the trek progresses. On the map the curvaceous reliefs resemble an outstretched hand, the spaces between the fingers representing the valleys branching off exponentially as they climb. Starting closest to the Mediterranean and topped by 2651m Marguareis are the Ligurian Alps or Alpi Ligure, cause of Irving’s wonder. Characterised by smooth pale mountains they consist mainly of limestone, a sedimentary rock deposited some 200 million years back in a warm tropical sea, but gradually shaped into karst terrain by the dissolving effect of rainwater. Of the extensive limestone cave systems over 500 have been recorded to date by speleologists, but exploration is ongoing; the most extensive has 13 entrances, is 40km long and 950m deep. Since 1978 a good 6700ha have been protected under the well-run Parco Naturale Alta Val Pesio e Tanaro.