Refugio Valasco

​it turns out Refugios are much easier to figure out on the ground. After failing the high option our bed and breakfast host told us about Refugio Valasco. I looked it up and found out it used to be the hunting lodge for king Eduardo II of Savoy. A dream castle in an alpine meadow. And importantly only a 2 hr hike from in.

The destination! But let’s back up a step.

This hike was much more reasonable. Following a gorgeous stream up a mountain valley and then into a wide valley. Val Valasco is gorgeous.

We tried to convince Dan and Carlynne and the kids to come out but they were exhausted after their big adventure so we were on our own.

After dropping our packs in our room we went for a picnic in the meadow.

Did some exploring and rock climbing.

And nature photography.

Our room was amazing, opening into the inner courtyard of the old hunting lodge.

And surprise surprise, just as the kids were wishing their cousins were here, their cousins arrived!

After a relaxing morning they had the energy to come join us after all. Mikaya and Finola enjoyed a lovely craft time in the courtyard.

And the boys went exploring.

We found a waterfall and the kids had fun constructing dams and then smashing them with rocks.

Jacket twins.

Dinner time. Food was amazing and very hearty. 

Levi and Jasper found their happy place in the fountain. They had to jump the fence but nobody seemed to care. Italians are pretty relaxed.

Check out the huge slab of polenta!!

After dinner walk.

One of the Refugio employees had done a semester abroad. In Coaldale AB! Crazy.

After a good sleep we had breakfast (featuring a giant Nutella pump) and set out to explore the upper valley.

Beautiful creeks.

Boulder fields

Snow fields! (See the snowball??)

The trail to the upper alpine is an old military road. It seemed a bit excessive for a hiking trail. Apparently it was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s to transport artillery to the alpine lakes and the border with France.

Back to the valley and more picnicing. The Refugio sold sandwiches, croissants and traditional herbal liquor. (On tap)

Zeke spotting game.

Amazing spot for lunch.

Finally after a full day of exploring and relaxing we hiked back out and thankfully (bc it was a weekend) could take the shortcut route through a crazy tunnel to France and then back to Dolceacqua!

First official Refugio trip thanks team Valasco and King Eduardo II

Dolceacqua with cousins!!

From France it was a quick jaunt across the border and through Monaco (on big highways!) back to the Ligurian Coast of Italy. A few km inland is the beautiful ancient town of Dolceacqua were we met Dan and Carlynne and their kids.

So amazing to have cousins around. Also adult company was very needed. We don’t get to see Dan and Carlynne enough.

Dolceacqua used to be a fortified city state that gained its wealth by controlling the inland trade routes. There were countless deals and marriages with the counts/royalty of Genova and Monaco. Plus pirate raids and waves of invasion. 

Through it all the old town has stood strong, with its ancient Roman bridge and hilltop castle.

The Ks had a place down the hill from us. Narrow streets and no cars made for easy kid roaming. Plus the cousins came with walkie talkies for communication and hide and seek.

View from our lovely deck. Our house was three stories. Three rooms all stacked on top of each other.

Exploring the streets.

Looking through the castle and absorbing serious history.

The castle also had a display about Monet, who spent months at a time here and painted some of his most famous works inspired by the scenery.

There were numerous excerpts of letters from Monet to his wife explaining why he had to stay longer in this beautiful place while his wife looked after the 6 kids in France. Sacrifices for art.

Drinks while the kids played in the local (and ancient) storm sewers.

Not sure why the Chinese presence on this particular street. Didn’t see any Chinese people. Maybe there was a tie in to the local Visionarium theatre.

We spent a day in the hilltop fortress town of Apricole. Dan found a hiking route that was over 50% through crazy old streets along a high ridge before opening up into the mountains. Local church above and below, mid way through our hike.

Out onto the ridge above town looking back at it. 

Lunch break. Fresh local produce and baking every day.

Italy loves little libraries! Different vibe than the Canadian ones.

Back into town on the downhill portion of our semi urban hike that still had significant elevation gain.

A church across from the church.

Back to the bridge! Very photogenic.

We made the wonderful discovery that the kids actually behaved better when we let them have their own table and we sat far far away.

On one of the hottest days we ventured out to a higher valley to find another swimming hole.

It was spectacular and once again provided excellent opportunities for cliff jumping.

It was busy when we arrived but the crowds cleared out over the afternoon and we ended up there by ourselves.

At the end of our time we realized that a local had rehabilitated an old farm property and opened a back country bar just above the swimming spot. He backpacks all the supplies in. We were there on opening day.

Spaghetti on the deck.

Cousin gang at the castle.

After dinner on our last night before an alpine adventure!

The next morning we packed up for hiking and left our excess gear at Dan and Carlynne’s.

After a 4 hour drive we arrived at the top of an incredible valley, planning to hike about 700m elevation gain to an alpine hut. Unfortunately our intel was faulty. Though indeed there was a little over 700m between our start and end point, the route we had to take went over a 2800m pass and then 400m descent to the hut.

This was not in the cards for our family so we made the split decision to bail to another destination after a short hike to appreciate all the waterfalls and granite cliffs.

Thankfully we found a comfortable Bed and breakfast in a little village just down the valley called Roaschia. Thank goodness for smart phones and internet access!

Our kind host phoned ahead and made reservations at a local restaurant (the only restaurant). Famous for its pizza if you can believe it… didn’t take any pictures but it was indeed delicious and reasonably priced and friendly and there was a very nice border collie that the kids loved.

Our host also recommended  much more attainable Refugio up Val Valasco. We’ll jump into that one next.