Holiday apartment in Pontechianale: Nature, Mountain Sports and Culture

Pontechianale is a destination for travelers who want to combine nature, mountain sports and regional culture in a single holiday. The area offers very different points of interest for this purpose: an extensive Swiss pine forest, a lake created by a dam, winter sports facilities, a prominent mountain ascent, as well as textile and religious traditions. The lake and the forest provide a scenic contrast to the sporting and cultural attractions.

Forest and lake as defining features of the landscape

The Bosco dell’Alevè covers around 600 hectares and consists almost entirely of Swiss pine trees. At the same time, Lago di Pontechianale recalls a profound transformation: it was created by a dam built in 1942; its construction flooded the former hamlet of Chiesa. In addition to its natural appeal, the lake thus also brings the history of the former hamlet of Chiesa into the character of the area.

Winter sports and mountain sports

The Pontechianale ski station has one chairlift and four ski lifts. For alpine skiing, it provides access to 15 kilometers of slopes. As another winter option, the waterfalls and couloirs of Pontechianale form an ice-climbing area. Those interested in mountain landscapes and cycling history can also take on the ascent to Colle dell’Agnello; it reaches 2,744 meters and has been included several times in stages of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. The ski station and the ice-climbing area represent two different forms of winter sports.

Culture between markets, crafts and churches

The Fiera dell’Alevè takes place every year on the third Sunday in June in the streets of Pontechianale. Markets featuring typical handicraft, culinary and enogastronomic products combine craftsmanship and enjoyment. The Museo del Costume e dell’Artigianato Tessile conveys textile traditions, including lace-making, the processing of horsehair and special looms used to produce ribbons. The craft and culinary market offerings of the Fiera complement the textile techniques presented in the museum with an annual event in the streets of Pontechianale.

The Chiesa di Sant'Antonio in Chianale has Romanesque-Gothic origins. The Chiesa di San Lorenzo features a polychrome wooden altar in the apse. Traditional costumes are worn by men, women and children during the patron-saint festivals in Pontechianale. Together, the museum and churches lead from textile handicrafts to religious architecture and furnishings.

Choose a holiday apartment in Pontechianale based on your interests

When choosing a holiday apartment in Pontechianale, you can define your preferred focus in advance by looking at the specific offerings in the area. The landscape highlights are the Bosco dell’Alevè and Lago di Pontechianale. The ski station brings together alpine skiing with one chairlift, four ski lifts and 15 kilometers of slopes; the waterfalls and couloirs also provide an ice-climbing area. The ascent to Colle dell’Agnello adds mountain sports and cycling history to this range of options. For cultural days, there are the Fiera dell’Alevè, the Museo del Costume e dell’Artigianato Tessile, as well as the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio and the Chiesa di San Lorenzo. This allows you to choose your holiday apartment according to your own travel plans and to give different weight to active, nature-focused or culture-oriented days.

Discover more places

For your further travel planning, you can also discover Genola, Murazzano, Tre Rivi, Monteu Roero, Montezemolo, Vergne, Roaschia and Ricca.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cuneo.