Begin among the houses of the small village of Valcasotto. Pass the buildings where cheese is being aged, and go around to the right of the Il Mulino inn, next to which you will see the large, wooden water wheel of the nineteenth-century mill to which the inn owes its name.

Continue up the road (Via San Ludovico) in the direction of the old school and the impressive parish church of San Ludovico. Once you reach Piazzetta Emidio Ferraris, go around the seventeenth-century church along the narrow road that transitions from a stone surface to asphalt.

About one hundred and fifty meters (500 ft) further on, at a junction, turn right and continue on the asphalt road and pass among the houses of the village of Borgne. Continue among the chestnut, beech and birch trees as you gain elevation through a few long, hairpin bends. At the third bend, turn left onto the dirt road, which still has another long hairpin bend and then passes among some dilapidated Romagnoli houses.

The dirt road continues and makes a semicircle in the woods, after which it cuts through a more open and panoramic stretch. Ignoring the side road for Surie, continue straight on, first downhill then uphill, until you come upon a scenic clearing. From here, you can clearly see the lovely rocky ridge of Rocce di Perabruna, which unites Antoroto with the Ciuaiera summit.

Continue through the clearing as you head slightly downhill. As you converge on another dirt road, follow it downhill to the right, arriving to the dilapidated houses of La Grangia from above. Although run down, these houses are in a great location. Certain architectural details allude to the fact that this must not have been a poor village. In fact, it was once at the service of the Carthusian monks who lived in the monastery that would later became the Valcasotto royal residence.

The dirt road continues and then ends lower down at the provincial highway for Casotto pass. Follow this road to the left for a few dozen meters uphill, and then leave it almost immediately onto a paved road that descends to the right.

A bit lower down, where the road turns to dirt, you come to a “correria”, the quarters for the lay brothers who had not taken their vows and were therefore relegated to the most humble of jobs.

Head to the left and follow the magnificent, tree-lined road that zig-zags slightly upward to the majestic Valcasotto royal residence, which appears unexpectedly in a horseshoe shape around a courtyard with its impressive stone walls. Originally a Carthusian monastery, the residence experienced a troubled history and, around the middle of the nineteenth century, was purchased by King Charles Albert and became the royal residence of the House of Savoy. Today it is owned by the Region of Piedmont, which reopened it to the public in 2020.

After a visit of the residence, head back down to the lay brothers’ quarters. This time, ignore the paved road from which you arrived and follow alongside it to the dirt road that descends to the east side of the building (marked by white-and-red stripes).

Once you crossed passed a stream, continue along the dirt road with a very uneven surface. Fortunately, the road improves almost immediately to become a lovely road that stays below the provincial highway that remains inconspicuously above you.

After crossing a stream, the dirt road narrows to a mule track. Further on, pass the remains of the Cascina del Seccatoio (with another stream to cross) and continue on to the nineteenth-century chapel of San Rocco, surrounded by a small playground that is now in rundown.

After a final stream, head down to the paved road to the cemetery and follow it to the right, and soon you will be back in Valcasotto where this enjoyable loop ends.