The Royal Hunting Road of Victor Emmanuel II

A path between power, landscape, and people

In the heart of the Champorcher Valley, through forests, cliffs, and perched villages, a road tells a story that goes far beyond a king and his passion for hunting. It tells of change. And of a collective memory carved into stone.

In 1861, just after the Unification of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II wanted to open a route that would take him to Dondena, his favourite hunting reserve, and from there to Cogne. But to make that road a reality, the support of the local population was essential.

A road built with hands and hope

The municipalities of Pontboset and Champorcher responded generously. They provided timber and no fewer than 2,200 days of unpaid labour. Men and women worked side by side on the slopes, clearing the route with effort and determination. These were the corvées, ancient forms of community work, which here became a powerful act of participation.

Until then, the connection between the valley floor and the higher villages was extremely harsh. There were no carriage roads, and it was often women who carried loads on their backs. A report from 1778 puts it bluntly:

“Here, women replace pack animals, which do not exist.”

A phrase that still makes us reflect today, but clearly expresses the hardship of everyday life.

The construction of the Royal Road was therefore also a victory for dignity: a public work that forever changed the relationship between communities and their land.

A message carved in stone

To commemorate that achievement, a plaque was engraved into the rock:

Peruit viam Victor Emmanuel II, anno MDCCCLXII
(Victor Emmanuel II opened this road in the year 1862)

The inscription is still visible today, a symbol of a pivotal moment in history, born of a king’s wish but made real by the hands of his people.

Today, a journey through history

The Royal Road can still be travelled on foot or by mountain bike, among the scents of larch trees and the deep silence of the mountains. It is not just a route; it is a path of memory, where history blends with landscape, and human traces converse with Nature.

Walking here means listening.

To the voice of the stones.

To the echo of steps once taken.

And to the memory of those who, quietly, built a way that still leads us forward.