Historic Mountain Routes | Cadorna Line Stage 2 | Prà Michelaccio - Cima Montorfano

Italian (default)Mont'Orfano or Montorfano, thanks to its isolated position, was considered an important strategic place from which to dominate the surrounding area at 360°, from Lake Maggiore to Lake Orta up to Lower Ossola. On the slopes of the mountain various military constructions were built which are still visible and reachable thanks to the Cadorna road, a dirt road for trucks 4 km long and 4 meters wide.

The route in this section of the Cadorna Line begins in Mergozzo, in the Pra' Michelaccio hamlet (204 m asl), following the signs for the military fortifications. The military road, paved only in the first short stretch, becomes a beautiful dirt road that climbs for 4 km with a constant slope and with beautiful stone bends that lead to the first barracks. Continuing with a succession of military artifacts of remarkable beauty (retaining walls and hydraulic channels), the road reaches the second barracks and the powder magazine. The panoramic view from up here is truly suggestive and you can continue up to the Cima del Montorfano (794 m asl – about 2 km). The dirt road gives way to a mule track which then becomes a grassy path and in about 45 minutes it reaches other military works (shelters and barracks), whose construction saw the use of local natural resources including granite extracted from the nearby Cava Verde, at the foot of the mountain.