Refuge Petra Piana - Vizzavona
Monday 12th September 2011
We set off from Refuge Petra Piana at 6am, aiming to arrive in Vizzavona by midday with plenty of time to take advantage of our hotel booking. We decided to take the high level option between Refuge Petra Piana and Refuge de l'Onda, but made an error at the start of the day by descending too far on the alternative path. The route can be a little tricky to find in the dark. We corrected our mistake by scrambling up on to the high level route and making our way south along an excellent, winding ridge. There was some scrambling to be done on the ridge, but nothing complicated.
Tom climbing the first ridge south from Refuge Petra Piana. The Col de la Haute Route, crossed at the end of Day 3, is the obvious notch on the skyline (above Tom and to the right).
The decent from Pointe de Pinzi Corbini (2012 m) to Refuge de l'Onda was a little painful and quite unrelenting. We chose not to descend all the way to Refuge de l'Onda, but instead contoured a little higher than the hut and kept moving towards Vizzavona. If you are low on water, or needing food, then the descent to Refuge l'Onda would only add about 30 minutes and 50 m of climbing.
Tom looking west before the descent to Refuge de l'Onda
Early morning view to the west from Pointe de Pinzi Corbini (2012 m)
The climb from Refuge de l'Onda is long and of consistent gradient, but never too steep. If you pace yourself well the climb is over quickly. The descent to Vizzavona was a little longer than expected, but luckily holds a series of waterfalls and plunge pools - including the famous Cascades des Anglais - that provide a nice opportunity to relax and freshen up! After about 30 minutes pottering in the Cascades we made our way along a flat forest track to Hotel Monte D'Oro, a couple of kilometres up the valley from the village of Vizzavona itself.
One of our Top Tips is to stay in the hotel Monte D'Oro, which provides large soft beds and excellent, well-priced food for weary limbs! There is a well-signed track that leads from the Cascades des Anglais to the hotel, and also a GR20 variant that leads from the hotel to the main route the following day.
Tom taking a plunge in the Cascade des Anglais
