The best traffic-free bike rides around Lake Sirio

On the shores of Lake Pistono stands the Archaeological Park, inaugurated in 2017, which features a life-size reconstruction of part of a Neolithic stilt village. In 2003, an excavation campaign promoted by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte had brought to light in the lake waters the traces of a stilt settlement dating back about 6500 years. The reconstruction includes a dwelling, a storehouse, and an animal shelter with an enclosure, built using the techniques and materials of the time — chestnut and hazel wood for the structure, straw and clay for the walls, lake reeds for the roof — and furnished with reproductions of everyday objects: fish traps, axes made of wood and green stone, baskets made of plant fiber. The park can be reached with a walk of about half an hour from the Exhibition Space housed in the municipal palace of Montalto Dora, where the original findings from the excavations are preserved and where thematic panels reconstruct the daily life, diet, and material culture of the village inhabitants. Lake Pistono is one of the five glacial lakes nestled among the morainic deposits of the Serra di Ivrea.

It is a unique place of its kind. In a rather small and circumscribed area 2 steps from the Montalto lake (also called "Rabbit" lake) there is an area with a very dark soil composed of water, peat, earth and medium-sized trees. Especially when the ground is wet or it has rained previously if you jump on the surface, it moves creating small waves making the surrounding trees dance. A real show! You can reach the dancing lands from 2 different dirt tracks. For those with good technical skills the entry or exit paths in both directions are also fun to pedal.

Regardless of whether you reach the Serra di Ivrea or not, even wandering around these lakes, taking advantage of the good signage present, pays off! There is a nice variety of environments and paths, from single track to dirt road, ending on cobblestone sections, never too banal, especially in the wet... the lake environments are beautiful, given that most of these lakes are not very urbanized, the stilt houses rebuilt on the shore of Lake Pistono are very beautiful, they certainly deserve a stop. Places also suitable for children, given that in the lake area the differences in altitude are very modest... just watch out for hikers, because the paths are open to everyone!

splendid view of the castle of Montalto

Passage made during Erratico Gravel

And it's a little paradise, too bad it's all closed

Located on the border between the municipalities of Chiaverano and Ivrea, in the Canavese area, Lake Sirio is home to the historic Canottieri Sirio Society, founded in 1887, and reaches a depth of almost 45 metres.

Beautiful Valchiusella Bridge, similar to the Devil's Bridge of Lanzo Torinese