Now being […] one day I went to “Bagni di Masino” by way of pleasure. […] Here, to escape the sleep of the merigge, which say that the doctors are pestiferous to those who take those baths, they savor after dinner to be reduced for the most part under a mountainside, which is so high that, after three or four hours in the morning, the sun cannot hit it with its rays.
Thus Matteo Maria Bandello in the early sixteenth century, but the nature of “Bagni di Masino” has its shady and fascinating peculiarity conferred by the wise summer game of “chiaroscuro”. From the looming of Cavalcorto on one side and the contemporary opening towards the slopes of the Val Porcellizzo at the head of which are the true tutelary deities of Masino: Badile and Cengalo, accompanied by a multitude of peaks.
At their feet, coming from Codera Valley and directed towards Mount Disgrazia, runs the Roma path, high with a marked alpine character, the best way to get to know these mountains in depth, an itinerary for hikers prepared physically and technically popularized by the Trofeo Kima.
Even the shelters Omio and Gianetti are, deservedly, among the most famous in the Alps because the great suggestion of their position, combine safe access and the possibility of multiple ascents and crossings, for every taste. There is something ancient and very modern in this place: it still seems for a moment, to rediscover the atmosphere of an ancient spa where to meet in the evening the tutelary deities of these places, the Counts Lurani, first precise topographer of the region or Bonacossa, just from a game of cards fought in a smoky tavern with its guides of the valleys, but still Vera Cenini until a few years ago priestess and custodian of the memory of this place.
The Baths area is one of the two portions (the other is Val di Mello) from the Masino Forest of Lombardy, called “Bagni di Masino”. Inside the ERSAF (Regional services for Agricultural and Forests) has created an equipped path dedicated to visually impaired or blind people. The use of the most advanced technologies allows the discovery of the various natural realities, even in complete autonomy. The presence of escorts and specialized guides allows to extend the experience also to climbing on the boulders.
The presence of equipped trails, in addition to the natural resources offered by the forest, the waterfall, the suggestion of “thermopiles”, a real gateway to the Porcellizzo, and a land without pitfalls make this place particularly suitable for families.
This area has also benefited from the constraint resulting from its inclusion in the list of Sites of Community Interest and the feeling of moving in a protected area gives a further element of relaxation to the visitor.
