Some beautiful pools, little jumps, and a narrow section.

Some beautiful pools, little jumps, and a narrow section.

From the Valsesia provincial road, once you reach the center of Scopa, take a narrow road on the left (uphill) leading to the village church. Follow the signs for "Riversolul", which is in the same area, and park in the lot closest to the river.

From here, you’ll see an iron bridge over the Sesia River — cross it and follow the steep mule track up to the Madonna della Neve chapel. From there, take the path to the left, entering the beech forest just above, and follow the signs for Valmala di sotto–sopra (trail 222/22). The path climbs to the left and reaches a plateau; from here, descend on the opposite side to the right until you find the bridge over the stream. (Approx. 20 minutes.)

The route begins with a short walk, passing by some beautiful pools where small jumps are possible (about 15 minutes). At a left-hand bend, you’ll come to a narrow section with a slide (toboggan) that can be done with relaxed legs — the pool below is very small. Alternatively, if there’s too much water, descend (C5) on the left side. Continue onward: a few jumps follow in a canyon-like environment, leading to an extremely narrow part of the gorge where you can touch both walls. Here, you downclimb under the water flow on slippery rocks, reaching a beautiful pool inside a cave. You’ve now reached the final section, where the gorge narrows even more. Depending on water levels, this part can be either a long swim or a walk through shallow water. Several bends lead to the final descent (C12), which opens out where the Valmala gorge flows into the Sesia River.

Swim across the Sesia river (strong current) and follow the wide beach upstream to the iron bridge (about 10 minutes).