Rocciamelone (, or Roche Melon) is a 3,538 m high mountain in Piedmont, Italy, near the border between Italy and France.
Geography
Rocciamelone is located between Val di Susa and
Maurienne, 50 km west of
Turin.
Its summit is the tripoint where the of Usseglio, Novalesa and Mompantero meet. The international border crosses the Glacier de Rochemelon 1 kilometer north of the summit, making it appear that the border is not following the drainage divide precisely in this sector. However, the glacier is draped over a ridge that is the true watershed and is precisely followed by the borderline.
SOIUSA classification
According to the
SOIUSA (
International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:
-
main part = Western Alps
-
major sector = North Western Alps
-
section = Graian Alps
-
subsection = Southern Graian Alps
-
supergroup = catena Rocciamelone-Charbonnel
-
group = gruppo del Rocciamelone
-
subgroup = nodo del Rocciamelone
-
SOIUSA code = I/B-7.I-A.2.a
History
The
Teutonic Knights Bonifacius Rotarius (of
Asti) made the
first ascent of Rocciamelone on 1 September 1358, to bring a small metal image of the Holy Virgin as a gesture of gratitude for having survived captivity in the
Holy Land during a war against the
Muslims.
The summit of Rocciamelone is the destination of a traditional pilgrimage, every year, on August 5. A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected there in 1899.
Access to the summit
Because of its easy access (the start of the summit trail can be reached in a 90-minute drive from
Turin), its considerable height and the panorama, this mountain is one of the most frequented of the western part of the Alps.
Mountain huts
-
Rifugio Cà d'Asti (2,854 m - Mompantero)
-
Rifugio Ernesto Tazzetti (2,642 - Usseglio)
-
Rifugio Santa Maria (close to the summit)
Notes
Maps
-
Istituto Geografico Militare (IGM) official maps of Italy, 1:25.000 and 1:100.000 scale, on-line version
-
Istituto Geografico Centrale (IGC) - Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi scala 1:50.000 n. 2 Valli di Lanzo e Moncenisio
-
Istituto Geografico Centrale - Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi scala 1:25.000 n.110 Alte Valli di Lanzo (Rocciamelone - Uja di Ciamarella - Le Levanne)
External links
