Rocciamelone
3,538 m
Italy
Also known as Rochemelon, РоччамелонеAlso known as
Rochemelon · Роччамелоне
- Elevation
- 3,538 m
- Prominence
- 303 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: EE (CAI scale (VieNormali.it, Gulliver)) · T4 (estimate for the cabled final section when snowy or icy)
A marked mule path from the road end at La Riposa (about 2,050–2,200 m) up the long south ridge to Rifugio Ca' d'Asti (2,854 m), the iron cross of the Crocetta (3,306 m) and a final rock-cut ramp with fixed ropes to the summit sanctuary and Madonna statue. About 1,450 m of ascent, usually done in a day.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 6.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,492 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,538 m
- Time Up
- 5h 44m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 45m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Susa a former military road climbs through Urbiano (Mompantero) for about 20 km, paved for most of the way and unsurfaced near the top, to the area of the old La Riposa fort. Park near the goods cableway that supplies Ca' d'Asti (about 2,050 m); a short path leads up to the ridge, the water basin and the La Riposa hut (2,185 m). Path 558 then climbs the grassy south ridge, passes the Fontana Taverna spring (2,476 m) and turns a rock wall on the right to reach Rifugio Ca' d'Asti (2,854 m) in about 1 h 40 min from La Riposa (CAI Susa: 650 m, grade E). Above the hut the path crosses a boulder field and zigzags up to the iron cross of the Crocetta (3,306 m). Beyond it the trail runs nearly level, then rises along a ramp partly cut into the rock and finishes with a few hairpins and short sections equipped with fixed ropes and chains, below the stone terrace of the Santa Maria sanctuary and refuge. The bronze Madonna statue marks the summit. VieNormali gives 3 h 40 min up and 6 h 45 min for the round trip; other sources give 3 h 30 min to 4 h up. In summer conditions it is a long, high hike rather than a climb, but the last 150 m above the Crocetta are steep and exposed; with old snow early or late in the season a slip there must not happen, and crampons and an ice axe are needed. Descend the same way. The south ridge between Ca' d'Asti and the summit is retreating: a rockfall of 2,500–3,000 m³ broke away just west of the Crocetta in September 2019, and Arpa Piemonte expects further collapses. On 5 August each year a pilgrimage brings very large crowds to the summit.
Start
La Riposa parking2,046 m
- Trains to Susa from Turin (via Bussoleno); no public transport up the La Riposa road, so a car or taxi is needed for the last 20 km
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Riposa parking → Rocciamelone | 6.1 | 1,492 | 0 | 5h 44m |
Waypoints
- Parking: La Riposa parking2,046 m
Road end by the Ca' d'Asti goods cableway; elevations given by sources range 2,045–2,205 m
- Hut: La Riposa2,188 m
- Feature: Fontana Taverna2,476 m
- Hut: Rifugio Ca' d'Asti2,845 m
- Feature: Crocetta3,296 m
- Bivouac: Rifugio Santa Maria3,451 m
not on route line
- Summit: Rocciamelone3,538 m
Key Passages
- Crocetta iron cross (3,306 m)
- Rock-cut ramp below the summit
- Final section with fixed ropes and chains
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A 3,538 m pilgrimage summit rising more than 3,000 m above Susa, crowned by a sanctuary and a 3 m bronze Madonna. From the road end at La Riposa a marked path leads all the way to the top, making it one of the easiest high summits in the Western Alps in summer.
Rocciamelone stands on the Italian–French border ridge between the Susa valley, the Val di Viù and the Haute Maurienne, and its south side drops more than 3,000 m to Susa. In the Middle Ages it was thought to be the highest mountain in the Alps, and it was one of the first big Alpine summits to be climbed. The top carries the sanctuary of Nostra Signora del Rocciamelone, often described as the highest in Europe, a small unstaffed refuge, a bust of Vittorio Emanuele II and a bronze statue of the Madonna. The view takes in Monviso, the Écrins, Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso and Monte Rosa.
The Italian normal route is a marked mule path from La Riposa, reached by a 20 km former military road from Susa. It climbs about 1,450 m past Rifugio Ca' d'Asti to the summit, with only the final 150 m above the Crocetta becoming steep, rocky and exposed, eased by fixed ropes. In good summer conditions it is a long high-altitude hike; with snow it becomes a mountaineering ascent. On the French side the long Ribon valley approach from Bessans crosses the small Rochemelon glacier.
The mountain is busy on summer weekends and very crowded on 5 August, the day of the annual pilgrimage. The south ridge is breaking up: Arpa Piemonte monitors fractures between Ca' d'Asti and the summit after a large rockfall in 2019.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for about 1,450 m of ascent at altitudes up to 3,538 m is the main requirement; allow 3.5–4 hours up and 6.5–7 hours for the round trip from La Riposa. Some people sleep at Ca' d'Asti or La Riposa to split the day and acclimatise. Sure-footedness and a head for heights are needed above the Crocetta, where fixed ropes and chains protect the final ramp. Outside high summer, or after fresh snow, take crampons and an ice axe and know how to use them: a slip on the upper section can be serious.
Start early to avoid afternoon storms and the heat of the south-facing slope, and carry enough water, as there is little above Ca' d'Asti. Avoid 5 August unless you want to join the pilgrimage. The French route from Bessans is a long glacier day (about 1,800 m and 24 km) for parties with crampon experience.
History
The first documented ascent was on 1 September 1358 by Bonifacio Rotario d'Asti, a crusader who had vowed to honour the Madonna on the first mountain he saw on returning home. With porters he carried a bronze triptych to the top; it is now kept in Susa cathedral. Monks from the Novalesa abbey had earlier tried and been turned back by wind and hail. The future king Vittorio Emanuele II climbed the peak in 1838. The 3 m bronze Madonna, paid for by contributions from 130,000 Italian children and carried up in eight pieces by soldiers of the 4th Alpini Regiment's Susa battalion, was inaugurated on 28 August 1899.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; road to La Riposa not cleared; serious winter mountaineering only
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering only for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring snow, avalanche risk
- May
- Snow on the upper route
- Jun
- From mid-June in a dry year; snow likely above the Crocetta, crampons needed; La Riposa opens late June
- Jul
- Ca' d'Asti open; main season
- Aug
- Main season; very crowded on 5 August (pilgrimage)
- Sep
- Ca' d'Asti open until about mid-September; often stable weather
- Oct
- Possible in a dry autumn thanks to the south aspect; early snow makes the top section icy; huts closed
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Ca' d'Asti (owned by the Susa parish of San Giusto, not a CAI hut) is staffed in July, August and until about mid-September; phone the hut (+39 0122 33192, summer only) or the manager. La Riposa is run by the Un Passo Insieme foundation for 2025–2027. The summit Rifugio Santa Maria is unstaffed and always open.
- Fees
- Overnight fees at Ca' d'Asti and La Riposa
- Rules
- Park by the Ca' d'Asti goods cableway below La Riposa; the last stretch of road is not open to general traffic
- The road from Urbiano to La Riposa has occasionally been closed for works (for example after the 2017 forest fire); check Mompantero municipal ordinances before travelling
- The summit is a religious sanctuary; behave accordingly, especially during services
- Getting There
Susa (Mompantero)
Turin Airport (TRN)
- Train from Turin to Susa (change at Bussoleno)
- By car from Susa through Urbiano (Mompantero) on the former military road to La Riposa, about 20 km and 35–40 minutes; paved for most of the way, unsurfaced near the top
- French side: by car to Bessans in the Haute Maurienne, parking above the Pont du Ribon
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
- Glacier
- Crevasses
Huts & Shelters
3- 2,185 m
La RiposaRefugeStaffed
Open daily from late June to August and at weekends in September–October (2025 pattern)
- 2,854 m
Rifugio Ca' d'AstiHutStaffed
60 beds · July–August and until about mid-September; winter room outside the season
- 3,538 m
Rifugio Santa MariaBivouacUnstaffed
Always open, unstaffed emergency shelter next to the summit sanctuary