Punta dell'Aquila, Mountain summit in Piedmont, Italy
Punta dell'Aquila is a mountain summit in the Cottian Alps with rocky slopes and multiple ascent routes from different starting points. The climb involves exposed ridges and scree fields, with trails clearly marked throughout the approach.
In 1898 Adolfo Kind, a Swiss industrialist, made the first use of skis on Italian mountains on the northern slopes of Punta dell'Aquila, starting from the hamlet of Pra Fieul, after an earlier demonstration in Turin's Parco del Valentino. A metal plaque on the facade of the Madonna della Pace chapel at Colle dell'Aquila records the event. A ski lift operated on the Val Sangone side until it closed permanently in 1994.
On the Colle dell'Aquila, just below the summit, stands a chapel dedicated to the Madonna della Pace, inaugurated in 1926. A metal plaque on its facade records that in 1898 the Swiss industrialist Adolfo Kind made the first use of skis on Italian mountains on the northern slopes, starting from the hamlet of Pra Fieul.
The ascent requires alpine experience, secure footing skills, and proper gear for exposed sections. A nearby mountain shelter offers emergency refuge and a strategic rest point for longer expeditions.
The summit lies on the Chisone-Sangone watershed between Giaveno and Pinasca. On the Sangone side, the arrival station at Pian delle Lese and old ski-lift and cable-car pylons remain from a resort that closed in 1994 after poor snow seasons. The Colle dell'Aquila below holds a chapel to the Madonna della Pace, inaugurated in 1926.
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