Ormea - Colle dei Termini

Located on the eastern edge of the historic center and dedicated to the patron saint of Ormea, the parish church dates from the 14th century and consists of three different naves. Custodian of precious frescoes dating from 1394 and a characteristic Romanesque bell tower also from the 14th century, it also preserves a monumental marble high altar.

Probably built around the 10th century on the mound overlooking the town, the manor grew over the centuries at the behest of the Marquisate of Ceva, which considered it strategic for war and commercial purposes. Permanently destroyed by the French at the end of the 18th century, thanks to PNRR funds it has undergone a redevelopment that included cleaning and lighting works with the installation of a scenic walkway.

Conceived in 1999 at the behest of the CAI Section of Ormea, the Balconata is a hiking and cycling route that winds for about 40km on the hydrographic left of the Tanaro, joining nine hamlets permanently inhabited by a handful of residents and twenty-four villages, some manned in summer, others totally abandoned. It is an immersion in the alpine anthropology of yesteryear along mule tracks and cart tracks that can be traveled most of the year, for an itinerary that never exceeds 1,500 meters in altitude.

A historic pass connecting the Monregalese and the Tanaro valley, the Colla dei Termini was the scene, on December 20, 1877, of the so-called "tragedy of the olivere" when six girls returning from the olive harvest in Liguria were surprised on the spot by a terrible blizzard that left them with no escape. In 2018, a plaque in their memory was installed right on the Colla dei Termini.