Several rivers have dug into the rocks, then forming small and beautiful lakes and goje, or “pools” in Piedmontese dialect.
One of these is Goja del Pis, a small lake 30 meters in diameter, surrounded by rocky walls where a waterfall falls. It owes its forms to hundreds of thousands of years of erosion carried out by the waters on particularly hard rocks which, precisely for this reason, have limited the action of the waters themselves.
These are serpentinites, rocks rich in iron and magnesium, deriving from magmas of ancient oceanic crust. An appreciable panoramic point on the area can be reached on the right, about 50 meters downstream of the waterfall, with a steep wooden fence.
In the summer of 2013, the work to secure the existing route and the panoramic point, promoted by the mountain community with European funds, was completed.
The Goja del Pis is inserted in the Geopark of the Cottian Alps, thanks to a enhancement project curated by the I Meridiani association, with the preparation of information panels and the creation of a pocket booklet.
How to get
It is possible to reach the Goja del Pis on foot by leaving the car in the Mercatale Area – Via Alma Bertolo – in about 50 minutes. From the car park continue towards the town center going up the course of the Messa stream. Once you reach the chapel of Sant’Anna, where the tourist information point is also located, turn right and cross the stream. From here keep left on via San Sebastiano and always go up keeping to the left following the indications on the spot. At the crossroads, take the road on the left which descends slightly and then goes up after Borgata Fucinassa. Follow the signs on the left of the path which keeps halfway up and descends towards Goja. From the square of Almese it is about 50 minutes on foot.