San Giacomo di Roburent

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Sangiacomo Cardini Ski, Province of Cuneo, Visit Cuneese, Alpi Marittime-Mercantour parks, Grotta di Bossea

Find a place to stay in San Giacomo di Roburent

San Giacomo di Roburent (locally just “Sangiacomo”) is a hamlet of the municipality of Roburent, in the province of Cuneo, in southern Piedmont, Italy. The village sits at 1,011 metres in the Monregalese valleys, on the edge of the Ligurian Alps overlooking the Po plain. Mondovì is 22 km away (25 minutes by car), Cuneo 45 km, Turin about 105 km (around 1 hour 30) and the sea at Savona 75 km. The nearest airports are Turin and Genoa, both about 120 km away.

It is a small, family ski area: 35 km of slopes according to the operator, between Bric Colmé and Monte Alpet (1,611 m), nine lifts on paper and lower prices than the big resorts. One important thing: after a fire in August 2024, the Bric Colmé sector stayed closed for two winters and skiing was limited to Monte Alpet. Read the skiing section before you book.

In summer Sangiacomo is a cool, quiet holiday village made up mostly of holiday homes. You come here to walk in chestnut and beech woods, ride the chairlift up Monte Alpet or hike it, and ride the bike park. Within 30 minutes you have the Bossea cave, the Vicoforte sanctuary and the town of Mondovì.

Sangiacomo has no historic centre: it grew around the slopes. What is worth seeing is the church, the hamlets of Roburent, the views from Monte Alpet and the sights in the nearby valleys.

The village and the church of San Giacomo

The village runs along the main road, with holiday homes, bars, shops and a small cinema. In the centre stands the church of San Giacomo, in Piedmontese Baroque style, built in the mid-18th century and attributed to the architect Francesco Gallo, who also worked on the Vicoforte sanctuary. The tourist office is in the same area.

Beginners have the Giardina nursery slope in the village. In summer it is the starting point for easy woodland walks, signposted with arrows and boards.

Cardini and Monte Alpet

Cardini is the highest hamlet, at around 1,158 metres, 3 km above Sangiacomo. This is where you find the lift ticket office and the start of the Monte Alpet slopes. Monte Alpet (1,611 m) is Sangiacomo’s home mountain: a rounded summit of meadows and beech woods, also reachable by chairlift. From the top you see the arc of the Western Alps and, on clear days, the Piedmont plain.

Pra di Roburent

Pra di Roburent (1,016 m) is the other mountain hamlet of the municipality, on the Val Corsaglia side. It is small and quiet, and the starting point for the walk up Monte Alpet and to the Navonera hut. It has a hard history: during the “Salt War”, the Monregalese revolt against the taxes of the House of Savoy, the last fighting took place here on 8 March 1699 and many farmhouses were burned. A nearby rock is still called “Rocca dei morti”, the rock of the dead.

Roburent and the Saracena tower

The main village, Roburent, is 4 km lower down, at around 800 metres. Its symbol is the round tower known as “la Saracena”, what remains of an 11th-century fortified complex, set above the village. Worth a short stop, together with the parish church of San Siro.

The Liset springs

The Fonti del Liset are Sangiacomo’s spring, known for very light water, considered one of the lightest in Europe and recommended for babies. It is not a monument but a spring in the woods, a destination for a walk. Ask the tourist office for the easiest way there.

Bossea cave

The Grotta di Bossea is 15 km away (20 minutes), at Fontane in the municipality of Frabosa Soprana, in Val Corsaglia. Open to visitors since 1874, it is considered the first show cave in Italy. The guided visit takes about two hours, at the same temperature and humidity all year: bring a jacket even in August. The skeleton of a cave bear is on display. Booking is recommended: times and details on the official Grotta di Bossea website.

Vicoforte sanctuary

The sanctuary of Vicoforte, the “Regina Montis Regalis”, is about 18 km away (25 minutes). It has the largest elliptical dome in the world, covered with more than 6,000 m² of 18th-century frescoes. At weekends the guided “Magnificat” climb, with helmet and harness, takes you up over the dome.

Mondovì

Mondovì is the nearest town, 22 km away. A funicular climbs from Breo to the upper town, Piazza, where you find Piazza Maggiore, the Chiesa della Missione with Andrea Pozzo’s painted false dome, and the Torre del Belvedere with views over the Alps.

The ski area is called Sangiacomo Cardini Ski. On paper it has 35 km of blue, red and black runs and nine lifts (two chairlifts, six drag lifts and a magic carpet), between about 1,000 and 1,611 metres. It is a small, low-altitude area for families, beginners and local day skiers who want no queues. If you want a big ski area, Prato Nevoso and Mondolè Ski are about 40 minutes away.

What is open: lift status

On the night of 15 August 2024, an arson fire damaged the control room of the Bric Colmé chairlift. Since then the Colmé sector, with that chairlift and the Pineta and Sapel drag lifts, has stayed closed for two winters (2024/25 and 2025/26). In those seasons about 20 of the 35 km were open, in the Monte Alpet–Cardini sector.

In spring 2026 the municipality announced the start of repair work on the Colmé chairlift, but no reopening date has been given. The Monte Alpet chairlift, the main lift (978–1,611 m), is also undergoing a full overhaul: work was planned from September 2026 with the aim of finishing for the season opening, around 8 December. Before you travel, check open lifts, runs and webcams on the official Sangiacomo Cardini Ski website.

The Monte Alpet runs

The Monte Alpet sector is served by the two-seater chairlift and the Cronista, Pianea and Cardini–Alpet drag lifts. There are runs for every level: wide blues for learning, reds through the woods and a few black sections. There are also off-piste areas for freeride, only with stable snow and avalanche gear. The area is low: snowmaking matters a lot, and early and late in the season only a few runs may be open.

Beginners and children

Just below the top of Monte Alpet is the “Alpet Kids” area, with a magic carpet and a nursery slope. In the village, the Giardina area has a beginners’ drag lift that is not connected to the other runs (the municipality has announced it will be replaced by a magic carpet). There is a ski and snowboard school and ski hire in the village.

Ski pass, hours and season

Prices for 2026/27 have not yet been published. In recent seasons the day pass cost less than at the big resorts nearby, with junior and over-65 rates, a reduced pass for the kids’ area and weekly passes. You can buy online through the ski area’s website or at the Cardini ticket office. Lifts usually run from 9:00 to 16:30. The season runs from December to March, snow permitting; last March the lifts opened only at weekends.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

Sangiacomo is not a cross-country destination: we found no official information on groomed trails. If cross-country is your priority, ask the tourist office before booking. For snowshoeing it is very good: more than 100 km of marked routes, set up by volunteers of the Parpaiun association, with snowshoe hire and a nature guide for guided outings in the village.

In summer Sangiacomo stays cool, among chestnuts and beeches. It is a quiet place for walking, biking and days at the mountain hut.

Monte Alpet chairlift and bike park

The Monte Alpet chairlift also runs in summer, for hikers and mountain bikers. It serves the Monte Alpet bike park, with downhill trails popular with riders. In summer 2026 it ran at weekends in June and July, every day from 8 to 23 August and on the last weekend of August; the 2027 calendar will be published on the lift company’s website. The Monte Alpet Bike Fest, three days of racing and shows, usually takes place in June.

Monte Alpet and the Navonera hut from Pra di Roburent

This is the classic walk of the area, easy and almost entirely on dirt tracks. Start from Pra di Roburent (1,016 m) and climb through chestnut woods and pastures to the Pilone di San Bernardo (1,373 m), in about an hour and a half, with views of the Alps and the plain. Follow the ridge to the top of Monte Alpet (1,610 m), another 50 minutes. Then descend south on a path through beech woods to the Rifugio Navonera (1,432 m), about 35 minutes, and the nearby Madonna delle Nevi chapel.

In total it is about 8.5 km, nearly three hours of walking and about 600 metres of ascent. It is best in autumn, when the chestnuts turn. The official route description is on the Alpi Marittime–Mercantour parks website.

Easy woodland walks

Around Sangiacomo, Cardini and Pra there is a network of more than 100 km of easy, family-friendly paths, marked by volunteers of the Parpaiun association, the municipality and the Pro Loco. They are the same routes used for snowshoeing in winter. Ask the tourist office for the map: typical goals are the hamlets, the chestnut woods, the Liset springs and viewpoints towards Monte Alpet.

Mongioie, the big peak of the area

For a real mountain, Mongioie (2,630 m) is the second-highest peak of the Ligurian Alps. You climb it from Viozene (1,242 m), in the upper Tanaro valley, about 1 hour 5 minutes’ drive from Sangiacomo. The path passes the Rifugio Mongioie (1,550 m, about an hour) and the Bocchino dell’Aseo, with a steep final section on limestone. It is about 1,260 metres of ascent: medium difficulty, you need fitness and proper boots.

What about lakes?

There are no alpine lakes around Sangiacomo. Watch the name: the “Laghi di Roburent” and Punta di Roburent that appear on many hiking sites are in the Stura valley above Argentera, about two hours’ drive away.

The events season runs from June to October. In June there is the Monte Alpet Bike Fest. From July to September there are antiques, collectors’ and craft markets and evening entertainment organised by the Pro Loco. In September there is the Fiera della Montagna, in October chestnut festivals with local produce and traditional music. Dates change every year: check with the Pro Loco and the tourist office.

• Bossea cave (Frabosa Soprana): 15 km, 20 minutes. Guided visit of about two hours.
• Vicoforte sanctuary: 18 km, 25 minutes. The largest elliptical dome in the world.
• Mondovì: 22 km, 25 minutes. Funicular, Piazza Maggiore, Torre del Belvedere.
• Prato Nevoso and Mondolè Ski: about 40 minutes. Over 130 km of runs according to the operator, gondola in summer.
• Frabosa Soprana: 15 km, 20 minutes. Village and Mondolè Ski slopes.
• Pamparato: 12 km, 15 minutes. Village in the Casotto valley, on the road to Garessio.
• Garessio and the Tanaro valley: 31 km, 35 minutes via the Casotto valley.
• Viozene and Mongioie: 57 km, 1 hour 5 minutes.
• Limone Piemonte: 67 km, 1 hour 20. The large Riserva Bianca ski area.
• The Riviera: Savona 75 km (1 hour 10), Albenga 70 km (1 hour 20).

Sangiacomo is a village of holiday homes: most accommodation is apartments and holiday houses, with few hotels. Book early for snowy weekends, Christmas and August.

• Sangiacomo centre: the most practical choice for families and anyone who does not want to drive everywhere. Bars, shops, ski school and beginners’ slope within walking distance.
• Cardini: for those who ski every day. You are at the start of the Monte Alpet runs, with fewer services.
• Pra di Roburent: for peace and walking. Ideal in summer and autumn; in winter you are far from the lifts.
• Mondovì or Vicoforte: for a lower budget, arriving by train, or combining mountains and an art town. 25 minutes from the slopes.

By car

Take the A6 Turin–Savona motorway. Coming from Turin or Milan, exit at Mondovì (25 km, about 30 minutes to Sangiacomo); coming from Savona, Genoa or the Riviera, exit at Ceva (28 km, about 35 minutes). From Turin it is about 105 km and 1 hour 30, from Genoa 125 km and under 2 hours, from Milan about 230 km and nearly 3 hours. From Nice, allow about 2 hours 40 via Albenga and the San Bernardo pass. In winter use winter tyres or carry snow chains.

By train

Sangiacomo has no station. The nearest are Mondovì (22 km) and Ceva (28 km), on the Turin–Savona line. Regional trains from Turin to Mondovì take about an hour: timetables on Trenitalia. From the station you need a car or a taxi.

By bus

A bus line links Mondovì and Roburent, with few runs, mostly for school pupils. It is not a practical option for a holiday: check times and stops on Granda Bus.

By plane

The most convenient airports are Turin Caselle (about 120 km, 1 hour 45) and Genoa (about 120 km, just under 2 hours). Milan Malpensa is about 240 km away (3 hours) and Nice Côte d’Azur about 180 km (2 hours 40). Cuneo Levaldigi is 60 km away but has few flights. We found no scheduled airport transfers to Sangiacomo: from any airport, hire a car.

Parking

In winter you park in the village near the Giardina area, or at Cardini, at the start of the Monte Alpet runs. On weekends with fresh snow, arrive early.

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