The ropeway climbed from 1191m up to 1824m within a relatively short horizontal distance, resulting in a rather steep gradient. On the Belvedere a chair lift (Marchisio) formed a litte ski area. An eventual slope downto the valley is not recognizable.

The first section of the now replaced ropeway to Punta Indren is visible in the upper part of the map. This first section has now been replaced by a modern gondola lift (Agamatic), while the upper section will be replaced on a different alignment with a funifor. Also, new sloopes are being digged into the landscape where previously skiers enjoyedd finest unmodelled wilderness skiing. Despite those changes may be tecnically and economically arguable, Alagna will loose most of its charme as a paradise for off-slope skiers. I hope they are aware of this. Wide slopes and modern lifts can be found everywhere now. That is annoying. Alagna had more than that!

The building of the lower terminal is located near the center of Alagna. Despite it is clearly out of service for some dozen years, the building is stell there. Other countries would habe eliminated everything immediately.

But here, it remains, as if it is there wanting to make you know its story. Don't walk by, hold on a second. And listen what it wants to tell you...

Closer view inside. The red gondola is halted at the beginning of the accelerator track. In the middle, the horizontal main pulley (not clearly visibly under lots of garbage) with the engine, mounted as one single block on two tracks for rope tensioning.

Station and mechanical layout is pretty clear and straight forward. For an ancient installation this seems quite ahead of time.

Two wheels angled at approx. 45 degrees narrow the distance between the cable loop and divert the loop toward the main traction pulley.

To accelerate the gondola to the cable speed of probably 3.5m/s, the gondola was manually rolled onto the launching trolley (center in picture). Driven throug a cable loop by an electric motor, each gondola was individually launched. A system rarely used.

The launching trolley is the metal shape the grip of the gondola is on. Once the launching trolley stopped at the end of its track, the inertial force of the cabins movement made it continue its way out, gripping onto its cable. The trolley was then pulled back, where the 2 visible horizontal springs helped stopping it, ready for launching the next cabin.

One of 5 vivid gondolas left in the station, like they are still in faith ready to climb the mountains once again. Maybe this red gondola was part of the accident in 1971.

From upper left to right the track for the acceleration trolley. In the background the incoming braking track is visible. How speed of incoming cabins was forced down can not be individuated here, eventually the track has a slight uphill gradient.

The ropeway climbed the rather steep mountainside with gradients of up to 110%. Some pylons are still visible (full scale image only), some otheres were removed. The upper terminal is marked with a red circle.

In the upper part of the alignment, the detachable grip of a gondola failed and caused the gondola carrying two children to slip backward on the cable. After a fast acceleration, it hit the next gondola violently. Both then felt approximately 15 meters to the ground.
Thanks to Edoardo Frittoli for researching and scanning the news paper articles.

One caracteristic of this very first detachable grip was that a rather bumpy ride.

A few meters away from the carlevaro gondola station: The steep Marchisio chair lift arrival on the left and the departure of a very short skilift to the right.