The Sacred Mounts Loop between Piedmont and Lombardy

The Sacri Monti are a treasure that many travellers brush past without ever noticing: they linger on the shores of Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore and never climb the few kilometres up to these sacred citadels hidden in the woods. And yet they are UNESCO World Heritage sites, built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as devotional routes made up of chapels in sequence, each one filled with frescoes and life-size statues staging religious scenes. Their tranquillity springs precisely from this secluded setting and from the intimate nature of the visit: you go on foot, uphill, in silence, and it is the very opposite of lakeside tourism.

The three stops

A natural thematic loop links three of the most beautiful. You can begin at the Sacro Monte di Varallo, in the Valsesia, the oldest and most monumental, a true citadel of chapels that culminates in a great basilica; you reach it easily by a funicular that climbs from the town, and at the top you walk among the frescoed scenes while enjoying a fine view over the valley. From Varallo you move on to Lake Orta, where the Sacro Monte di Orta dominates the shore and is dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis: it is perhaps the most serene, with its woods, its chapels and its glimpses of the island of San Giulio peeping out among the trees. The third stop is the Sacro Monte di Varese, above the Lombard city, where a cobbled uphill avenue links the chapels all the way to the village of Santa Maria del Monte, overlooking a panorama that on clear days reaches far into the distance.

These three are the heart of the itinerary, but the network of pre-Alpine Sacred Mounts is broader and includes other complexes in the area, which those with time can add to extend the slow journey between Piedmont and Lombardy. The beauty is that each has a different character: some more theatrical and crowded with statues, some more intimate and buried in greenery, but all share the idea of a walk that climbs among art and nature.

Getting around

To get around, a car is best, because the three hubs are far apart and connecting them by public transport takes time and careful connections; the Valsesia and the two lakes are, however, also reachable by train and bus as far as the main towns, from which you can then climb. Once you arrive, visiting each Sacro Monte is essentially done on foot: you park or take the funicular at Varallo, and then follow the path of the chapels on foot. These are routes within everyone's reach, but uphill, so comfortable footwear and an easy pace are advisable.

When to go

The ideal time is the shoulder seasons: May, with fresh new greenery and long days, and September-October, when the pre-Alpine woods take on their autumn hues and the air turns crisp. These are months when the nearby lakes have already lost the high-summer crowds, and the Sacri Monti, which are never stormed by visitors, offer an almost monastic silence. Even on fine-weather weekends you may walk whole sections of the route alone, crossing paths with more pilgrims and walkers than hurried tourists. In this way you avoid both the sticky heat and the summer crush of the lakeshores.

A practical tip: take the time to step inside and look into the chapels, don't just walk past them. The life-size scenes, with their frescoes and statues, are the real reason for the journey, and they reveal themselves only to those who come close and study the details. Check the opening times of the Varallo funicular and of the sites before setting off, bring a water bottle, and consider pairing each Sacro Monte with a stop in the village at its foot: it is there, between a quiet square and a trattoria, that the slow rhythm of this itinerary finds its balance.