Sacro Monte di Varallo: frescoed chapels above the Valsesia

Above the village of Varallo, in the Valsesia, a wooded hill conceals one of the most surprising places in Piedmont. The Sacro Monte di Varallo is a complex of chapels scattered among the paths, each populated by life-size statues and frescoes that stage episodes of religious tradition. You walk from one building to another and find yourself surrounded by painted faces, gestures and landscapes: an experience at once theatrical and silent, far from the crowds that besiege other Italian shrines.

A UNESCO heritage site

It is the oldest of the Sacri Monti of the Alpine arc, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the others in the pre-Alpine network. Yet it remains little visited: many travellers to Piedmont stop at the Langhe or the lakes and overlook this side valley. Here you will find no aggressive market stalls or ticket queues, only the rustle of the trees and the odd pilgrim. You can walk up along the historic mule track or take the cable car that leaves from the centre of Varallo, choosing the pace you prefer.

What to see

The visit rewards slowness. It is worth losing yourself among the chapels without a strict order, looking out from the viewpoints over the mountains of the Valsesia and then descending to explore Varallo, with its Pinacoteca and the streets of the centre. Bring comfortable shoes, water and time: the route is an uphill walk, not a race. Respect the silence of the sacred spaces and the work of the restorers who keep fragile frescoes alive.

When to go up

The best months are spring and early autumn, when the light is soft, the woods change colour and the few summer tourists are already elsewhere. Avoid the holiday long weekends, choose a weekday and arrive early in the morning: you will have entire chapels all to yourself. The Sacro Monte di Varallo does not ask to be consumed in a hurry, but to be crossed calmly, like a story to be read while walking.

Related guides: Hidden Piedmont: villages off the beaten track between the Occitan valleys and Monferrato · All Saints' break: villages, foliage and thermal baths without tourists · Langhe and Monferrato by train: a slow weekend between Alba, Barolo and Canelli.

Getting there

The Sacro Monte dominates the town of Varallo, in the Valsesia. By car, from the centre of Varallo you follow the signs for the Sacro Monte along a winding road, or you can ride up comfortably on the cable car from the base. The reference railway stations are Novara and Vercelli, from where you continue by bus towards the Valsesia.

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