| Valsesia | |
 | |
| State | Italy |
|---|---|
| Region | Piedmont |
| Surface | 763 km² |
| Inhabitants | 56.429 (2011) |
| Tourism site | |
Valsesia is a valley ofPiedmontese Alps in the province of Vercelli.
To know
The valley, wedged betweenOssola, the Biellese and the majestic massif of Monte Rosa, offers the visitor spectacular views and suggestions. For its wooded slopes and its pristine peaks it is considered the greenest valley in Italy. A perfect destination for sports enthusiasts, it has a dense network of hiking trails, not to mention the countless offers for river and winter sports. But also lovers of cultural visits will find a way to appreciate the valley: it reserves authentic artistic masterpieces, such as the Sacro Monte di Varallo, and villages to be enjoyed while walking.
Geographical notes
Characterized as a whole by very high and steep mountains that do not allow a great lateral development, it extends from the slopes of the southern slope of the massif of Monte Rosa until Serravalle Sesia, including several side valleys, the waters of whose streams all flow into the Sesia river.
The main valley, called Val Grande, has the shape of a lying S and ends with the town of Alagna Valsesia: numerous side valleys, which take their name from their respective streams, open from this; the main ones are: on the left side, Val Mastallone and Val Sermenza; on the right side, Val Sorba, Valle Artogna, Val Vogna and Val d'Otro. At the height of Borgosesia, always on the right, extends the Valsessera, a side valley of the Valsesia which at the administrative level is almost completely part of the province of Biella.
Background
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The first settlements in the upper valley arose between the 12th and 13th centuries by a population from the Saas valley: the Walser. It is a population of Germanic origin who began to overcome the Alpine passes to reach the fertile and sunny Italian valleys, starting to develop pastoralism and agriculture. They began to characterize architecture and language with specific elements of their culture, a High German still firm today in medieval semantics.
We find the name of Valsesia mentioned in the diploma of Otto III on 7 May 999, which returned on the donation to the church of Sant'Eusebio, of Santa Maria in Rade.
Died Otto III, and proclaimed king of Italy Arduino marquis of Ivrea, not too welcome to the bishop of Vercelli Leone I, to whom therefore this donation is canceled; but then defeated Arduino by Arrigo II duke of Bavaria to whom the aforementioned bishop had turned, he confirmed the Ottonian donation. Arrigo returned to Germany, Arduino fell back on Vercelli and smashed what and how many were against him.
The investiture was repeated with the bishop Arderico (1026-1040) who obtained it from Conrad II. His successors, however, seem to have no longer bothered to have the donations in explicito renewed with the act of investiture; and it also seems that as a result of this nonchalance serious disputes arose later on by the laity, because he was created bishop Uguccione (1151-1170), he requested from the emperor Frederick Barbarossa the diploma on 17 October 1152 in which it is declared that the lands mentioned therein (including Valsesia) are always owned by the Vercelli Church and it is not lawful for anyone to contravene these imperial provisions under penalty of 100 gold lire to the royal chamber.
This sanction kept the minds in subjection for a while, which already yearned to establish themselves in autonomous municipalities, and although the bishop of Vercelli sant'Alberto (1185-1204) could still obtain a reconfirmation of the imperial provisions from Barbarossa with a diploma of 30 November 1191 by Enrico VI King of Italy, however, the discords that later broke out between the Church and the Empire at the time of Gregory VII and Arrigo IV, and even more the memorandum of the Lombard League, increasingly weakened the temporal authority of the bishops over the various communities, eager to stand independently and by themselves. In addition, the fact that in those times intruders and schismatics were on the chair of Vercelli, who wanted, with continuous and wide concessions at least the support and favor of the popular factions and keep them faithful, gradually stripping themselves of feudal rights.
Valsesia formed part of the Duchy of Milan, when on 8 November 1703 an alliance was stipulated between Vittorio Amedeo II and Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg, which provided for the dismemberment of Valsesia from the Duchy of Milan and subjection to the Duke of Savoy. The provisions of the treaty were confirmed by the imperial order of 23 February 1707 which ordered the traditional bodies of autonomy of the Valsesians, the Superior Court, based in Varallo, and the Lower Court, based in Borgosesia, to take the oath of loyalty to the duke of Savoy. Count Filippo Domenico Beraudo of Pralormo was sent by the duke to take the oath, which thus marked the passage of Valsesia to the House of Savoy, later confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. The annexation, however, was carried out in compliance with the autonomies sanctioned by Valsesian statutes and local privileges.
Spoken languages
In addition to Italian, spoken fluently by everyone, a Valsesian dialect survives in the valley and, in the highest part of the valley, the Walser language is still used.
Territories and tourist destinations
Valsesia: full screen map.Urban centers
- 1 Alagna Valsesia (Im Land in Walser; Alagna in Piedmontese; Lagna in Valsesian dialect) - Alangna and the fraction of Riva, the two main nuclei of the Walser civilization in the valley, represent the most suggestive fattening for excursions on the Monte Rosa.
- 2 High Sermenza - Municipality consisting of the villages of Rimasco and Rima San Giuseppe, is located over a thousand meters above sea level, which makes it one of the highest places in the valley. This quiet tourist resort is home to a plaster cast gallery where the plaster works of Pietro Della Vedova, one of the greatest Italian sculptors of the nineteenth century, are collected.
- 3 Borgosesia (Ël Borgh in Piedmontese; Zam Burg in Walser language) - The most populous city in the whole valley, there is the Sacro Monte of the Santuario di Sant'Anna di Montrigone which surmounts the inhabited area.
- 4 Campertogno (Campartògn or Camparteugn in Piedmontese; Kamperteyn in Walser) - One of the best preserved alpine villages in the valley offers tourists splendid views; of interest is the church designed by Filippo Juvarra.
- 5 Carcoforo (Kirchof in Walser, Carcòfo in Piedmontese) - Designated by the magazine Airone as the ideal village of Italy, it is a small town, born as a Walser colony, still intact and tied to traditional activities.
- 6 Gattinara (Gatinèra in Piedmontese) - Lower municipality of Valsesia is an excellent producer of the homonymous wine, marked DOCG.
- 7 It rains (Piòvi in Piedmontese) - Characterized by ancient and elegant houses, it is the starting point for the descent on the Sesia river by canoe. One cannot fail to stop to buy typical cheeses from the local dairy.
- 8 Remove (Remmalju in Walser, Rimela in Piedmontese) - Location characterized by a tangle of narrow streets and stone huts, of interest is the seventeenth-century church of San Michele, an example of Valsesian baroque.
- 9 Scopello (Scopél in Piedmontese; Skuppil in Walser) - One of the major tourist resorts in the valley, it represents the starting point for reaching renowned ski resorts such as Alpe di Mera.
- 10 Serravalle Sesia (Seraval in Piedmontese) - Of interest is the Romanesque Pieve di Santa Maria di Naula immersed in the ancient historical center.
- 11 Varallo (Varal in Piedmontese and in Valsesian dialect) - The largest city in Valsesia, it offers a characteristic historic center full of squares and elegant buildings. The pearl of the city, and in some ways of the whole valley, is the Sacro Monte di Varallo. Consisting of splendid chapels and the sanctuary, it overlooks the village and can be reached via a cable car. In the municipality there is the hamlet of Herb orchards, a ghost town.
Other destinations
- Natural Park of Alta Val Sesia and Alta Val Strona - A park that protects high mountain areas once colonized by the Walser populations.
How to get
By plane
The nearest airports are Milan Malpensa and Turin Boxes.
By car
- A26 motorway: from Genoa direction Gravellona Toce. Romagnano Ghemme exit.
- A8 motorway: from Milan direction Varese. Gallarate-Gattico branch, entrance to A26. Romagnano Ghemme exit.
On the train
The nearest station is Novara, from which you can easily reach the valley with a bus service.
By bus
Valsesia is served by a bus service from Novara is Milan (timetables on the website Baranzelli).
How to get around
By bus
The entire valley is served by two bus lines (timetables on the site Baranzelli is atapspa).
What see
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- Sacred Mount of Varallo. The oldest sacred mountain in northern Italy, for its magnificence and its fidelity in representing passion has been defined New Jerusalem and since 2003 it has been the heritage ofUNESCO.
- Ecomuseum of Valsesia. Widespread museum which, thanks to various locations scattered throughout the villages of the valley, reveals the traditions and culture of the Walser civilization that inhabited these places.
What to do
- Ski. Thanks to the numerous slopes located in the ski resorts of Scopello (Alpe di Mera) and Alagna (MonterosaSki), the latter is even connected to the ski areas of Gressoney is Champoluc, Valsesia turns out to be the perfect destination for skiers of all levels of preparation.
- Excursions. Valsesia offers hikers of all kinds a vast range of itineraries that cross the length and breadth of the natural beauty of the Valley. Here a little taste of possible excursions.
- Mountain biking. The valley offers a plurality of trails for all types of cyclists: from quiet cycle paths on the valley floor to challenging mountain bike trails in the high mountains.
- Sesia Rafting. Valsesia is the home of river sports: rafting, canyoning, kayaking and hydrospeed. Here you can find all the adrenaline-pumping proposals that can be undertaken along the entire course of the Sesia river.
- Freeride. Alagna is known as one of the best places to practice off-piste skiing thanks to the vast snow-covered slopes inside the natural park of Alta Val Sesia and Alta Val Strona.
At the table
The traditional Valsesian cuisine is rich in products linked to the poor tradition of the mountaineers. Among the first courses we have theava cöcia, a vegetable soup with cheese. The queen of all traditional Alpine cuisines is the polenta often accompanied by local cold cuts or cheeses such as Toma. Among the main courses, theUberlekke a mixed boiled meat of Walser tradition that is often accompanied by typical sausages such as Salamin d’la duja. To sweeten the palate the valley tradition offers us many confectionery products such as i canestrelli, typical of Civiasco and Boccioleto, and theArsumà a cream similar to eggnog.
Drinks
In the lower Valsesia there is an abundance of grape crops used to produce fine wines such as Nebbiolo. In particular, Gattinara and Ghemme produce the excellent red wine of the same name. Even from the point of view of spirits the Valley offers excellent aromatic grappas produced in particular in Rassa.
