Italian
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
At the heart of Bernardino Caimi’s project was, therefore, the desire to reproduce, for the benefit of the faithful, not only the Basilica of the Resurrection, but all the most emblematic places of the Holy Land: the site was meant to represent a true alternative to pilgrimage; hence the expression New Jerusalem, later used to identify the Sacred Mountain of Varallo.
Behind these representations, there was also a strong pedagogical intention dear to Franciscan spirituality, focused on promoting the identification of the faithful with the example set by the figure of Jesus: hence the project of a devotional journey tracing the memory of the sacred places of Catholicism, populated with scenes from the Gospel narrative.
Starting from the early years of the 16th century, the director of the enterprise of the Sacred Mountain was the painter, sculptor, and architect from Valsesia, Gaudenzio Ferrari. He worked there until 1528 as the designer of several chapels, the creator of numerous sculptures (initially wooden, then in terracotta) and frescoes that serve as a backdrop for the sacred scenes in the chapels.
It is precisely during the walk we took in the afternoon in the town of Varallo that we were able to admire one of its most monumental works in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Life and Passion of Christ, with scenes covering an area of 10.4 x 8 meters: twenty panels of equal size illustrate, according to a traditional geometric scheme designed to serve the pedagogical function of Biblia Pauperum, the key events of the Gospel narrative, from The Annunciation to The Resurrection of Christ. An additional scene, four times larger, placed at the center of the wall, represents the dramatic climax of the story and the natural focal point of the faithful’s gaze: the Crucifixion of Christ. The frescoes created here by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces of Renaissance painting between Piedmont and Lombardy.
Continuing our walk in Varallo, we visited the Collegiate Church of San Gaudenzio, where we could admire another work by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the polyptych with six panels depicting the Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Gaudenzio, the Pietà, Saint Mark, and Saint John the Baptist, with brilliant colors.
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
After the Easter lunch, we took a walk in the Ricetto di Candelo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where films, TV series, and documentaries have been shot. The ricetto is generally a fortified structure protected within a town where the goods (fodder, wines, etc.) of the local lord or the population were stored, and where, occasionally, the population itself would retreat in case of attacks from outside. The one in Candelo is one of the best-preserved examples of this type of medieval structure, found in various locations in Piedmont and in some areas of Central Europe.
In the late afternoon, we reached the Hotel Sacro Monte in Varallo, which has a long tradition and is located at the entrance to the beginning of the chapel visit route. It is an ancient historic establishment, managed for three generations (over 80 years) by the Perrone Family, historic hoteliers from Valsesia, who are also teachers at the Professional Hotel Institute of Varallo. Elisa, along with her children Angela and Pietro, the chef in the kitchen, carries on the Perrone tradition with love and a taste for beautiful things.
The following morning we visited the Sacred Mountain of Varallo with Elisa, the guide, which represents the oldest and most artistically significant example among the Sacred Mountains in the Lombard-Piedmontese alpine area. It consists of a basilica, which serves as the final station of a path that winds through streets and small squares, and forty-four chapels adorned with frescoes and populated by about eight hundred statues (polychrome terracotta or wood) at life size.
The idea of building a Sacred Mountain, positioned on a rocky wall overlooking the town of Varallo, was conceived in 1481 by the Franciscan friar Bernardo Caimi. By the mid-15th century, there was a growing need in the West to reproduce the sites of the Holy Land, towards which pilgrimage was becoming increasingly dangerous due to the Turks.
At the heart of Bernardino Caimi’s project was, therefore, the desire to reproduce, for the benefit of the faithful, not only the Basilica of the Resurrection, but all the most emblematic places of the Holy Land: the site was meant to represent a true alternative to pilgrimage; hence the expression New Jerusalem, later used to identify the Sacred Mountain of Varallo.
Behind these representations, there was also a strong pedagogical intention dear to Franciscan spirituality, focused on promoting the identification of the faithful with the example set by the figure of Jesus: hence the project of a devotional journey tracing the memory of the sacred places of Catholicism, populated with scenes from the Gospel narrative.
Starting from the early years of the 16th century, the director of the enterprise of the Sacred Mountain was the painter, sculptor, and architect from Valsesia, Gaudenzio Ferrari. He worked there until 1528 as the designer of several chapels, the creator of numerous sculptures (initially wooden, then in terracotta) and frescoes that serve as a backdrop for the sacred scenes in the chapels.
It is precisely during the walk we took in the afternoon in the town of Varallo that we were able to admire one of its most monumental works in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Life and Passion of Christ, with scenes covering an area of 10.4 x 8 meters: twenty panels of equal size illustrate, according to a traditional geometric scheme designed to serve the pedagogical function of Biblia Pauperum, the key events of the Gospel narrative, from The Annunciation to The Resurrection of Christ. An additional scene, four times larger, placed at the center of the wall, represents the dramatic climax of the story and the natural focal point of the faithful’s gaze: the Crucifixion of Christ. The frescoes created here by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces of Renaissance painting between Piedmont and Lombardy.
Continuing our walk in Varallo, we visited the Collegiate Church of San Gaudenzio, where we could admire another work by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the polyptych with six panels depicting the Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Gaudenzio, the Pietà, Saint Mark, and Saint John the Baptist, with brilliant colors.
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
Our arrival in Oropa was marked by a sense of wonder at how a small Versailles could be built in such a location. In fact, during the guided tour the following morning, the guide explained how everything was constructed on the rock. But it was also exciting to approach the first Sacred Mountain that we would visit during this trip.
See how these chapels, each different from the other, which contained frescoes, but above all scenes from the life of Mary reconstructed with life-size wooden statues, were built in the pastures and how the shepherds themselves had collaborated in their construction.
The project also benefited from the support of Carlo Emanuele I Duke of Savoy, but it was mainly the various parish communities of the Biella area that took on the task over time. The construction of the chapels took place over a period of more than a century without, however, completing the initial project.
The chapels currently present are 19, of which twelve, the most important, are dedicated to the history of the Virgin. They are located on either side of an almost straight path that ascends gently into a wide grassy clearing; only at the top do the trees become denser, and one enters a wooded environment. All the chapels have roofs covered with stone slabs, in the tradition of alpine huts. Such an environment, with marked alpine characteristics, distinguishes the Sacro Monte di Oropa from the other sacred mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy.
Even the dinner at the restaurant inside the Oropa complex, la Croce Bianca, managed by the Ramella Family, awarded multiple times by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, was a visual experience for the style in which it was built, as well as for the taste aspect. The nighttime walk in the sanctuary to reach the Easter Vigil celebration was also enchanting. Sleeping in the rooms with all the comforts, but with a monastic style, had its charm.
After the Easter lunch, we took a walk in the Ricetto di Candelo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where films, TV series, and documentaries have been shot. The ricetto is generally a fortified structure protected within a town where the goods (fodder, wines, etc.) of the local lord or the population were stored, and where, occasionally, the population itself would retreat in case of attacks from outside. The one in Candelo is one of the best-preserved examples of this type of medieval structure, found in various locations in Piedmont and in some areas of Central Europe.
In the late afternoon, we reached the Hotel Sacro Monte in Varallo, which has a long tradition and is located at the entrance to the beginning of the chapel visit route. It is an ancient historic establishment, managed for three generations (over 80 years) by the Perrone Family, historic hoteliers from Valsesia, who are also teachers at the Professional Hotel Institute of Varallo. Elisa, along with her children Angela and Pietro, the chef in the kitchen, carries on the Perrone tradition with love and a taste for beautiful things.
The following morning we visited the Sacred Mountain of Varallo with Elisa, the guide, which represents the oldest and most artistically significant example among the Sacred Mountains in the Lombard-Piedmontese alpine area. It consists of a basilica, which serves as the final station of a path that winds through streets and small squares, and forty-four chapels adorned with frescoes and populated by about eight hundred statues (polychrome terracotta or wood) at life size.
The idea of building a Sacred Mountain, positioned on a rocky wall overlooking the town of Varallo, was conceived in 1481 by the Franciscan friar Bernardo Caimi. By the mid-15th century, there was a growing need in the West to reproduce the sites of the Holy Land, towards which pilgrimage was becoming increasingly dangerous due to the Turks.
At the heart of Bernardino Caimi’s project was, therefore, the desire to reproduce, for the benefit of the faithful, not only the Basilica of the Resurrection, but all the most emblematic places of the Holy Land: the site was meant to represent a true alternative to pilgrimage; hence the expression New Jerusalem, later used to identify the Sacred Mountain of Varallo.
Behind these representations, there was also a strong pedagogical intention dear to Franciscan spirituality, focused on promoting the identification of the faithful with the example set by the figure of Jesus: hence the project of a devotional journey tracing the memory of the sacred places of Catholicism, populated with scenes from the Gospel narrative.
Starting from the early years of the 16th century, the director of the enterprise of the Sacred Mountain was the painter, sculptor, and architect from Valsesia, Gaudenzio Ferrari. He worked there until 1528 as the designer of several chapels, the creator of numerous sculptures (initially wooden, then in terracotta) and frescoes that serve as a backdrop for the sacred scenes in the chapels.
It is precisely during the walk we took in the afternoon in the town of Varallo that we were able to admire one of its most monumental works in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Life and Passion of Christ, with scenes covering an area of 10.4 x 8 meters: twenty panels of equal size illustrate, according to a traditional geometric scheme designed to serve the pedagogical function of Biblia Pauperum, the key events of the Gospel narrative, from The Annunciation to The Resurrection of Christ. An additional scene, four times larger, placed at the center of the wall, represents the dramatic climax of the story and the natural focal point of the faithful’s gaze: the Crucifixion of Christ. The frescoes created here by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces of Renaissance painting between Piedmont and Lombardy.
Continuing our walk in Varallo, we visited the Collegiate Church of San Gaudenzio, where we could admire another work by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the polyptych with six panels depicting the Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Gaudenzio, the Pietà, Saint Mark, and Saint John the Baptist, with brilliant colors.
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
Before arriving at the Sacred Mountains, we visited Palazzo La Marmora, a historic residence from the 16th century located in the historic district of Biella. The Palace, having always belonged to the same family and preserving the testimonies of eight centuries of history, is a valuable example of a House Museum with a garden suspended between history and nature, designed in the mid-1400s and transformed by 15 generations over seven centuries, from the Renaissance to Neoclassicism, from the 19th century to the present day.
Reaching Oropa made us understand how a place where Saint Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli, had left a wooden statue, or rather an icon of the Madonna, has become the site of a complex of Marian worship buildings, at about 1159 meters, in a natural amphitheater of the Biellese Alps.
In the Baroque era, the sanctuary underwent significant architectural expansion, also thanks to the protection of the House of Savoy. It was the royal infants Maria Apollonia and Francesca Caterina (buried in the central nave of the ancient Basilica) who founded the “Daughters of Mary,” a group of women who, although not taking public vows, still dedicate themselves today to assisting pilgrims and the needs of the sanctuary. Notable architects, including Filippo Juvarra, who is responsible for the monumental Royal Gate of the sanctuary, and Guarino Guarini, have been active in Oropa.
Our arrival in Oropa was marked by a sense of wonder at how a small Versailles could be built in such a location. In fact, during the guided tour the following morning, the guide explained how everything was constructed on the rock. But it was also exciting to approach the first Sacred Mountain that we would visit during this trip.
See how these chapels, each different from the other, which contained frescoes, but above all scenes from the life of Mary reconstructed with life-size wooden statues, were built in the pastures and how the shepherds themselves had collaborated in their construction.
The project also benefited from the support of Carlo Emanuele I Duke of Savoy, but it was mainly the various parish communities of the Biella area that took on the task over time. The construction of the chapels took place over a period of more than a century without, however, completing the initial project.
The chapels currently present are 19, of which twelve, the most important, are dedicated to the history of the Virgin. They are located on either side of an almost straight path that ascends gently into a wide grassy clearing; only at the top do the trees become denser, and one enters a wooded environment. All the chapels have roofs covered with stone slabs, in the tradition of alpine huts. Such an environment, with marked alpine characteristics, distinguishes the Sacro Monte di Oropa from the other sacred mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy.
Even the dinner at the restaurant inside the Oropa complex, la Croce Bianca, managed by the Ramella Family, awarded multiple times by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, was a visual experience for the style in which it was built, as well as for the taste aspect. The nighttime walk in the sanctuary to reach the Easter Vigil celebration was also enchanting. Sleeping in the rooms with all the comforts, but with a monastic style, had its charm.
After the Easter lunch, we took a walk in the Ricetto di Candelo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where films, TV series, and documentaries have been shot. The ricetto is generally a fortified structure protected within a town where the goods (fodder, wines, etc.) of the local lord or the population were stored, and where, occasionally, the population itself would retreat in case of attacks from outside. The one in Candelo is one of the best-preserved examples of this type of medieval structure, found in various locations in Piedmont and in some areas of Central Europe.
In the late afternoon, we reached the Hotel Sacro Monte in Varallo, which has a long tradition and is located at the entrance to the beginning of the chapel visit route. It is an ancient historic establishment, managed for three generations (over 80 years) by the Perrone Family, historic hoteliers from Valsesia, who are also teachers at the Professional Hotel Institute of Varallo. Elisa, along with her children Angela and Pietro, the chef in the kitchen, carries on the Perrone tradition with love and a taste for beautiful things.
The following morning we visited the Sacred Mountain of Varallo with Elisa, the guide, which represents the oldest and most artistically significant example among the Sacred Mountains in the Lombard-Piedmontese alpine area. It consists of a basilica, which serves as the final station of a path that winds through streets and small squares, and forty-four chapels adorned with frescoes and populated by about eight hundred statues (polychrome terracotta or wood) at life size.
The idea of building a Sacred Mountain, positioned on a rocky wall overlooking the town of Varallo, was conceived in 1481 by the Franciscan friar Bernardo Caimi. By the mid-15th century, there was a growing need in the West to reproduce the sites of the Holy Land, towards which pilgrimage was becoming increasingly dangerous due to the Turks.
At the heart of Bernardino Caimi’s project was, therefore, the desire to reproduce, for the benefit of the faithful, not only the Basilica of the Resurrection, but all the most emblematic places of the Holy Land: the site was meant to represent a true alternative to pilgrimage; hence the expression New Jerusalem, later used to identify the Sacred Mountain of Varallo.
Behind these representations, there was also a strong pedagogical intention dear to Franciscan spirituality, focused on promoting the identification of the faithful with the example set by the figure of Jesus: hence the project of a devotional journey tracing the memory of the sacred places of Catholicism, populated with scenes from the Gospel narrative.
Starting from the early years of the 16th century, the director of the enterprise of the Sacred Mountain was the painter, sculptor, and architect from Valsesia, Gaudenzio Ferrari. He worked there until 1528 as the designer of several chapels, the creator of numerous sculptures (initially wooden, then in terracotta) and frescoes that serve as a backdrop for the sacred scenes in the chapels.
It is precisely during the walk we took in the afternoon in the town of Varallo that we were able to admire one of its most monumental works in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Life and Passion of Christ, with scenes covering an area of 10.4 x 8 meters: twenty panels of equal size illustrate, according to a traditional geometric scheme designed to serve the pedagogical function of Biblia Pauperum, the key events of the Gospel narrative, from The Annunciation to The Resurrection of Christ. An additional scene, four times larger, placed at the center of the wall, represents the dramatic climax of the story and the natural focal point of the faithful’s gaze: the Crucifixion of Christ. The frescoes created here by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces of Renaissance painting between Piedmont and Lombardy.
Continuing our walk in Varallo, we visited the Collegiate Church of San Gaudenzio, where we could admire another work by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the polyptych with six panels depicting the Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Gaudenzio, the Pietà, Saint Mark, and Saint John the Baptist, with brilliant colors.
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
A UNESCO heritage site that never fails to amaze
Once again, the Antelao Observatory has managed to propose a cultural destination of high artistic and cultural level, as well as scenic: Oropa, Varallo, and Orta, three of the
nine Sacred Mountains (Varallo, Crea, Orta, Varese, Oropa, Ossuccio, Ghiffa, Domodossola, and Valperga) UNESCO Heritage since 2003, located in the mountains of northern Italy and consisting of nine distinct complexes of chapels and sacred architectures from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Sacred Mountains, which were created with the participation of the best artists of the late Renaissance and Baroque artistic tradition in Lombardy, were born as places of prayer in Europe as an alternative to the Holy Land, where it became increasingly difficult for pilgrims to reach due to the expansion of Islamic culture and as a response to the Protestant Reformation.
These architectural complexes, distributed along the slopes of a hill, encourage visitors to follow a physical and spiritual path, a pilgrimage through a symbolic itinerary of monumental stations that sanctify the natural space. In addition to being places of the soul, therefore, the Sacred Mountains are also the result of a grand project of sanctification of the landscape and are extraordinarily integrated into the surrounding nature composed of forests, lakes, and hills.
Before arriving at the Sacred Mountains, we visited Palazzo La Marmora, a historic residence from the 16th century located in the historic district of Biella. The Palace, having always belonged to the same family and preserving the testimonies of eight centuries of history, is a valuable example of a House Museum with a garden suspended between history and nature, designed in the mid-1400s and transformed by 15 generations over seven centuries, from the Renaissance to Neoclassicism, from the 19th century to the present day.
Reaching Oropa made us understand how a place where Saint Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli, had left a wooden statue, or rather an icon of the Madonna, has become the site of a complex of Marian worship buildings, at about 1159 meters, in a natural amphitheater of the Biellese Alps.
In the Baroque era, the sanctuary underwent significant architectural expansion, also thanks to the protection of the House of Savoy. It was the royal infants Maria Apollonia and Francesca Caterina (buried in the central nave of the ancient Basilica) who founded the “Daughters of Mary,” a group of women who, although not taking public vows, still dedicate themselves today to assisting pilgrims and the needs of the sanctuary. Notable architects, including Filippo Juvarra, who is responsible for the monumental Royal Gate of the sanctuary, and Guarino Guarini, have been active in Oropa.
Our arrival in Oropa was marked by a sense of wonder at how a small Versailles could be built in such a location. In fact, during the guided tour the following morning, the guide explained how everything was constructed on the rock. But it was also exciting to approach the first Sacred Mountain that we would visit during this trip.
See how these chapels, each different from the other, which contained frescoes, but above all scenes from the life of Mary reconstructed with life-size wooden statues, were built in the pastures and how the shepherds themselves had collaborated in their construction.
The project also benefited from the support of Carlo Emanuele I Duke of Savoy, but it was mainly the various parish communities of the Biella area that took on the task over time. The construction of the chapels took place over a period of more than a century without, however, completing the initial project.
The chapels currently present are 19, of which twelve, the most important, are dedicated to the history of the Virgin. They are located on either side of an almost straight path that ascends gently into a wide grassy clearing; only at the top do the trees become denser, and one enters a wooded environment. All the chapels have roofs covered with stone slabs, in the tradition of alpine huts. Such an environment, with marked alpine characteristics, distinguishes the Sacro Monte di Oropa from the other sacred mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy.
Even the dinner at the restaurant inside the Oropa complex, la Croce Bianca, managed by the Ramella Family, awarded multiple times by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, was a visual experience for the style in which it was built, as well as for the taste aspect. The nighttime walk in the sanctuary to reach the Easter Vigil celebration was also enchanting. Sleeping in the rooms with all the comforts, but with a monastic style, had its charm.
After the Easter lunch, we took a walk in the Ricetto di Candelo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where films, TV series, and documentaries have been shot. The ricetto is generally a fortified structure protected within a town where the goods (fodder, wines, etc.) of the local lord or the population were stored, and where, occasionally, the population itself would retreat in case of attacks from outside. The one in Candelo is one of the best-preserved examples of this type of medieval structure, found in various locations in Piedmont and in some areas of Central Europe.
In the late afternoon, we reached the Hotel Sacro Monte in Varallo, which has a long tradition and is located at the entrance to the beginning of the chapel visit route. It is an ancient historic establishment, managed for three generations (over 80 years) by the Perrone Family, historic hoteliers from Valsesia, who are also teachers at the Professional Hotel Institute of Varallo. Elisa, along with her children Angela and Pietro, the chef in the kitchen, carries on the Perrone tradition with love and a taste for beautiful things.
The following morning we visited the Sacred Mountain of Varallo with Elisa, the guide, which represents the oldest and most artistically significant example among the Sacred Mountains in the Lombard-Piedmontese alpine area. It consists of a basilica, which serves as the final station of a path that winds through streets and small squares, and forty-four chapels adorned with frescoes and populated by about eight hundred statues (polychrome terracotta or wood) at life size.
The idea of building a Sacred Mountain, positioned on a rocky wall overlooking the town of Varallo, was conceived in 1481 by the Franciscan friar Bernardo Caimi. By the mid-15th century, there was a growing need in the West to reproduce the sites of the Holy Land, towards which pilgrimage was becoming increasingly dangerous due to the Turks.
At the heart of Bernardino Caimi’s project was, therefore, the desire to reproduce, for the benefit of the faithful, not only the Basilica of the Resurrection, but all the most emblematic places of the Holy Land: the site was meant to represent a true alternative to pilgrimage; hence the expression New Jerusalem, later used to identify the Sacred Mountain of Varallo.
Behind these representations, there was also a strong pedagogical intention dear to Franciscan spirituality, focused on promoting the identification of the faithful with the example set by the figure of Jesus: hence the project of a devotional journey tracing the memory of the sacred places of Catholicism, populated with scenes from the Gospel narrative.
Starting from the early years of the 16th century, the director of the enterprise of the Sacred Mountain was the painter, sculptor, and architect from Valsesia, Gaudenzio Ferrari. He worked there until 1528 as the designer of several chapels, the creator of numerous sculptures (initially wooden, then in terracotta) and frescoes that serve as a backdrop for the sacred scenes in the chapels.
It is precisely during the walk we took in the afternoon in the town of Varallo that we were able to admire one of its most monumental works in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Life and Passion of Christ, with scenes covering an area of 10.4 x 8 meters: twenty panels of equal size illustrate, according to a traditional geometric scheme designed to serve the pedagogical function of Biblia Pauperum, the key events of the Gospel narrative, from The Annunciation to The Resurrection of Christ. An additional scene, four times larger, placed at the center of the wall, represents the dramatic climax of the story and the natural focal point of the faithful’s gaze: the Crucifixion of Christ. The frescoes created here by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces of Renaissance painting between Piedmont and Lombardy.
Continuing our walk in Varallo, we visited the Collegiate Church of San Gaudenzio, where we could admire another work by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the polyptych with six panels depicting the Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Gaudenzio, the Pietà, Saint Mark, and Saint John the Baptist, with brilliant colors.
Another stop in Varallo was at the Calderini Museum, where we were able to appreciate many valuable artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, with the surprise of finding that famous painter of the Baroque period, Tazio da Varallo, who has become the icon of the exhibition currently taking place in Forlì on this very important historical period.
The next morning we left for Orta and the island of San Giulio, where Vanessa, the guide, welcomed us near Villa Crespi, now a famous restaurant of the renowned Chef Canavacciuolo. In Orta, there is another Sacred Mountain, this time dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis. From the terrace in front of the church of the complex, one can admire the lake and the delightful island of San Giulio, where the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, stands out, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Basilica of San Giulio. The island is located about 400 meters from the shore, 275 m long and 140 m wide, with a perimeter of about 650 m. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by a few families, in addition to the monastery. The rest consists mostly of second homes, occupied for a few weeks each year.
It was wonderful both the walk in Orta, particularly the descent from the Sacro Monte towards the center, along one of the most beautiful streets in Italy, because at the top there is the mountain and at the end of the street you can see the shores of the lake; and the visit to San Giulio, in the basilica, beautifully frescoed and in the walk along the Via del Silenzio, with the phrases of Abbess Adele Canopi on signs along the path.
During the return trip, retracing our journey, we appreciated the excellent organization of Antonio De Marco, who considered the best times to visit the various sites with the right light and the least possible crowd, especially given the Easter period. This allowed us to fully enjoy this cultural experience, which was also enriched by the presence of Natalina Botter, who, with her artistic and cultural expertise, was able to enhance the various visits with insightful and knowledgeable comments. Furthermore, on the occasion of April 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Treviso in 1944 by the Allies, she shared her personal experience and that of her family of the famous restorers, to whom the entire city of Treviso owes gratitude, as they saved and restored many works of art that otherwise we would not see today.
