The Walser hamlets of Alagna and Val Vogna

CULTURE

The Walser Settlements of Alagna and the Val Vogna

Discovering the settlements of the Walser people

The Valsesia is a land of very ancient traditions, with the customs of the Walser people fortunately passed down and preserved to this day. The area around Alagna and the Val Vogna allows for more than a walk to discover the Walser settlements, with a journey back in time to learn about and admire the beautiful stone and wooden architectures.

Activities

Culture

Recommended period

all year round

Duration

in one day

Location

Alagna Valsesia (1,191 meters) and Val Vogna (1,100)

Is a ticket necessary

Activity subject to schedules

The traditional Walser houses usually had three floors, with a stone basement, and the other two made of wood. On the ground floor was the barn, with a stone floor and the wooden living room adjacent and communicating. On the same floor was the kitchen, the room for processing milk, and the room for weaving hemp and wool. On the upper floor, above the barn, was usually the bedroom, with mattresses made from beech leaves. Also on the upper floor was the storage room for tools and the room for storing leaves that needed to be frequently replaced. The attic was occupied by the hayloft, where agricultural tools were stored, and by a pantry. What makes the Walser houses unmistakable is the loggia with transverse beams that surrounds them, designed to dry hay, rye, and hemp even in the wettest summers.

In these places, nature also conveys serenity and wonder, the paths cross lush woods and meadows, alternating with gentle slopes often divided into terraces that have been used for agricultural purposes for centuries. Easy paths, suitable for everyone, that cross the fractions of Alagna, the first settled by the Walser people, and the splendid Val Vogna, wild and rugged in some parts, but cultivated and fascinating due to the many villages. This territory can be discovered through easy paths on the trails that connect the different fractions, almost always flat and well-marked. Obviously, even trained hikers will find plenty of opportunities to explore longer and more challenging routes.

Alagna Valsesia

The Walser Villages

The testimonies of the mountain people of Valsesia

in one day

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Credits © Franchini Amelio

Quarona

San Giovanni al Monte di Quarona

One of the oldest places of worship in Valsesia

in one day

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The Museums of Valsesia

Small museums of great interest

in one day

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Ecomuseum of Valsesia

A dispersed museum on Valsesian culture

depending on the activity

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Alagna Valsesia

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Rimella

Walser Ethnographic Museum Valle Vogna

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Alagna Valsesia

Angelo Mosso Institute at Col d'Olen

An excellence of Italian scientific history at high altitude

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Quarona

Parish Archive of Quarona

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Quarona

Gipsoteca Casimiro Debiaggi

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Quarona

Ca'd'l'Amìs Museum

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Credits © Archivio Alpàa - Carlo Pozzoni Nordcap Studio

Varallo Sesia

Alpàa

The festival of the Valsesian summer

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Boca

MEV - Historical and Ethnographic Museum of Lower Valsesia

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Mountain safety

Living and experiencing the mountain requires caution, preparation, and experience. No activity, even the easiest one, should be taken for granted or improvised.

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CAV

★★★★★

Casa Smitt

Alagna Valsesia

In the heart of Alagna, less than a 5-minute walk from the Monterosaski lifts, Casa Smitt is surrounded by a large garden and offers a beautiful view of th...