Holiday apartment in Roppolo: discover lakes, trails and wine

Roppolo offers an appealing combination of the Serra hills, lakes, vineyards, and sacred and archaeological traces. In the area around Lago di Bertignano lies the Natura 2000 site IT1130004 “Lago di Bertignano (Viverone) e stagno presso la stazione per Roppolo”, designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Castello di Roppolo stands on a hill in the Serra and rests on a tower dating from the 10th century. The castle’s entrance courtyard offers views of Lago di Viverone and the lakes of Canavese.

Castle and churches

Visits to Castello di Roppolo are only possible as part of guided tours and are limited to a set number of visitors each day. From April to October, tickets can be purchased online or at the castle boutique; only online booking guarantees a place. From November to March, the museum is closed to the public. During this period, the castle can only be visited with a reservation made at least 48 hours in advance.

Chiesa di San Michele was rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century next to an older Romanesque church documented since the 12th century. It houses an important relic of the head of Saint Vitale. Parrocchiale della Beata Vergine del Rosario was built towards the end of the 18th century in the Baroque style; its furnishings include significant wooden sculptures and a chapel frescoed by Giulio Delleani in 1848. Every year, a procession leads from Chiesa di San Michele di Roppolo Castello to the shrine of Saint Vitale. It dates back to a public vow made by the inhabitants of San Germano Vercellese in 1613.

Trails between lakes, fields and historical traces

The Viverone–Santhià section of the Via Francigena runs for approximately 15 kilometres through the southeastern part of the municipality. In the area around Lago di Bertignano, a flat and accessible road runs through the landscape; the shores lie in a peaceful rural setting with several farmhouses. The Buon-Cammino trail offers views of Lago di Viverone and leads between farmhouses, vineyards and cultivated fields to Lago di Bertignano. In addition, an approximately 3-kilometre hiking section in Roppolo runs from Rolle near Viverone towards Lago di Bertignano, passing over Monte Orsetto to Chiesa di Sant’Elisabetta, with an ascent of approximately 80 metres.

The Buon-Cammino trail leads to the remains of the 17th-century church of Santa Elisabetta, now abandoned. Monoxylous dugout canoes and the remains of a Late Bronze Age pile-dwelling village dating from 850 to 900 BC were found at Lago di Bertignano in the Cava di Purcarel area. Cava di Purcarel is also associated with archaeological traces of human presence dating back to the Neolithic, more than 3,000 years ago.

Wine and landscapes around Roppolo

The vineyards around Roppolo produce the two DOC wines common in the Biella region, Erbaluce and Canavese. Roppolo is one of the three municipalities in the Biella region where the Erbaluce grape produces the wines Erbaluce di Caluso, Caluso passito and Erbaluce spumante brut.

For further orientation in the region, you can also explore Portula, Muzzano, Biella, Camandona, Torazza, Tollegno, Netro and Solesio.

To the higher-level travel overview: Biella.