Holiday apartment in Valstrona: Walser culture and mountain trails
Accommodation in Valstrona
Holiday apartment in Valstrona between Walser culture and mountain trails
In Valle Strona, Valstrona provides a setting for mountain trails, Walser history and craft discoveries. If you choose a holiday apartment in Valstrona, the seasonal character of Campello Monti is one of the practical planning factors: the village can be reached by car from Omegna or on foot from Forno via the old Stra Vegia trail and is inhabited only from May to October.
Trails around Campello Monti
From Campello Monti, the trail to Pissa dei Danai passes through the hamlet of Ronco and the Preasore area. There are four small natural stone refrigerators there, which have been used since the early years of the 19th century. The Campello Monti–Pissa dei Danai trail has been restored and equipped with signposts.
The Campello Monti–Lago Capezzone–Cima Capezzone route begins on trail Z17 near the church of the Walser village of Campello Monti. After passing the Alpe di Capezzone at 1,850 metres, it leads to Lago di Capezzone at 2,100 metres and to the Bivacco Abele Traglio. The hike takes seven hours, covers 1,150 metres of elevation gain, has difficulty level E and includes sections in category EE.
The route from Campello Monti via the Bocchetta di Campello to Rimella is a stage of the Gran Traversata delle Alpi and part of the Walser Trail, the Sentiero Italia and the Via Alpina. The protected area of Parco Naturale Alta Valsesia e dell'Alta Val Strona includes the GTA section between Rimella and Campello Monti.
Regional specialities along the way
In summer, a visit to the herders of the Azienda Agricola Calzino farm is recommended on this route. Cheese made from cow's milk is produced and sold on site.
Art, museums and crafts
The former parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Campello Monti was built in 1749 in the late Baroque style and houses a large painting of Saint Francis attributed to Guercino. The Santuario della Madonna della Colletta contains two 16th-century wood-carved icons from the German school: the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi.
The Centro museale naturalistico di Valle Strona Mario Bertolani presents the geological history of Valle Strona and the local rock Stronalit. More than one hundred family-run craft businesses operate in Valle Strona, most of them working with wood. In Forno, the Museum of Sacred Art preserves liturgical vestments and vessels from churches and oratories in the upper Valle Strona and displays 500 works from the 15th century and later.
Walser traditions and special events
Since 1993, the Walser community Kampel has promoted cultural and scientific initiatives for the development and greater recognition of Campello Monti in Valle Strona. The annual “Campello and the Walser” conference takes place on the first Saturday in August. In Luzzogno, a traditional celebration is held every three years on 8 September, featuring a long gallery of white cloths beneath which the procession passes.
Those wishing to combine active and cultural days can choose a holiday apartment or accommodation in Valstrona based on the different highlights: trails and Walser culture in Campello Monti, sacred art in Forno, and the regional traditions of Campello Monti and Luzzogno.
Discover more destinations
For further options, you can also discover Cicogna, Brovello-Carpugnino, Premia, Piedilago, Premosello-Chiovenda, Cossogno, Beé and Artò.
For the overarching travel overview: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.
