The last glimpse of Milan fades away in the rear vision mirror of our rented Fiat. Cars zip by and trucks hurtle past along the highway. Our destination is the relatively unknown town of Varallo drawn by the Sacred Mountain of Varallo or Sacro Monte di Varallo.
Sacro Monte di Varallo is one of the lesser-known landmarks in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage site that will appeal to travellers who love history.
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Sacri Monte de Varallo
Driving to Varallo
Varallo is a small town of 7800 in the province of Vercelli in Italy.
Fortunately, the directions are easy to follow: a turn onto the A26 then a detour off the highway at Romagnano.
The countryside of northern Italy gradually reveals itself.
Green fields flash past, interrupted every few kilometres by quaint towns with narrow cobblestone streets.
Our Fiat squeezes between ancient buildings; some streets are so narrow you could reach out and scrape the paint peeling off the walls of the houses.
Also read 15 Things To Do In Rome At Night.
Where is Varallo?
Varallo is at the southern end of Valsesia valley and is on the way to the ski resort of Alagna at the foot of Monte Rosa near the Swiss border.
The slopes of Monte Rosa, Western Europe’s second-highest mountain, offer some of Italy’s best off-piste skiing.
But we haven’t come to ski; we’re here to soak up the region’s art and culture.
Scattered among the hills of Piedmont and Lombardy are a collection of Sacro Monte di Varallo (sacred mountains) and Varallo has some of the best.
These Sacro Monte di Varallo are a World Heritage-listed collection of 16th-century chapels.
Varallo
Milan might be home to one of the world’s largest cathedrals, the Duomo, and the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper hangs.
But the hundreds of chapels in Piedmont (located in Belmonte, Crea, Domodossola, Ghiffa, Oropa, Orta and Varallo) and Lombardy (Ossuccio and Varese) are located in picturesque countryside settings.
We’re staying at an Albergo, a family-run hotel in an 18th-century Ursuline convent which once hosted Umberto I (Italy’s king from 1878 to 1900) and his brother Amedeo, the Duke of Aosta.
Not a great deal has changed in Varallo since the Italian royals visited in 1856, except that the old convent cells are now rooms with clean and comfortable 80s-style decor.
And the austerity of the old-fashioned convent walls is brightened up by rows of colourful potted flowers hanging from balcony railings.
The adventure of rolling into a small country town where few people speak English is half the fun.
My Italian vocabulary consists of a handful of words, mostly to do with food. And the elderly man at the front desk understands less English than I do Italian.
Much of our communication is done with hand signals.
Related post: 16 things to do in Malta
Local deli in VaralloWe stroll past pizzerias, trattorias, fruit shops and delis.
Shopkeepers speak little English but are expressive with their gestures, so ordering a meal is an adventure.
Varallo might be one Italian town where you won’t stack on the kilos.
Here, losing weight is a serious business.
A few years ago, in an effort to beat rising obesity, the local government paid men €50 ($75) to lose four kilograms and women three kilograms within a month.
Dieters who kept the weight off for five months received a bonus of €200 ($300).
The main street, Corso Umberto I, winds through the town towards the Sesia River.
The street is lined with palaces with shutters and balconies that are centuries old.
Many of these old buildings are now museums and galleries such as Museo Scaglia, dedicated to artist Cesare Scaglia and the Pinacoteca Civica, which has a collection of art that includes a 17th-century painting of David and Goliath by local artist Tanzio da Varallo.
We stop to admire the church of San Gaudenzio, anchored to a creeper-covered cliff, and the church of Madonna delle Grazie.
Inside both churches are paintings and frescoes by artist Gaudenzio Ferrari.
Sacro Monte di Varallo
There’s no doubt the town’s main attraction is the 45 chapels of Varallo’s Sacri Monti, the most ancient in Piedmont.
These chapels are part of a UNESCO World Heritage string of sacred mountains in Italy.
The town is a rustic contrast to Piedmont’s capital Turin and these chapels sit regally at the top of a rocky spur above the town.
Looking for more ideas on where to go near Varallo? One of the top things to do in Turin is to attend Salone del Gusto, which is a massive food festival that promotes the concept of slow food. If you can’t organise to get to Turin during the Slow Food festival there are plenty of culinary delights to discover in Turin. My favourite is Turin’s chocolates.
Winding paths lead past cell-like enclosures where teams of architects, painters, and sculptors have created beautiful and unique works of art.
Each chapel in the Sacre Monte di Varallo is a kind of mini-theatre set telling a story with elaborate wall and ceiling frescoes, and life-sized painted figurines (over 800 in total) sculptured from wood and terracotta.
Each chapel describes a biblical tale such as Joseph’s first dream, the baptism of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.
Franciscan monk Bernardino Caimi came up with the idea of recording biblical scenes with the aim of building a New Jerusalem for pilgrims.
Although most of the chapels portray stories from the life and death of Jesus Christ, you don’t have to be religious to appreciate the fine workmanship of the frescoes and sculptures of the Sacre Monte di Varallo.
The artistic skill employed in these chapels is certainly worth seeing. It’s like stepping into a time portal where stories are frozen in time and culture is preserved in terracotta, timber and paint.
Varallo was one of the first towns in Italy to ban the burqini, with fines of €500 euros ($750) for anyone spotted wearing one at swimming pools or in the river.
Where to stay in Varallo
We stayed at Albergo d’Italia (Corso Roma, 6, Varallo).
Check the prices of hotels in Varallo here.
Looking for more ideas of what to see in Italy? Here are some things to do in Florence. If Italy’s coastal regions are the attraction, check out these Italian seaside towns and read this most for things to do in Venice.
Northern Italy is not that far from Switzerland. You could drive across the border to Switzerland, instead of travelling from Zurich to Jungfraujoch.
Plan Your Trip
Rent A Car – Find the best car rental rates at Discover Cars. They compare car hire companies to provide you with the best deal right now.
Find A Hotel – If you’re curious about this article and are looking for somewhere to stay, take a look at these amazing hotels.
