Overview
Centrally placed in the Ossola valleys, in a beautiful mountain setting just a short distance from Switzerland, Domodossola became a vitally important town, particularly for trade. The town reached the pinnacle of its ascendancy with the construction of the Simplon Pass. The beautiful and elegant historic centre, recently requalified as a Village of Culture, still has the pentagonal plan of the old town, with five access roads. A stroll through the stone-paved streets lined with Renaissance buildings and 14th-century walls is certainly pleasant. From Piazza del Mercato you come to perhaps the most characteristic street, Via Briona, while to the northwest of the square, Via Paletta leads to the Collegiate Church of Saints Gervasius and Protasius. This is a dark, late 18th-century church whose main feature is a 12th-century marble lintel with a high relief depicting Charlemagne Opposite the church stands Palazzo Silva, whose interiors have been styled to recreate the atmosphere of a 17th-century Ossolan aristocratic residence. The furnishings are so lavish that visitors will be fascinated by the many vases, sculptures, ornaments and weapons on display. The recently-refurbished Palazzo San Francesco is also worth a visit. It is often used as a venue for temporary exhibitions and is home to the public art gallery and Museum of Natural Sciences. In Via Rosmini, you'll also find the "Mellerio Rosmini" Museum of Natural Sciences, which is guaranteed to enthral children with its collection of stuffed deer, antelopes, storks and peacocks, as well as exhibits of shells, minerals, skeletons and unusual fauna.
