Vigezzo Valley

Unlike the other Ossola valleys, which are narrower and set deeper in between the mountains, the Vigezzo valley is steep and narrow at the ends but opens out in the middle, forming a sunny and peaceful plateau. This place has a hidden and discreet beauty which is unveiled to the eyes of those who look for it. A great way to visit the Vigezzo valley is by train, on the Vigezzina Centovalli railway, a historic line built in the 1920s to link Domodossola to Locarno in Switzerland. It passes fairytale stone villages, dense forests, iron bridges and mountain tunnels, revealing a landscape that has something of the incredible. The main town in the valley is Santa Maria Maggiore, where the walls of the houses are painted with frescoes with a religious theme, and you can see the silhouettes of chimney sweeps on the roofs. In the village centre stands the impressive parish church of the Assumption, built in the neoclassical style with a Romanesque bell tower. Inside there are many notable frescoes.