Campiglia Cervo: Beech Forests, Mule Tracks and Churches

Campiglia Cervo lies amid beech forests, and the Torrente Cervo runs through the town. These two landscape features give your trip a clear framework. They are joined by paved mule tracks leading to the hamlets, churches built at different times, and evidence of local building and craft history. If you are looking for a hotel in Campiglia Cervo, you can plan your stay around a particular theme: forest trails, the history of religious architecture, or the distinctive features of the hamlets.

Beech Forests, River and Trails

Numerous paved mule tracks lead to the hamlets of Campiglia Cervo, passing through beech forests and by numerous votive chapels. The paths are accessible to everyone. The hamlets and chapels along the way are defining features of the mule tracks. The route to the Sacro Monte di San Giovanni starts in the town of Campiglia and runs through beech and pine forests. Both trail descriptions mention beech forest; the Sacro Monte route also includes pine forests, while the mule tracks specifically lead to the hamlets and pass by the votive chapels. This makes it possible to distinguish between the two trail themes without combining them into a single route.

Churches and Art from Different Centuries

The parish church of Campiglia Cervo is dedicated to Saints Joseph and Bernard and dates back to 1607. It houses a restored polyptych by Bernardino Lanino, dated 1565. The artwork is therefore 42 years older than the parish church. The history of the Santuario di San Giovanni begins in the early 16th century with a small chapel carved into the rock; the present-day church was built between 1602 and 1608. This church’s construction period includes 1607, the year the parish church dates from. These two building histories can thus be placed in their chronological context, while the polyptych dates from an earlier year.

The Santuario also houses a restored library. If you are interested in visiting, check the visiting arrangements before your trip. The church of Santa Maria di Pediclosso stands on the footpath between the Santuario di San Giovanni d’Andorno and the hamlet of Oretto. It is described as the oldest church in the Cervo Valley. The celebration at the church takes place every year on May 1; Mass is followed by an auction of local food products and lunch in the meadows.

Local History in Houses, Walls and Stone

An Cà da Fè in the hamlet of Bussetti is considered one of the oldest houses in the valley and has been preserved completely in its original state. Its age and state of preservation provide two specific points of reference for placing the house in context. In the hamlet of Forgnengo, the “giochi di pietra” are carved into the low walls within the village. Unlike An Cà da Fè, which is described as a single house, these stone features are incorporated into the village walls. The Cappella di Ritert was built by local residents in gratitude for the end of the plague of 1641. The Muro della Balma represents a different historical focus: the stonemasons’ craftsmanship in the valley and the history of the syenite quarries, which shaped life in the valley. The chapel and the Muro thus point to different aspects of history: the memory of a specific event, and the crafts and stone extraction.

Discover more destinations: Villa Del Bosco, Lessona, Mongrando, Andorno Cacciorna, Vigliano Biellese, Zimone, Sandigliano, Tollegno

See the overview of the wider area: Biella.