Borgolavezzaro: Churches, Palazzo Longoni and Nature

Borgolavezzaro offers two thematic approaches to planning a trip: architectural and local history, and nature and environmental education. Churches, Palazzo Longoni and natural sites offer different points of interest. If you are looking for a hotel in Borgolavezzaro, you can first consider which of these themes you would like to shape your trip most.

Churches and Architectural History

The parish church, dedicated to Saints Bartholomew and Gaudentius, was designed by Antonelli in 1835. It was built later according to a new design, drawn up between 1856 and 1863. The interior has a single nave; the barrel vault rests on two rows of columns along the side walls. The design and subsequent construction were therefore two distinct stages in the building’s history.

Santa Maria and San Rocco reflect different historical periods. Santa Maria features Baroque forms, dates from 1634 and has origins in the 16th century. San Rocco also features Baroque forms and dates from 1742; its Neo-Gothic bell tower was built in 1881. Santa Maria’s origins predate its construction in 1634, while San Rocco’s bell tower, as a later addition, has its own date.

Palazzo Longoni, an 18th-century palace, stands in the town centre. During the First Italian War of Independence, it housed Marshal Radetzky’s headquarters in 1849. Alongside the churches’ construction phases, the building also has a specific historical use.

Nature and Environmental Education

Agogna Morta is a wetland featuring an abandoned meander of the Agogna River, and lies within the municipalities of Borgolavezzaro and Nicorvo. A project to create an outdoor ecology laboratory and a wildlife observation centre at Agogna Morta was advanced through repair and restoration work.

The nature islands created by the Associazione Culturale Burchvif serve as a nature laboratory for school groups as part of ongoing environmental education. The Il Campo della Ghina botanical garden has a different educational role: it helps visitors, and school groups in particular, identify and study trees and shrubs during environmental education excursions. The nature islands combine environmental education with a nature laboratory; the botanical garden focuses on identifying and studying woody plants.

The Campo della Sciurä initiative aims to protect the distinctive sandy geological features and reconstruct the original sessile oak forest. Unlike the study of individual trees and shrubs, the initiative combines the protection of geological conditions with the goal of reconstructing a particular type of forest.

The locations also differ considerably: Palazzo Longoni stands in the town centre, while Cascina Caccia is outside the built-up area on the road to Nicorvo.

Discover more destinations: Oleggio, Massino Visconti, Vacciago, Vaprio D'agogna, Meina, Gozzano, Colazza, Baraggia.

For the overview of destinations in the wider area: Novara.