Discover Craveggia

Craveggia offers two clearly defined themes for planning a trip: sacred art and hiking trails with published grades. The parish churches and oratories each have their own works of art, artists, and historical details; the hiking trails, meanwhile, have different destinations and grades. This makes it easy to decide whether to focus on church art and collections or on a graded hiking route when planning your trip.

Church Art and Historic Furnishings

The parish church of Saints James and Christopher was built between 1731 and 1734. Its interior is decorated with frescoes by Giuseppe Maria Borgnis, while the portico features frescoes by Lorenzo Peretti the Elder. The interior and portico thus bring together works by two different artists in the same church. The church also houses the Tesoro del Re di Francia, a collection of historic liturgical textiles and objects. These include silk vestments woven with gold and silver, pyxes, crosses, chalices, and monstrances, as well as the funeral mantle of Louis XIV.

The parish church of Santa Caterina offers a different historical perspective. It was completed in 1660 and consecrated in 1690. Luigi Reali's painting The Marriage of the Virgin dates from 1660; frescoes by Bernardino Peretti and Antonio Cotti are in the presbytery.

The dome of the Oratorio di San Gottardo preserves frescoes by Bernardino Peretti, including the Triumph of Saint Gotthard. The oratory also contains a catafalque painted by Carlo Fornara when he was twenty years old. The dome paintings and Fornara's work offer different ways to explore the furnishings: one is named for its saintly subject, while the painter's age when he created the other is recorded. Another perspective is offered by the permanent exhibition Le ricostruzioni di Guido Dresti, featuring sundials and astronomical instruments. The cultural themes thus range from sacred painting to timekeeping and astronomy.

The Oratorio della Madonna del Piaggio

The Oratorio della Madonna del Piaggio lies outside the settlement on a rocky promontory and was rebuilt in 1627. A path from there leads to the Way of the Cross, with its monumental votive chapels; the stations were established from 1742 onward. The site's historical context therefore includes both its location on the rocky promontory and the path to the chapels. An undated municipal notice states that the oratory is opened only for special occasions for safety reasons. Check whether it is scheduled to be open before visiting.

Hiking Trails by Destination and Grade

The municipal route pages continue to list all four hiking trails. M21, Bagni di Craveggia–Alpe Pian del Bazzo, is graded E for hikers; M23, Bagni di Craveggia–Bocchetta di Muino, is also graded E. M19 from Bagni di Craveggia to Lago di Panelatte and M17 from Bagni di Craveggia to Passo di Fontanalba are graded EE for experienced hikers. In comparison, M21 and M23 are the E-graded routes, while M19 and M17 are specifically designated for experienced hikers. You can take both the named destinations and their respective grades into account when planning your hikes.

Discover more destinations: Antrogna, Vignone, Belgirate, Villadossola, Premosello-Chiovenda, Mozzio, Beura, Trontano.

For the regional travel overview: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.