Discover Crodo: History, Minerals and Culture

Choosing a hotel in Crodo can be linked to the themes you would like to devote time to during your stay. Archaeological traces, religious buildings, the history of technology, and collections devoted to mineral water and minerals each offer a different focus. The specific places and their details can help you put your interests at the centre of your travel planning.

Geology and minerals

The Centro Visita di Crodo has a geological teaching laboratory equipped with multimedia projections. Its geological focus makes the laboratory a tangible point of reference for anyone interested in the region’s geological makeup. For current opening arrangements, contact the centre directly.

The mineralogical section of the Museo Mineralogico Ossolano Roggiani-Bianchi offers a different approach to the subject. It displays scientifically significant minerals from the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola basin. Here, minerals and their regional origins take centre stage, while the teaching laboratory links geological content with multimedia projections. The two focuses therefore offer different perspectives within the broader field of geology.

Archaeological traces and religious buildings

Archaeological finds from the Iron Age and Roman period at the Muro del Diavolo near Arvenolo attest to the site’s ancient use. Its panoramic location suggests that it may have served as a place of worship; this remains a possibility. The structure itself is a dry-stone wall made of large stone blocks and about 6.30 metres high. Its front initially measures 20 metres, then recedes by 13 metres and continues for a further 40 metres. These measurements describe not only the wall’s height but also the stepped course of its front.

On the way from Cravegna to Salera, you can view the chapels of the Way of the Cross at the Sacro Monte di Salera. They were built between 1731 and 1738 and completely decorated. The Chiesa Parrocchiale di S. Stefano offers a different point of reference in time: it was originally Romanesque, and its bell tower is dated to 1026. The religious buildings thus bring into focus both an 18th-century period of construction and decoration and a tower dated to the early Middle Ages.

The history of technology and collections

The Ettore Conti hydroelectric power plant stands in Verampio. Ettore Conti of Verampio had it built between 1912 and 1914. Its clearly defined construction period makes it a point of reference for industrial history. Unlike the religious buildings, its focus is on hydropower and the history of a specific facility.

The Museo Nazionale delle Acque Minerali Carlo Brazzorotto displays five complete historic mineral-water bottling lines, more than 15,000 full bottles and over 80,000 labels. The collection therefore encompasses different kinds of objects: bottling equipment, bottles and labels. This gives the history of mineral water several tangible points of reference, rather than limiting it to the finished drink.

Hiking and local product history

The Arvenolo hiking route starts at the car park of the Latteria Antigoriana in Crodo and returns to Crodo. Seasonal conditions can vary; take the situation at the time into account when planning. The route therefore offers a distinct focus alongside the places of historical and cultural interest.

Crodino also has a tangible connection to the area: the drink originated in Crodo, dating back to 1965. This local origin adds the history of a local product to the story of the buildings and collections.

Discover more destinations: Belgirate, Bognanco, Baceno, Carmine, Cavaglio-Spoccia, Cambiasca, Antrona Schieranco, Premeno.

For the overview of the wider area: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.