Malesco: Soapstone, Culture and Nature

Explore Malesco through its distinctive themes: soapstone and stone carving, historic religious buildings, local trails, nature and regional specialties. When planning your stay, you can focus on these aspects according to your interests. The cultural sites tell the story of working with stone and the history of Finero, while the trails and landscape offer other ways to spend your time in the area.

Soapstone, stone carvers and the townscape

The Museo Archeologico della Pietra Ollare at the Parco Nazionale Val Grande in Malesco has a permanent exhibition about soapstone and stone carvers. The extraction of the material is also part of the area’s history: in the Malesco area, soapstone was quarried in Valle Loana at Curgibin. The Ecomuseo della Pietra Ollare e degli Scalpellini encompasses the cultural and traditional heritage of Malesco in Valle Vigezzo, Piedmont.

A walking tour by Ecomuseo Malesco leads through the historic centre, where you can discover many stone features characteristic of Malesco. The permanent exhibition and the stone details in the town centre offer different ways to explore the same material: one through soapstone and stone carvers, the other through features of the historic centre. Ecomuseo Malesco also offers themed tours, experiences, workshops and tastings.

Church history and traditions in Finero

The oldest part of Finero’s parish church dates from the second half of the 15th century; from 1658 onwards, the church was enlarged several times. Above the church, on a rocky outcrop, stands the Oratorio della Madonna di Loreto, also known as the Madonna Nera. Every year on the second Sunday in September, the statue of the Madonna Nera is carried in procession to Finero’s parish church for her feast day. The building’s history thus goes back to the 15th century, while the procession takes place on the same Sunday each September.

Another historic building in Malesco is the washhouse, built in 1895. Since 2007, it has housed a themed exhibition about the life and work of Giovan Maria Salati, the first man to swim across the English Channel, in 1817. For more than twenty years, Malesco has held the international short film festival Malescorto at the end of July.

Local specialties are also celebrated at a festival that began in 2016 in Malesco’s historic centre. They include runditt, thin flatbreads made from flour and water, and turtei, a type of doughnut. A third specialty is turte ad San Per: the San Pietro cake, dedicated to Saint Peter and based on the traditional panelatte cake.

Cycling and hiking trails, and nature

The local trail network includes a cycle path between Malesco, Re and Santa Maria Maggiore that is also suitable for families. For a hike, the Patqueso–Pizzo Ragno trail can be reached from Malesco via the road into Valle Loana. After about 4 km, there is a small car park with a bus stop on the left-hand side of the road. As access and parking arrangements may change, check both before setting out.

Oasi Pian dei Sali is a flat, marshy area with small ponds shaded by pine trees, providing a suitable habitat for amphibians. A circular trail about 2 km long runs through the area. The landscape here is shaped by wetlands and ponds. Cascate dei Camini offer a different natural spectacle: in extremely low temperatures, the waterfall can freeze into a large sheet of ice.

Discover more destinations: Antrogna, San Domenico, Baceno, Cissano, Gignese, Crodo, Casale Corte Cerro, Gurrone

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