Valduggia: Church Art, Historic Tools and Trails

A trip to Valduggia offers a range of cultural themes to explore: the architectural history of the parish church of San Giorgio, sacred artworks, historic bell-making tools and traditional houses along the Sentiero dei taragn. These themes range from the development of individual buildings to a route leading to an old settlement.

Churches, Art and Places of Remembrance

The parish church of San Giorgio has Romanesque origins and was extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries. The third altar features a Nativity by Gaudenzio Ferrari. The building’s history and the artwork offer two different perspectives: one concerns its origins and subsequent structural alterations, while the other focuses on a specific work at a particular altar.

The church of San Lorenzo is in Castagnola, a hamlet in the municipality of Valduggia, and preserves the bodily relic of Marcellino. The Oratory of Saints Carlo and Caterina offers another point of reference in time. It dates from 1616 and houses a wooden altarpiece at the high altar, attributed to Gaudenzio Bonino and dated to 1628–1630. These dates refer to different parts of the description: the oratory and the altarpiece.

The Chapel of San Rocco contains frescoes that are probably attributed to Ferrari. This places the specifically named artist of the Nativity in San Giorgio alongside the more tentative attribution of the works in San Rocco.

A monument to Gaudenzio Ferrari, created in the 19th century by Giosuà Argenti, stands in the middle of the square. Ferrari is the person commemorated by the monument; it was created by Argenti. This makes it possible to distinguish this place of remembrance from the work attributed to Ferrari himself.

Crafts, Architecture and Natural History

The Antica Fonderia Achille Mazzola displays historic bell-making tools. These include large compasses for bells and walnut-wood templates. The examples bring two different types of workshop equipment to life: compasses for bells and templates made from a particular kind of wood.

The Sentiero dei taragn leads from Valduggia to the old settlement of Sorzano. Along the way, you can see some of the last remaining taragn, traditional farmhouses with rye-straw roofs and a base made of chestnut trunks. This type of house was typical of the lower Valsesia until the previous century. The route thus draws attention both to a specific destination and to the architecture along the way.

A separate topic is the group of caves on the western slopes of Monte Fenera. They contain archaeological and palaeontological evidence of Neanderthal presence around 300,000 years ago, as well as evidence of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), which became extinct 20,000 years ago. The dates place the evidence in different contexts, spanning early human presence through to the cave bear’s extinction.

Road Directions

For travel via the A26 (Genova Voltri–Gravellona Toce), take the Romagnano–Ghemme exit for Valduggia. This is separate from the road connection to Lake Orta: Valduggia is linked to the lake by the Cremosina road. Check current traffic conditions before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Vercelli, Cellio, Rima, Breia, Albano Vercellese, Balmuccia, San Genuario, Fobello.

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