The Sacri Monti of Piedmont are seven devotional complexes built between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries on the region's hilltops: routes of frescoed chapels populated with life-size statues, designed to let pilgrims relive the Holy Land without travelling to Palestine. Since 2003 they have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the two Sacri Monti in Lombardy. This itinerary links all seven over roughly 380 kilometres across six provinces, from the lakes of the Ossola valley to the vineyards of Monferrato.
The Sacro Monte di Varallo, in the Valsesia valley, is the oldest and most monumental of them all. It was conceived by the Franciscan friar Bernardino Caimi in the late fifteenth century as a "New Jerusalem": a reproduction of the holy sites of Palestine built on a crag above the town. Forty-five chapels and a basilica hold over eight hundred life-size painted statues in wood and terracotta, plus thousands of frescoed figures. Gaudenzio Ferrari, one of the leading painters of the Lombard-Piedmontese Renaissance, worked here. You reach it on foot along the mule track or by the cable car that leaves from Varallo.
The Sacro Monte di Orta is the only one dedicated not to the Passion of Christ but to Saint Francis of Assisi. Twenty chapels built between the late sixteenth century and the eighteenth century climb through a broadleaf wood on a promontory overlooking Lake Orta and the island of San Giulio. The terracotta statues and frescoes recount the saint's life along a route that alternates art and nature. The area is a nature reserve and can be walked in just over an hour, with frequent open views over the lake. At its foot, the medieval village of Orta San Giulio is one of the finest in northern Italy.
Set on the slope above Lake Maggiore, the Sacro Monte di Ghiffa is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and is the smallest and most intimate of the group. The seventeenth-century project was never finished: three chapels and the sanctuary of the Holy Trinity survive, set in a nature reserve of chestnut and beech crossed by scenic paths. From the terrace in front of the sanctuary the view takes in the whole Verbano basin, from the Lombard shores to the Alps. It is the quietest stop on the itinerary, ideal for a slow pause between wood and lake.
At the edge of the Ossola valley and the Alps, the Sacro Monte Calvario stands on the hill of Mattarella, the former site of a castle. It was founded in 1656 by two Capuchin friars: fifteen chapels mark the Way of the Cross that climbs to the sanctuary of the Calvario, overlooking the Domodossola basin. Antonio Rosmini, philosopher and founder of the Institute of Charity, lived and worked here. The complex is also a natural gateway to the Val d'Ossola and the Simplon Pass. At its foot, the old centre of Domodossola preserves medieval squares and arcades.
Above Biella, at twelve hundred metres at the foot of Monte Mucrone, the Sacro Monte di Oropa is the largest Marian sanctuary in the Alps. At its heart is the Madonna Nera (Black Madonna), a wooden statue traditionally linked to Saint Eusebius of Vercelli in the fourth century. The monumental complex combines two basilicas, the old and the new, while twelve Baroque chapels are scattered through the greenery above the main building. It has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries and a starting point for hikes in the Oasi Zegna and to Lake Mucrone, reachable by cable car.
In the Canavese, on a hill at seven hundred metres overlooking the morainic amphitheatre of Ivrea, the Sacro Monte di Belmonte is the most secluded of the seven. Thirteen chapels of the Way of the Cross wind through the woods to the sanctuary at the top, along a loop route walked in about an hour. From the summit the view sweeps three hundred and sixty degrees over the plain and the Graian Alps. The area is a nature reserve and an archaeological zone, with traces of settlements long predating the devotional complex.
The itinerary ends in the heart of Monferrato, where the Sacro Monte di Crea climbs among the UNESCO-listed vineyards. It is one of the oldest, with medieval origins and a layout defined from 1589 onwards: twenty-three chapels and five hermitages accompany the climb through the wood to the Cappella del Paradiso, at the top of the hill. The sanctuary holds the Madonna di Crea, venerated for centuries. The whole complex is now a natural park and links two UNESCO recognitions: that of the Sacri Monti and that of the vineyard landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato.
The Sacri Monti are open all year, but spring and autumn remain the best times: mild weather, woods ablaze with colour and fewer crowds. In high summer the altitude of Oropa and Varallo brings cool air, while winter offers quiet views, often with snow on the Alps. The seven complexes are far apart: a car is essential to connect them, but each Sacro Monte is walked on foot, with paths ranging from half an hour to two hours. It is not a loop: it is an arc starting in the north, among the lakes and the Ossola, and descending south to Monferrato. It can be done over several days or split by area.
Rural Piedmont accompanies every stop on this itinerary: the pastures of the Valsesia, the shores of Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore, the woods of the Biellese and the Canavese, the vine-clad hills of Monferrato. The region's farm stays offer local cuisine that changes with each province: rice and alpine cheeses in the north, cured meats and tome cheeses in the Biellese, great reds and truffle in Monferrato. Staying on a farm near the Sacri Monti means reaching each complex quickly and ending the day with a meal made of local produce, often from the farm itself.
