Land of ...... Valley
 

The Anzasca Valley is place in a natural cradle at the bottom of a glacier and dominated by the eastern side of Mount Rosa which is Europe's second tallest mountain ( 4633 m. ) on top of which we find a refuge "Capanna Margherita". A characteristic about this Valley is that we find two different cultures, in the lower the romanza, and in the higher the walser. Macugnaga is the historical centre, a paradise for alpinists, skiers and hikers. The village was founded in 1200 by the walser colonists and it evolved maintaining almost intact its antique origins. The small museum has its premises in a house that re-proposes the typical environment that the population lived in. The gold mine of the Guja is a testimony of the auriferous mines that operated in the valley until the beginning of the 19th century.

The Vigezzo Valley is called "the valley of the painters" for the beauties and the colours of its landscapes that inspired internationally famous painters of the 19th and 20th centuries. You can visit with the typical train that cuts through the entire valley from Domodossola to Locarno in the Canton Ticino in Switzerland, cult places like the famous Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sangue in the town of Re, or visit Santa Maria Maggiore that is the main centre of the valley.

The Antrona Valley the hardest of the ossolane valleys begins to go up from Villadossola. This valley retained its uncontaminated fascination of its territory created by glacial erosion. Characteristic of this valley is the enchanting and numerous alpine natural and artificial lakes with mountains on the sides that reach 3.000 m. in height.

The Valleys of Antigorio and Formazza is the extreme northern part of our "land" where the river Toce begins: not far from its beginning, we can admire the highest fall of northern Italy called "Cascata del Toce" that falls for 143 metres and has a width of 60 metres at its base. On top of the falls we find the village of Riale and the dam of Morasco with its lake at the bottom of the glacier. Also in the Valley of Formazza you can do cross country and free style skiing.

Val Divedro is known for its pits from where the marble used to build the columns of the Arco della pace (Peace Arch) was extracted, and for the Basilica of Sant Ambrogio of Milan. Going up from Domodossola to the passage of the Sempione, we find Varzo which is the most important centre with Celtic etymological origins that means "opening" in other words passage between Italy and Switzerland.

The Bognanco Valley is famous for its spring and mineral waters. The purity and therapeutic properties of these waters make this locality one of the most popular spas in Italy.
All of the valley can be defined as an open museum where we can admire sun-dials, old presses, antique wells, votive chapels that testify ancient cultures.