Tour in the Fenera park

AMONG THE VINEYARDS AND STORKS OF MONTE FENERA
Lands of wine at peace with the world

AMONG THE VINEYARDS AND STORKS OF FENERA – Prepare yourself for a unique adventure full of surprises, a journey through uncontaminated woods and lands wisely cultivated with passion to give life to “divine” nectar. Mount Fenera is an area designated as a nature reserve, to protect the vast chestnut forests, the abundant fauna and the millenary peasant culture between Val Sesia and Lake Orta. AMONG THE VINEYARDS AND STORKS OF FENERA.

AT THE SPACE OF TWO WORLDS

Not only that. Mount Fenera is home to some of the most evocative natural caves in the area. Like the Buco della Bondaccia cave, at an altitude of 690 meters above sea level, which extends for a total of about 400 meters with internal differences in height of over 85 meters or, again, the Arenarie cave, at an altitude of 770 meters above sea level, about 3,000 meters and a maximum depth of about 150 meters.

DARK CAVES

So called because it opens in the sandstone area of ​​the mountain to sink, after about ten meters from the entrance, into tunnels, narrow passages, galleries and wells, in a dense tangle of passages made of splendid concretions. From the peaks of Fenera you can admire, not far above Alagna, Monte Rosa and the Novara Vercelli plain with its precious vineyards and endless rice fields.
The route we propose is challenging, especially in the first part where due to the slope it may be necessary to push your bike in some sections. The starting point is Maggiora, a splendid red brick village, full of excellent wine cellars. We leave the car near the motocross track and from there we take the “Enduro” S1 path that gently takes us into the thick woods.

GOOD TERRAIN FOR PEDALING

The base is wide and of good solid ground. For about 2 km you climb gradually, almost without realizing it but, after a marked fork where you follow the right, suddenly the path narrows and begins to climb steeply. The calcareous soil crumbles and becomes kneaded easily and the large pebbles on the road do not help in the undertaking. If you do not have trained legs and cannot stay in the saddle, in some places, for about 200 meters, you will have to push the vehicle but do not give up: the effort will be rewarded by what awaits you.

JOYFUL CURVES

Further on the path becomes flat and slides between playful curves in a continuous, gentle, ups and downs. Soon the view begins to open up and behind you you can admire Lake Orta. After passing the Motto Ciafera, you reach the top and a crossroads near the oratory of San Bernardo, patron saint of mountaineers and mountaineers. Built in 1600 with a structure in live stone and an open apse on the front and stone seats, the small oratory is the soul of this route and an excellent observation point: by climbing about 200 meters you can admire the Fenera park in all its beauty.

5 ROADS MEET

Here 5 roads meet, including yours. Those who want to extend the route with a detour, can reach the villages of Maretti and Castagnola from here, where it is also possible to find drinking water. Back at the crossroads we follow path 777, in single track mode downhill, which then rejoins path S1 until we reach Motto della Capretta, where a 360-degree view of the territory opens up. From here we continue down, always on path 777, a fairly challenging but passable stretch, paying a little attention to the ground smoothed by the water.

UNIQUE SINGLE TRACKS

Marco, our travel companion, and his precise and fun singletrack guides us to the end of the path that comes out on the Fenera-Boca asphalt road and a completely different scenario surprises us with wonder: rows and rows of precious vines and historic red brick huts. In this rest area, in a volcanic caldera overturned due to the landslide, lies one of the most precious areas for the cultivation of native vines.

IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A PRAYER SAID

Going down to the left along the asphalt road we arrive at the famous Sanctuary of Boca, an important destination for pilgrimages from all over Piedmont and beyond for centuries. Just before the sanctuary, a small bridge and a dirt road winds between the rows – mostly Boca DOC vines – and then opens up to a new scenario: an ancient farmhouse surrounded by vines. Here, near Cavallirio, we meet Silvia, a young and passionate winemaker, who tells us the thousand-year-old history of this land and how every day she takes care of her beloved plants that produce an excellent wine, appreciated all over the world.

UNIQUE VINEYARDS INSIDE A PAN OF MINERALS

We take the path to Boca again, which easily takes us back to the village, and then follows the slope cultivated with vines, to lead us to Maggiora and then to our starting point. Take some time to discover this area, rich both from a naturalistic and wine point of view.