SPIRITUALITY AND BEAUTIFUL BLUE WATERS – This is a route for well-trained legs, one which marries history and art with the magical woods. Our starting point is the Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary carpark with a dedicated area for camper vans.  A visit to the 18th century sanctuary is a must, being a religious complex with a church, a bell tower and hermitage, all built on the granite cliff face that plunges down to the lake from 638 metres above sea level.

FOR WELL-TRAINED LEGS

After admiring the view from the square known as the Cusio Balcony, turn back and cycle along the Via Madonna del Sasso as far as the crossroad where an ancient wash-house can still be seen and it is just still possible to make out now faint frescoes and inscriptions.   Turn left into Via Monte Avigno until you reach a second crossroads and turn left again into Via Verso Valpiana.

FAITH OUT OF THE BLUE

After about a dozen bends on the steep hill, you get to white blocks of granite peeping out of the woods in sinuous shapes. This is the area known as Sabbioni, and is well worth the ride and a stop. Dismount for a few minutes to make the easy climb up these rocks so as to enjoy yet another beautiful view over the lake, moulded by the incessant wind and rain over the ages. Back on the bikes again, go up the hill among the woods to the Colma della Sella where, having left the tarmac behind, you finally get into the beautiful natural settings of path number 260. The opening is easily identified by a little clearing on the right-hand side of the road, marked by a metal bar, next to which the hill starts. There is a 20 minute cycle ride to reach the broad mule trail which goes through a wood of redwood pines as far as Alpe Garsura and beyond.

GREAT CHESTNUT TREES AND THICK WOODS

After a hairpin bend, in between two great chestnut trees on both sides of the road, the woods start to get thicker and thicker, one bend after the other. With a little luck – and the necessary silence – you might just bump into an elegant roe bucks or hear their distinctive call, so characteristic in the mating season. Along the way up the hill you will also have ample opportunity to admire the interesting examples of rural and industrial archeology of this land abounding in minerals and waterways.

THE MOUNT AVIGNO PEAK

Now we are on our way down again, without any breaks, on a constant slope arriving easily at the junction with path number 754. But first we suggest a short 10 minute diversion so as to get to see the peak of Monte Avigno (1.136 metres above sea level) from whose rocky summit you can glimpse the Monte Rosa chain of mountains and the landscape of the hilly Valsesia below. From here It is all downhill descent, not the easiest but certainly most enjoyable, surrounded by the hills.

Great care and prudence are recommended on this part of the route as there are plenty of leaves on the ground and, particularly in the second part, a few deep channels created by the erosion of the terrain – these should be avoided or taken at snail’s pace.

A FILM SET

During this downhill section you go through a pretty wood of many different types of tree, made even more lovely by the mountain rhododendrons if in flower, the beech woods scattered with rocky configurations and little streams which make for an atmosphere worthy of an episode of the Lord of the Rings.

The last part of the downhill return journey is easier, touching on the little villages of Artò and Centonara (both worthy of a quick stop) and, at the end of the path, the charming little village of Boleto, among paved roads and painted façades, where time seems to have stood still.

BOLETO: MAKING A CULTURE OF BEING SOCIABLE

A curious little place to stop is the Working Man’s Club, run by the local inhabitants since time immemorial (nobody can remember how long it has been open). It is in a late 17th century building which for centuries belonged to the Milanese family of noblemen, the Giulinis; over the course of time it has become an important point of reference for workmen who stopped of there for a bite to eat and a glass of good cheer after a day’s work in factory, quarry or woods.

THE STONECUTTERS MUSEUM

In Boleto you can also visit the new stone-cutters’ museum, the Museo dello Scalpellino, dedicated to their difficult and dangerous job, in local dialect they are called “pica sass”. From the first decades of the 19th century to the second half of the last century, quarrying and chiselling stone was a feature of this area of the western Cusio territory and particularly of life in all these little villages perched atop granite formations, to which the Madonna del Sasso spur is the most remarkable testimonial.

In the village, there are directions back to the sanctuary and the finish of this unusual route on the western side of Lake Orta.

Itinerary bike SPIRITUALITY AND BEAUTIFUL BLUE WATERS

TYPES OF ROAD
Singletrack: 1.08 km
Path: 6.70 km
Bike path: 0 km
Minor road: 100 m
Asphalt road: 4.87 km

SURFACES
Natural: 366 m
Unpaved: 4.44 km
Dirt road: 390 m
Paved area: 1.75 km
Asphalt: 3.46 km
Unknown: 100 m

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