Vercelli and the Valsesia

Vercelli
The History
Vercelli had been submitted to the Romans since the 2nd century b.C., only in 89 b.C. was Vercellae considered a Roman colony and in 49 b.C. did it become one of the most important free municipium in Northern Italy, accordin to Tacitus thanks to its strategic position in a plain on the great communication roads. Strongly important was the role that Vercelli played in the conversion of the Northern regions to Christianity. Eusebius of Vercelli was the first bishop in Piedmont and all the other dioceses were definited out of this mould little by little.
Barbaric invasions did not spare the town, which soon became the seat of a Longobard duchy and constantly underwent several sieges and destructions.
The Longobards' conversion to Catholicism led to a period of improved relationships between the two peoples. Between the 9th and the 11th centuries the bishops of Vercelli, by means of their education and culture, could make it an international town, embellished with architectures and beauty spots of immense value.
In 889 the Hungarians' invasion plounged the town into the chaos again and it took several years to reach a permanent re-organization, probably during the episcopate of Atto (924-960) and of Leo (999-1026). The bishop became a reference point both for the church and for the people.
The decadence of the bishop's power began later, together with the birth and the assertion of the free town (1141); soon the struggle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines reached Vercelli too; the Guelph party was embodied by the Avogadro family, the Ghibelline one by the Bicchieri, and later by the Tizzoni. Peace was made before emperor Henry VII in the chapter-house of St.Andrew abbey in December 1310.
The rule of the Tizzoni in Vercelli lasted until 1335, when Vercelli was acquired by the Visconti and the free town came down to be a mere administrative and bureaucratic machinery, deprived of its original democratic functions.
In 1427 it passed definitely under the rule of the House of Savoy and for at least one century it benefited from a period of peace during which the arts could flourish.
The 16th and 17th centuries, on the contrary, are a dark period marked by plague, famine, sieges and invasions now by the French and then by the Spanish; only in 1713, thanks to the treaty of Utrecht, did the town go back under the rule of the Dukes of Savoy.
After the French Revolution Vercelli was annexed to France and it became the capital city of the Sesia Department under Napoleon I (1801). The people of Vercelli took part into the liberal revolt and into the wars for independence; in the second one this land playes an active part in the fight against the Austrians.
Vercelli passed the under the government of Novara and was restored as a province about 70 years later, in 1927.
Towards the end of the 19th century the political debate ignited the public life, leading to the constitution of both liberal and socialist organizations. In 1906 the mondine (rice-weeders) played a fundamental role in the workers' achievement of a limit of eight working hours a day.
At the beginning of the 20th century the first industrial factoriese were set up in town. At the end of the First World War, after a short period of socialist rule, Fascism got the upper hand, taking hold of every nerve-centre of power.
Yet, during the Second World War, Vercelli demonstrated a heroic spirit in the Resistenza and could later regain a period of welfare.

To See...
The Basilica of St.Andrew is the symbol of the town, a beautiful example of the passage from the Lombard-Emilian Romanesque style to the French Gothic architecture. It was built between 1219 and 1227 at the commission of Cardinal Guala Bicchieri of Vercelli, one of the most influential members of the Roman Curia, a leading protagonist of the events that marked the history of England during the hard times of John Lackland's succession to the throne.
The cabin-shaped facade, bordered by slender, elegant towers, is embellished with refined lunettes on the three portals. The central one, representing St.Andrew's martyrdom, is ascribed to Benedetto Antelami. The pure Gothic structure emphasizes the stately interior with the nave and two aisles, with a groined cross vault, a very high transept, a wide presbytery and a square apse where beautiful XVI-century wooden choir is set. In the last chapel on the right there is the 14th century, recently pulled out of a later cover.
The chapter house is one of the finest in Italy; this is where, in front of emperor Henry VII, the Guelph and the Ghibelline parties of Vercelli made peace (1310). The rectangular cloister, with full centred arches, bears relieves, brickwork and paintings dating from the early 16th century (now nearly disappeared). In front of the basilica is the Salone Dugentesco (13th century Hall), that is what remains of the Ospedale dei Pellegrini (Pilgrims' Hospital) founded in 1224 by the Bicchieri family. Its entrace is embellished by a 13th century painted lunette; in the elegant interior is kept a nice 16th century fresco.
The Cathedral of St.Eusebius was built as a cemeterial basilica, probably by Eusebius himself, and it was rebuilt for the first time in the 5th century; the Medieval bell tower is the only remaining part of this first period of reconstruction.
The second rebuilding began in 1570 following a plan of Pellegrino Tibaldi and was concluded at the end of the 19th century. The choir loft, the presbytery and the sacristy date from the late 16th century; the chapel of the Blessed Amedeo dates from the end of the 17th century. The well lit chapel of St.Eusebius (where the mortal remains of the bishop are worshipped) and the dome belong to the 19th century.
The impressing facade with neo-classical entrance hall by Benedetto Alfieri leads to the grand interior with Latin cross nave and two aisles. In the presbytery, in the middle of the central nave, hangs a beautiful silver leaf Cross. Thanks to a recent restauration, made after a dreadful act of vandalism, this work was definitely dated to Leo's episcopate (999-1026). The Chapel of Blessed Amedeo of Savoy, built by Michelangelo Garove (a pupil of Guerini's) between 1682 and 1685, is extremely interesting; here you can find the tombs of the Dukes of Savoy and the urn containing the mortal remains of Amedeo the IX of the house of Savoy.
In the cathedral there are also paintings by Pier Francesco Guala (St.Eusebius in Glory and St.Ambrose; The Miracle of the Spring made by St.William of Vercelli) and by the Gandolfi brothers (the Inventio Crucis; St.Eusebius Martyrdom), 6th century epigraphs (the acrostic of Eusebius bishop and martyr and St.Flavian inscription), small wooden boards from the 16th century choir, the statue of Our Lady of the Slap, a marble statue from the 13th century.
The Cathedral Treasure Museum contains shrines of great value dating from the 7th century to the 12th century, urns, busts and silver chalices.
At the entrance you can see the original filling of the Cathedral Cross, found during the long lasting restauration work. The Capitular Library, instead, is independent by now: it is one of the most interesting collections of manuscripts, among which you can find the Codex Evangeliorum, the oldest Latin translation of the Gospels, the Constitutiones Longobardorum (8th century), the Apollo Medicus by Isidor of Sevilla (9th century), the C Codex with sumptuous miniatures, and the Medieval Map of the World, which dates to the end of the 12th century or to the beginning of the 13th.
The most widely known item of the library is the "Vercelli Book", a 10th century manuscript written in Old English on parchment. How it has reached Vercelli is still a mystery.
The Camillo Leone Museum is the town's historical museum, founded by Camillo Leone, a notary from Vercelli (1830-1907). It is set in the 16th century Alciati House, that is linked to the 18th century Langosco Palace by a joint built in the Nineteen Thirties. The present arrangement was laid out between 1934 and 1939.
In the first rooms there are relics belonging to the Palaeolithic period, to the Neolithic age, to the Lead and Iron ages, as well as objects from Egyptian tombs, baked-clay vases from necropolis in Apulia and from the Etruscan area of Campania, examples of Etruscan bucchero (a particular kind of clay) and of Cyprus clay. The Roman room is very charming; it keeps the oldest witnesses of the history of Vercelli, among which we can remember the Celtic-Latin stele, two impressive sarcophagus, a rich collection of glassware and an old Roman paved road with milestones. The epigraphic department is very rich and important; it shows inscriptions from the Vercelli area (2nd century b.C.-2nd century a.D.), which were found in the 19th century by Father Luigi Bruzza.
The early Christian period of Vercelli is testified by epigraphs and copies of works of art, the best of which is the copy of the main portal of the ancient church of Santa Maria Maggiore; the original 12th century mosaic flooring of this latter is also kept, as well as the sculptures from the old pulpit of the Cathedral. The colletion of incunabula and of 16th century books made by the greatest printers in Vercelli and Trino is extremely interesting. Some of C. Leone's colletions of decorative art is displayed in the rooms of Palazzo Langosco. This precious and varied collection (furniture, chinaware, glass, bronze, etc.) contains jewels like the Bicchieri Casket, a Limoges 13th century work, the Embriachi Casket (late 14th century), a remarkable series of majolica works by the main manufacturies of the period from the 16th to the 19th century; among these stands out the plate signed by Avelli (Urbino, 1530-40). At the end of the tour you can see the collection of 18th century clothes; soon also ancient coins and arms, Medieval forged iron and pre-Columbian chinaware.
The Francesco Borgogna Museum is the second biggest picture-gallery in Piedmont. It is set in a neoclassical building bought by the lawyer Antonio Borgogna (1822-1906), who named it after his father and then offered it to the town. It keeps Borgogna's rich collection of paintings, furniture and objects of art, and the wide gallery of Vercelli Renaissance pictures gathered by the School of Fine Arts.
The first rooms contain valuable Medieval frescos taken from churches that no longer exist. The 16th century collection displays oustanding works by Sodoma, Gaudenzio, Ferrari, Defendente Ferrari, Spanzotti, the Giovenones, the Oldonis and Bernardino Lanino; there are also works by Francia, Bergognone, Bernardino Luini, Palma the Elder and paintings ascribed to Titian.
Also the 17th century collection (with paintings by Ludovico Carracci and by Sassoferrato), the Nordic one (Hans Baldung Grien, Jan Steen, Gerard Ter Borch, David Teniers the Younger, Pieter Neefs the Younger, Philipps Wouwemann) and the 19th century italian one (Induno, Chierici, Palizzi, Quadrone, Ussi, Morbelli, Favretto, Follini, Migliara, Massimo D'Azeglio) are absolutely remarkable. On the 2nd floor there is a collection of chinaware and glassware.
Piazza Cavour, perhaps built on the old Roman forum, always called "the Major Square" before it was given its present name in 1864, is the pivot of the town space and of urban life. The eponymous statue of Cavour was made by Ercole Villa and Giuseppe Argenti.
Reminders of the Medieval past are the arcades dating from the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th, another series of arcades, which are remarkable for the 15th century brick decoration of the intrados, and the powerful Angel Tower (14th-19th century), that is probably the only remains of an old fortified house.
Once there was a series of three churches here, but only does the bell-tower of St. Thomas' church remain of it; it was turned into a clock-tower in 1856. A few steps from here you will find the seat of the old Broletto, which was set in today's Piazza Palazzo Vecchio, commonly known as Piazza dei Pesci (Fish Market Square).
The Town Hall stayed in this place from the 13th century to the beginning of the 19th. The old Municipal Tower, dating back to the early 13th century, is a very charming witness of the Middle Ages of Vercelli.
The church of St.Christopher is the place where you can find the best works of Gaudenzio Ferrari (the altar-piece of Our Lady of the Oranges, the Stories of St.Mary Madgalene, the Stories from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Crucifixion and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary).
The interior, with the nave, two aisles and transept, has a 13th century frescoed vault. A 15th century crucifix stands on the high altar and another one, probably of the 16th century, is placed in the chapel that reproduces the Holy House of Loreto in its minutest details. The wide presbytery is separated by elegant banisters, which were made following a plan by Juvarra (1730).
The choir, the pulpit, the confessionals, the sacristy furniture are made of a valuable wood and date back to the mid-18th century. On the main altar there is a precious wooden Cross; in the side chapel of the right aisle, that reproduces the Holy House of Loreto, there is a 16th century Cross by Gaudenzio Ferrari. There are eight paintings by Mayerle in the sacristy.
The church of St.Bernard is the seat of the diocesan sanctuary of Our Lady Health of the Sick, a very important centre of popular devotion. It is made up of two parts: the former is the oldest Romanesque monument in Vercelli, built between 1151 and 1168; the new part was built in 1896 after Locarni's plan. Of the old building we still have the brick facade with two zoomorph tiles and the fine Romanesque capitals of the first spans.
The story of this church is connected to the miracle which saved the people of Vercelli from the plague in 1630, thanks to St.Mary intercession (celebrated in the great fresco made by Carlo Morgari in 1914). From then on the feast of St.Mary Health of the Sick is celebrated fervently and a 17th century icon is venerated in the third chapel on the left of the church.
Corso Libertà is the old street that linked on a West-East line the two great communication roads to Turin and to Milan, cutting across the town centre. It starts from Piazza Pajetta, where Ercole Villa's monument of Vittorio Emanuele stands (1887). The Corso ends in Piazza Cugnolio, at the side of the ancient nunnery of St.Claire.

Churches of the town centre
Santa Maria Maggiore, co-cathedral church, is the first Christian church built in Vercelli (4th century), perhaps at the commission of Eusebius bishop. After the rebuilding of the 12th century the church was restored and embellished according to the time's taste, until when, in 18th century, it was destroyed and built again by order of the Jesuits on the place where it is today (about 100 metres from its original site).
St.Francis, now St.Agnes, is the third Gothic church in Vercelli, though it can only be admired in its present Baroque architecture. The stately interior with the nave and two aisles, contains a Madonna with Holy Child, Donor and Saints by Giuseppe Giovenone the Younger (1570-75) and Gerolamo Giovenone's St.Ambrose (1528-35). Basins of graffito clay (14th century) and an Announciation by Morazzone (about 1620) are kept in the sacristy.
St.Julian is very old as well. During the Middle Ages the new elected bishops used to stop at this church to wear the pontifical gown before getting their episcopal chairs. The interior keeps an Adoration of the Three Magi of the Gaudenzio Ferrari school and a Resurrection of local school dating from the same period. Also the frescos on the wooden pilasters of the nave and on the internal walls of the steeple date back to the 16th century.
St.Lawrence, now showing an elegant 18th century structure, once had a hospital for the pilgrims on the via francigena to Rome.
St.Paul, old Dominican church, founded in the 12th century, is utterly relashed in its present appearance. Only do the bell-tower and the first three spans keep their original shape. In the interior there are two works by Bernardino Lanino (the Nativity and Our Lady of Grace). In a hall leading to the sacristy there are frescos of The Saints dating back to the late 13th century.
St.Michael probably has pre-Longobard origins, though the oldest element is now the Romanesque bell-tower (early 12th century). The present building dates back to the 16th-17th century. In the interior, of great interest, are a fresco by Lanino representing a Madonna with Holy Child, St.Anne and St.Jacob, a wooden polychromatic crucifix of the 14th century and a tarsia.
Holy Saviour's church has been rebuilt according to late 17th century architecture. Inside there are polychromatic marble structures and paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Great Buildings
The Seminary was founded in 1572-87 by the bishop of Vercelli Francesco Bonomi; the oldest part of the building is linked to the internal courtyard, planned by Filippo Juvarra with a very harmonious rectangular design. In St.Eusebius Hall there are frescos with scenes from the Aeneid, ascribed to Bernardino Lanino.
The Archibishop's Palace. Although it is not the palace which housed the first bishops of Vercelli, the one we can see today, dating from the Renaissance period, is very worthy from the artistical and historical point of view. Inside, the grand Throne room houses a picture-gallery of masterpieces of the 16th century-Vercelli school of painting. In the delegation rooms you can behold frescos and views, and remind events and noble people who stayed here. The Bishop's Library contains about two thousand books.
Visconti Castle, of quadrangular plan, was built from 1290 on, at Matteo Visconti's command. Later it became the Savoys' dwelling place. The Blessed Amedeo died here in 1472 and was buried in the chapel in the Cathedral. Spoiled after the Spanish attack in 1638, it was used as military headquarters during the Napoleonic period; in 1832 it was changed into a prison and then into law-court from 1838.
The Synagogue, is the first to be built in Italy after the amancipation of the Jews ratified by Carlo Alberto (1848) and it reminds of Vercelli Jewish Community's past welfare. It was built between 1875 and 1878 with Arab-Moresque style, after a plan by Marco treves and Giuseppe Locarni. The facade is based on the color alternation of white and grey-blue of the sandstone. The interior (at present unfit for use), with the nave, two aisles and polygonal apse, is brightened up by Carlo Costa's fine decorations.
Tizzoni House is situated in a square, better known as "Chestnut square" because chestnut roasters used to be there steadily until the half of our century. Of the old mansion we still have the tower and a 16th century rebuilding: the lower hall was decorated by Moncalvo in the first half of the 17th century.
Centori's House is well-known for its elegant courtyard, made at the end of the 15th century according to Bramante's style. The surrounding area is very charming: on the right there is the Volto dei Centori, commonly known as the old Chimney Sweepers' Contrada.


Valsesia Valsesia is green, reflected in the river, in the shadow of the woods, in the moss and fields. Rosa is the name given to the mountain which fills the sky with a rosy pink glow in the winter sunsets and colours the tracks left by the skis. The gold is in the Valsesian people in the art and folklore. Not just Green Valsesia: the greenest valley in Italy. It is sufficient to travel through the valley once to realise that this is not just a fortuitous slogan. The road from Varallo to Alagna is one long array of side-scenes and wooded slopes which give a foretaste of Monte Rosa's splendours.
Not one hairpin bend breaks the continuity of the road which runs easily through the valley, never leaving the banks of the river far behind.
So not only is it the greenest valley, but also the most convenient way to reach Europe's second highest peak rapidly in all seasons.
Much of the credit is due to the slow, powerful work of the great glacier which during the Ice Age reached the doors of the town of Borgosesia
The Valley of the Sesia consists of the main valley called Val Grande, the Val Sermenza, or Small Valley, the Val Mastallone and a wealth of other smaller valleys.

Green... water Its orographic qualities, remarkable flow and the wonders of its landscape have made the River Sesia and its tributaries well-known all over the world by lovers of canoeing.
Over a hundred kilometres of water can be negotiated, with varying degrees of difficulty, from the easy through to the extremely difficult. There are numerous well organised canoeing schools where it is also possible to learn the techniques of kayak and hydro-speed, take exciting trips in rubber dinghies, or be initiated into a new discipline which will bring you into direct contact with nature: "torrentismo" - where you are trailed down the river gorges, wearing a wet-suit.

Green... sport Sport lovers will find that there is a great deal more satisfaction to be had from their stay in Valsesia.
Mountain walkers have hundreds of itineraries to choose from along paths which are mostly well marked by the Varallo section of the CAI ( Italian Alpine Club) and which become increasingly difficult as the altitude increases.
There are well-equipped stables for equestrian sposts lovers, a trial school and a mountain bike school, plenty of scope for mountain bikr enthusiasts.

Just Nature Valsesia has a talent for safeguarding the environment which is born witness to by the Parco Naturale Alta Valsesia, the valleys below Monte Rosa and the Parco Naturale "Monte Fenera", which is of considerable archaological interest.
The former park is considered to be the highest park in Europe as it includes several peaks over 4000 metres.
In the area of the park, but also in some of the neighbouring territories there are numerous colonies of rock-goats, chamois, marmot, and great eagles, and the flora features all the typical alpine species. Tourists may take part in guided trekking parties, following itineraries with themes which have been developed for the purpose.
The Parco Naturale of "Monte Fenera", slightly south of Borgosesia is famous for the numerous grottoes where races of prehistoric man's settlements have been revealed. The remains are kept and can be seen in the Museo Paleon-tologico di Borgosesia.

Rosa... is the Mountain From the medieval Monboso to the latterday Monte Rosa, the history of the mountain runs through these names, and not only alpine history: the coming of the Walser people in the 17th Century, the quest for the "Lost Valley" in the same period, and Don Giovanni Gnifetti, the Alagna parish priest's 1842 conquest of the highest point of the Valsesia. There are also royal tracks in the snow belonging to Margherita of the House of Savoy, not to mention those of innumerable pioneers of alpine climbing.

The Rose Pink Snow Alagna Valsesia, 1190 metres above sea level, at the head of the Val Grande, is the best known tourist resort, and the sea of the Parco Naturale, the Society of Alpine Guides and the starting point for excursions and climbing expeditions. Alagna is part of the Monte Rosa district, an extraordinary complex of ski-slopes and lifts which cover the south face of the mountain and allow skiers to reach the valleys of the Val d'Aosta, Gressoney and Ayas, skis on their feet. For winter sports fans, Valsesia offers the beautiful district of Alpe di Mera, which can be reached either by car or chairlift from Scopello. Mera offers easy as well as difficult pistes, good snow and tourist amenities. In the flat area around Scopello there is a track for cross-country skiing, in the high valley another one offers a ten kilometre track in rings, while there is yeat another in Carcoforo which is highly appreciated for its technical qualities, though it is possible to indulge in winter sports activities in other minor localities. However, in the Valsesia skiing is also available at Punta Indren, while ample opportunity exists to take alpine excursions and enjoy off piste skiing in the most fascinating of scenarios.

Gold among mountains In a place where others would have built a castle or a fortified town, the Valseisians created their finest example of artistic and religious expression: Sacro Monte di Varallo, or the Holy Mount of Varallo.
Conceived as a "New Jerusalem", it was developed by Father Bernardino Caimi at the end of the 1400's and built thanks to the work of the major Valsesian artists, the most prominent being Gaudenzio Ferrari.
The ideal Holy City, it is composed of 50 chapels which portray the Passion and death of Jesus Christ in life-size paintings and statues.
Varallo is the historical and cultural capital of the valley, and quite apart from the Sacro Monte, deserves recognition for its characteristic 18th Century urban planning. More art treasures are to be found here, such as the scenic Collegiata di San Gaudenzio and the Palazzo dei Musei which holds the Pinacoteca Art Gallery and the Museo Calderini di Scienze Naturali, the Natural Science Museum. A little further away is the Church with its beautiful cloister. Its fine interior harbours the splendid Gaudenzian Wall, a series of frescoes depicting the life and Passion of Christ, and is certainly Gaudenzio Ferrari/s masterpiece.
The Palazzo d'Adda deserves some attention, as does the ex-hydrotherapy building. At the entrance to Varallo, on the road to the Colma, the frescoes in the small Chapel of Loreto are of certain interest.

Gold of the past The Walser Civilisation Another jewel shared by the neighbouring valleys is the Walser civilisation. A German speaking community has been living at the foot of Monte Rosa for seven centuries. It originated in the High Vallese but has proudly mantained its culture which is expressed in the people's language and traditions but above all in their architecture which expertly combines the use of wood and stone with the ability to organise the territory from an economic and social point of view.
The villages around Alagna, and particularly Otro which can only be reached on foot after more than an hour's walk up steep pathways, are truly wonderful. However this boundless civilisation, certainly the most important in the whole of the Alps, can be observed in other localities, too.
Two small museums set up in their ancient houses help us to become better acquainted with the Walser people: the first is at Pedemonte di Alagna, situated right in the centre of the village and most expertly organised, and the other is at Rabernardo in Val Vogna, in a position with a wonderful view.

Gold of the tradition Craftsmen, costumes and tradition have all found their home in the Valsesian Folklore Museum in Borgosesia. A place of honour has been dedicated to "puncetto", the ancient art of lace-work, which as once again found its true merit and value through the specially created schools which carry on the tradition, and also to the "scufogn" and "scapini", the locally crafted slippers.
But the Valsesian artistic tradition is also being carried on today by the return to hand looms, the working and carving of wood and oiled stone.
Local cuisine is made up of dishes which make use of quite poor ingredients but are most originally prepared, due to the innate imagination of the people of the Valsesia: one example might be the "miacce", simple pancakes stuffed with a variety of sauces, jams and honey. The local "toma" cheese deserves a place of honour here, being typical of the Valsesia, and produced high up on the alpine pastures and in the modern Dairy in Piode.

The Region of "Nebbiolo" in Northern Piemonte About the wine and vineyards of our region it was already told by Pliny the Elder in the first century A.D.. And the Romans were actually, those who planted the vines and started a wine cultivation, which improved and increased over the centuries. Our wines "Nebbioli" became wellknown and experienced a magnificient period in the XVI century: all was due to Mercurino Arborio, Lord Chancellor at Imperial court of Charles V, who cleverly used wines as precious means of diplomacy. The geographical position From the great rings of the Mount Rosa, coming down along the banks of the river Sesia, you meet the hills and the first plain. Here are the spurs of morainal origin, where the vine was and is still grown. The zone The soils are mostly acid and similar from a geological source. The river runs across them and divides the hills owning to the provinces of Biella and Vercelli (western side) from the ones owing to Novara (eastern side). The western soils have still inside pieces of stone. Wines The famous red wines are an incomparable feature of our region. The prestigious Nebbiolo excels, but as the same Vespolina, Bonarda, Croatina and also the white wine of Erbaluce vines are greatly appreciated. Enchanting lakes and mountain, artistic treasures and a rich cuisine are other good reasons to visits this region. The wine producers are pleasant to welcome you and show their cellars and vineyards, upon notice and appointment at the local Institute.

Texts and photos are property of TURISMO VALSESIA VERCELLI