Discover Graglia: Santuario, Mountain Trails and Museums

Experience Graglia at different altitudes

Graglia combines a compact town centre with a mountain landscape that extends far uphill. The area rises from the town centre, located at 600 metres, to over 2,000 metres in the mountain areas. An extensive network of trails leads from the centre through the Santuario district to the alpine pastures, making walks possible in every season. This allows you to explore the landscape at different altitudes and with varying levels of difficulty.

Hiking trails with clear landmarks

For experienced hikers, the 2,373-metre summit of Mombarone offers a more challenging destination. The PSR 10-1 trail from the Santuario di Graglia to Mombarone is classified as a moderately difficult hike. It is 8 kilometres long, involves 1,540 metres of ascent and has a stated walking time of 4 hours and 15 minutes. A gravel road also leads from San Carlo to the Rifugio Alpe Pianetti at an altitude of 1,321 metres.

A special acoustic experience awaits you at a marked spot on the trail from the Santuario di Graglia to San Carlo: a shouted word can be heard there as an echo after a fraction of a second. The echo can even reproduce a word with eleven syllables.

Santuario and Sacro Monte

The origins of the Santuario di Graglia date back to a project conceived in 1615 by don Nicolao Velotti. The foundation stone was laid in 1659, and construction work was completed in the second half of the 18th century. The Sacro Monte di Graglia comprises four chapels integrated into the church building, as well as another chapel on Colle di San Carlo. At the Sacro Monte, a scene featuring around ten life-size polychrome terracotta figures provides another cultural highlight.

Museums, collections and religious sites

The Museo di Scienze Naturali on Piazza Crida houses around 700 well-preserved taxidermied birds. The Museo di Scienze Naturali di Graglia also includes a catalogued collection of minerals and shells. The Noro ornithological collection comprises more than 600 specimens from Piedmont and various European countries. It dates from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

The religious history of the area also includes the Madonna della Neve church in the village of Campra. It is located on the edge of the village of Graglia and faces the mountain landscape of Valle Elvo. Together with the Santuario and the chapels of the Sacro Monte, it offers access to the town’s various religious and historical facets.

Getting there and practical information

From Biella, Graglia can be reached via the Carisio or Santhià exits of the A4, and via the SS 230 or SS 143. From the Ivrea exit of the A5, the route leads through Chiaverano, Donato and Netro along the SP 419. Graglia also has an equipped motorhome site at Casale Campiglie.

Biellese cuisine at the Santuario

At the restaurants around the Santuario, you can enjoy typical dishes from the Biellese tradition. These include “polenta concia”, “fundua”, “ris an cagnun”, “bagna caouda” and “palpiton”. Graglia thus brings together hiking and mountain landscapes, religious culture, natural history and regional cuisine within a compact thematic area.

More destinations to include in your plans: Donato, Mongrando, Sordevolo, Castellengo, Campiglia Cervo, Muzzano, Bielmonte and Masserano.

To the main travel overview: Biella.