Muzzano between the Elvo Valley and mountain culture

Muzzano lies on the right bank of the Elvo River. Near Muzzano, the Elvo Valley features a wooded narrow section with a small canyon. At the same time, the village’s rural landscape has been preserved over time through human labor. The farmsteads around Monte Cuchello express this rural setting particularly clearly.

Bagneri and trails through the mountain landscape

Within Muzzano, Bagneri is a mountain hamlet at an altitude of around 900 meters. An easy hike leads from Muzzano to Bagneri, offering access to nature, geology, history and local legends. The most frequently used route, C31, begins at the car park above Bagneri at an altitude of around 970 meters. From there, it follows a gravel road open only to authorized users, continuing to the mountain huts in the municipality of Muzzano at an altitude of over 1,250 meters. When planning the C31, the gravel road and the ascent to the huts should be considered parts of the same trail.

The short circular trail connects Muzzano and Graglia, runs around the wooded Monte Cuchello and offers views of Biella, Mombarone and the Serra. Another route from Oropa or San Carlo via the Tracciolino reaches the Salvine alpine pastures and ends about 100 meters above the church. The trails described have different starting points: Muzzano, the car park above Bagneri, and Oropa or San Carlo.

Churches and religious heritage

The Church of the Confraternita del Rosario was built between 1606 and 1619. The Madonna del Rosario is still carried in a procession on the first Sunday in October. A 17th-century fresco in the Confraternita del Rosario depicts the Santuario di Oropa and bears the date 1632. The parish church of Sant’Eusebio was rebuilt in the 17th century.

Exhibitions and history in Bagneri

The exhibition “Antonio Bertola ingegnere militare” is housed in the town hall opposite the Confraternita del Rosario. It relates the personality of Antonio Bertola to the local landscape as well as to historical and religious paths and routes. The Ecomuseo della Civiltà Montanara di Bagneri is located in Bagneri, Muzzano. The ecomuseum section in Bagneri includes an old carpentry workshop, the former schoolroom, a chestnut room and a hut for drying chestnuts.

In the 19th century, Bagneri and the nearby Salvine area had between 300 and 400 inhabitants. Events organized by the community in Bagneri include an autumn Castagnata. Historically, and in part still today, an irrigation canal served to supply fields and gardens in Graglia and Muzzano with water.

Guidance for planning your trip

Bagneri can be reached via the SP511 between Muzzano and the Santuario di Graglia; the final ten minutes of both routes are covered on foot.

More destinations

Portula, Vivaro, Mongrando, Cavaglià, Graziano-Ruta, Crevacuore, Caprile, Andorno Cacciorna

To the higher-level travel overview: Biella.