Sostegno among frescoes, wine tradition and rolling hills

Among volcanic hills and frescoes

Sostegno lies in an amphitheatre formed by volcanic hills. These hills range in elevation from 500 to 700 metres. In the historic centre, several houses feature frescoes from the 15th to the 17th century, created by artists from the Piedmontese school. In Sostegno, you will therefore encounter both a distinctive landscape and traces of regional art history.

A landscape with a remarkable natural history

To the north of Sostegno, the Grotta di Bercovei extends for about 150 metres through limestone and ends at a lake that exists year-round. The cave’s wildlife is also remarkable: a study of its cave insects conducted between 1992 and 1994 recorded 60 different species. Of these, 48 were reported for the first time, while 12 were already known. This gives you a nature-focused experience that extends beyond the visible landscape.

Churches and traces of history

The Oratory of San Giacomo was built along the medieval road to Santiago de Compostela. It preserves a cycle of frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ, dated approximately to the mid-15th century. The parish church of San Lorenzo uses the old castle tower as its bell tower; today, the tower is a national monument. On the exterior of the co-parish church of S.S. Trinità, you can see a valuable, still distinctly Gothic-looking fresco of the Deposition of Christ from the late 15th century.

Sant’Emiliano was built in the early Middle Ages on the ruins of a Roman temple. The religious building stands on the hill of the same name, which is 728 metres high. Together with the frescoes in the historic centre, this site offers another perspective on the long cultural development around Sostegno.

Bramaterra and the local wine tradition

The Museo del Bramaterra documents the local winemaking traditions of the seven Bramaterra-producing municipalities: Roasio, Lozzolo, Sostegno, Villa del Bosco, Masserano, Curino and Brusnengo. Bramaterra DOC is produced in seven municipalities, including Sostegno. At the museum, you can see historic winemaking equipment, including a wine press, grape mills, vats, oak barrels, demijohns and a manual bottling machine.

Casa del Bosco and practical information

The Museo del Bramaterra is located in the hamlet of Casa del Bosco, on the central Piazza Santa Caterina. There are parking spaces for cars and step-free access to the ground floor. The museum belongs to the Rete Museale Biellese. Sunday openings are planned for the summer season in cooperation with the Rete Museale Biellese. When planning your stay, you can therefore include Casa del Bosco as a separate focus for the history of winemaking and a museum visit.

Hiking trails and connections

The Anello di Sant'Emiliano da Sostegno circular trail is 8.50 kilometres long and begins in Sostegno, from where it leads to the Santuario di Sant’Emiliano. The Sant'Emiliano trail is connected to trail 709 Bornate–Sostegno. Another hiking connection is EVCA708, which runs from Casa del Bosco to Cima Frascehia.

Discover more destinations

For further travel planning, you can also discover Andorno Cacciorna, Sordevolo, Roppolo, Graziano-Ruta, Bioglio, Bielmonte, Pollone and Bellaria.

For the higher-level travel overview: Biella.