Quarna Sotto: Wind Instruments, Frescoes and Alpe di Camasca

Wind Instruments, Everyday History and Natural History

Quarna Sotto is a destination for travellers who want to discover everyday Italian history not only through churches, but also through crafts, natural history and alpine land use. The Museo Etnografico e dello Strumento Musicale a Fiato presents the craft of making wind instruments and historical manufacturing methods. On the lower floor, it documents the alpine rural history of Quarna Sotto through a reconstructed old kitchen, a sleeping chamber and rooms for storing milk. The natural history section displays preserved reptiles, birds and mammals, including some endangered species, as well as many minerals and rocks, most of which come from the surrounding area.

Alpe di Camasca and Its Landscape

Alpe di Camasca was a grazing area used by the inhabitants of Quarna Sotto for livestock at least from the 15th century onwards; it was already frequently visited at that time. The alp lies at an altitude of around 1,200 to 1,300 metres and is surrounded by extensive communal pastures. Today, these areas have largely become woodland through natural or human influence. If you would like to combine natural and local history, this contrast offers a clear thematic starting point.

Frescoes and the Church of San Nicolao

Religious imagery is also present in the village and on the alpine pastures. In Quarna Sotto, there are at least 21 outdoor frescoes, simple wall paintings and wall graffiti on the façades of houses and alpine huts in the village and on the pastures; almost all depict religious themes. The lunette beneath the pronaos of the Church of San Nicolao is dated 1711. According to the municipality, it is still well preserved. This gives you a concrete insight into the connection between architecture, faith and local design.

Grotta Madonna di Lourdes and Oratorio del Saliente

Several individual sites further develop this sacred focus. The Grotta Madonna di Lourdes on Via Rampone was inaugurated in 1929. A stream flows continuously through the spacious grotto; a statue of the Immaculate Virgin and a kneeling statue of Saint Bernadette stand in an illuminated niche. The Oratorio del Saliente was planned in 1623 by the inhabitants of “Cocarna di Sotto” as a rural oratory for the celebration of services and was dedicated to the glorious Assumption of Mary. It was blessed on 11 January 1627, and the celebration of Mass was authorised.

Chapels, Festa di San Rocco and Getting There

There are still 32 rural chapels in Quarna Sotto. Four more have collapsed or been demolished and survive only in memory. A lively event on Alpe di Camasca is the Festa di San Rocco, which continues to be celebrated as a tradition after Ferragosto. It includes a communal meal, a bar service, traditional games, music and other entertainment. For getting there, the road from Omegna to Quarna is relevant: it allows buses with a maximum of 45 seats to pass.

More Destinations

Stresa, Malesco, Re, San Domenico, Cambiasca, Arizzano, Antrona Schieranco and Cesara.

For the higher-level travel overview: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.