Borgosesia between Carnival, Monte Fenera and spiritual heritage

Borgosesia offers several clearly distinct ways to experience a stay: art and local history, traditional festivities, landscapes with hiking and cycling routes, and religious heritage. This allows you to explore the town according to your interests without reducing it to a single theme. Its cultural, natural and spiritual points of interest come together to create a multifaceted picture of the town and its municipal area.

Art and Carnival with a history of their own

Carlo Conti (1880–1974) is the central figure at the Museo Carlo Conti. The museum is dedicated to the sculptor and honorary inspector of the Piedmont archaeological heritage authority. For visitors interested in culture, this provides a tangible connection with a historical figure and his association with the preservation of Piedmont’s heritage.

For visitors interested in culture, the museum focuses on a single historical figure.

Borgosesia’s festive culture includes several distinct traditions. The Busecca ceremony in Borgosesia’s main square marks the beginning of the Carnival season. The Mercù Scùrot tradition originated in Borgosesia in 1854 as a humorous Carnival funeral held on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The earliest documented evidence of Borgosesia’s Carnival dates back to the beginning of the 18th century.

The Carnival traditions make the main square and Ash Wednesday two distinct points of reference in Borgosesia’s festive calendar.

Monte Fenera and the Sentiero delle Grotte

The Parco Naturale del Monte Fenera also extends across the municipal area of Borgosesia. In this nature park, visitors can use the hiking and cycling routes. The Sentiero delle Grotte, route 769, offers a particularly well-defined natural and geological theme. Along the educational trail, 12 information panels explain how the rocks of Monte Fenera formed, the geological structure of the area and the karst phenomena that created underground cavities. The Sentiero delle Grotte begins in Fenera S. Giulio in the municipal area of Borgosesia and ends at the Grotta della Bondaccia.

Via Crucis and Santuario di Sant’Anna di Montrigone

Another route leads along the Via Crucis. It can be followed on foot to reach the Santuario di Sant’Anna di Montrigone. The Santuario is part of the pre-Alpine system of the Sacri Monti. The church contains six chapels, each dedicated to an episode from the life of the Virgin Mary, as well as around 150 polychrome terracotta statues. Here, architecture, religious imagery and the walking route of the Via Crucis come together.

At the Santuario, the walking route is complemented by an interior that includes six chapels and around 150 polychrome terracotta statues.

Different focuses for planning your trip

These points of interest call for different approaches—sightseeing, following a route, or viewing chapels and terracotta statues. Those who wish to combine several of them can plan them as separate cultural, natural and spiritual activities.

For further trip planning, you can also consider Scopello, Vercelli, Livorno Ferraris, Cellio, Breia, Varallo, Carisio and Rimasco.

For the higher-level travel overview: Vercelli.