Ossana: History, Starry Skies and Trails in Val di Sole

Ossana Between History and Starry Skies

The Borgo di Ossana holds the GOLD award „I cieli più belli d'Italia“ for protecting and preserving the quality of its starry skies. The Ossana Dark Sky designation includes Malga del Doss and Località Valpiana as designated places for observing the stars and the Milky Way. This makes looking up at the night sky one of the village's defining features.

History in the Village Centre

The 25-metre-high keep of Castello San Michele rises above the village's narrow streets. The castle probably dates from the time of the Lombards, between the 6th and 8th centuries; the first written records date from 1191. The Church of San Vigilio in Ossana is described as a medieval parish church. East of Ossana lies Parco della Pace, on the site of a former Austro-Hungarian military cemetery; more than 1,400 soldiers who fell in the First World War were buried there.

In the historic centre, Casa degli Affreschi stands between the Church of San Vigilio and Castello San Michele. It is a rare medieval house with a cycle of frescoes depicting religious and secular scenes. Some stylistic and iconographic features point to the work of the Baschenis, while others show Venetian influence.

The Stuva Nova is an elegant room in the Fondazione San Vigilio, created around 1740 at the request of archpriest Ludovico Isidoro Ignazio Rovereti. Its walls feature carvings and decorations made of Swiss pine; there is also a Baroque stove with mythological motifs. It houses seven 18th-century oil paintings depicting sacred scenes.

Ossana is also known for a seasonal exhibition featuring more than 1,600 distinctive nativity scenes. The handmade nativity scenes come from associations, groups, schools, families, artists and residents of Ossana and the entire Val di Sole.

Trails, Landscape and Regional Cuisine

The signposted path to the Giardino dei Sensi begins at Piazza San Vigilio, is designed for people with visual impairments and can only be explored on foot. A Stations of the Cross route leads around the Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova on Colle Tomino, over the hill and past painted wayside shrines dating from 1733 to 1739. The Valpiana snowshoe route leads from the Church of San Vigilio in Ossana to Valpiana.

Valpiana is a flat hollow crossed by the Foce stream. The approach to Malga Valpiana passes through a deciduous forest at the foot of high rock faces and by the Cascata del Sass Pisador. At the malga, typical dishes are prepared with products sourced directly from the mountain pasture, such as butter, cheese, ricotta and yoghurt.

The Val di Sole Cycle Path runs from the San Leonardo ponds along the Vermigliana River to Castello San Michele in Ossana. The section from Ossana to Mezzana alternates between flat stretches and gentle descents.

More Destinations

More destinations: Daiano, Bondone, Preore, Passo Rolle, Stilfs, Lasino, Ala and San Sebastiano.

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