From Varallo to Monte Tre Croci via the Sacro Monte: chapels, woods and the Valsesia from above

The Sacro Monte di Varallo is the oldest of the Sacred Mounts, a UNESCO site: 45 chapels with life-size statues on a hill above the town. From there a trail climbs through the woods to Monte Tre Croci, where the whole Valsesia is on view, from Varallo to Monte Rosa. Art in the morning, mountain after.

The route

From Varallo we walk up to the Sacro Monte along the chapel path and cross it slowly. We leave the complex on the trail into chestnut and beech woods and reach the summit of Monte Tre Croci, 1,080 m, in an hour and a half.

Packed lunch on the summit, then down the same trail and back to Varallo.

Who it's for

• anyone who wants to combine a UNESCO site with a real walk
• anyone after a low-altitude late-autumn outing
• dog owners (outside the Sacro Monte)

Good to know

The Sacro Monte chapels are viewed from outside through grilles; the basilica is open. Packed lunch. In late November we start early for the light.

Getting there

Varallo is an hour and forty from Milan: A26 to Romagnano Sesia, then the Valsesia main road. Paid parking in the centre. By train the Novara–Varallo line runs on summer and autumn weekends. Car pooling in the Telegram group.