Many people refer to the Bognanco Valley as the Domodossola Valley due to its proximity to the Ossolan capital. In just a few minutes by car you enter the valley of the one hundred waterfalls, so-called due to the wealth of waterfalls and streams in Bognanco. A veritable canyoning paradise.
Green and fresh, the Bognanco Valley, which starts behind Domodossola, takes its name from the river that flows along it, the Bogna. It includes several villages forming part of the Municipality of Bognanco, the biggest being San Lorenzo, the capital, with its parish rich in frescoes, of religious and administrative life, and the village of Fonti, an old water bottling and wellness centre. In the many other characteristic hamlets you’ll find some small gems: the little 16th-century church in San Marco; the mills in Possetto with their ancient and unique wheels; Pizzanco with its large fireplaces and ancient washhouses; Camisanca and its “Polveriera”, a 16th-century fortress, and finally Graniga with its natural balcony from which you can admire the view of the entire valley.
Fonti is the largest village in the Bognanco Valley and takes its name from the spa, which not only specialises in the sale of healthy and purifying water, but also hosts a modern wellness centre, the Terme di Bognanco Óniro; the ideal place for a relaxing break.
Like all the Ossolan valleys, the upper Bognanco Valley also offers numerous summer trekking and winter snow shoeing routes. The “Stockalper Trail“, which takes its name from the great merchant and politician Kaspar Von Stockalper, born in Briga and also known as the “King of the Simplon”, is also a famous and historically important route.
There are many other excursions available for experienced walkers and also the less well-trained: Fornalino, Cima Verosso, Gattascosa, the three Lakes of Paione, the Monscera Pass and Pizzo Straciugo, among others. Routes surrounded by untouched and evocative natural environments, in which it’s not uncommon to encounter the rich mountain fauna of this region.
Nature, wellness and history, just a stone’s throw from Domodossola. The Bognanco Valley awaits you in every season of the year!
