The hamlet of Roldo di Montecrestese faces south on a slightly projecting rock, smoothed by an ancient glacier, dropping sheer down to the Domodossola plain: within it the Tempietto Lepontico (Lepontic Temple), in the shape of a small tower, is a unicum in the whole alpine range.
It is a stone construction dating from Roman times, originally built for cultural and religious purposes: the inhabitants of Montecrestese call it simply the “Torre di Roldo” (Roldo Tower) or sometimes the “Torre dei Picchi” (Tower of the Picchi). According to local tradition, the Picchi are thought to have been brigands who owned a number of fortified houses and towers, like the one in Veglio, for use as hideaways. The Tempietto Lepontico in Roldo, divided into two rooms, a cell and a small atrium, is datable around the 1st century AD and was originally a pagan place of worship. The tower was built by raising a previous construction, which roof in heavy granite tiles was not removed and can still be seen today.
Over the centuries, the floor of the cell has suffered some damage, but what remains shows traces of a sort of mosaic. The refinement of the pattern, the care taken to lay the floor and the plaster leave no doubt: this building was originally created for religious purposes.
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