Holiday apartment in Graglia – Mountain Trails, Santuario and Culture

When choosing a holiday apartment in Graglia, the unusual range in elevation is an important point of reference: The area rises from the town centre at 600 metres to over 2,000 metres in the mountain areas. A dense network of trails leads from the town centre through the Santuario district to the alpine pastures and makes walks possible in every season.

Holiday apartment in Graglia for trails and mountain days

From the Santuario di Graglia, trail PSR 10-1 leads to Mombarone. The route is classified as a moderately difficult hike covering 8 kilometres, with 1,540 metres of ascent and a stated walking time of 4 hours and 15 minutes. If you are an experienced hiker, you can also climb to the 2,373-metre summit of Mombarone. A gravel road leads from San Carlo to Rifugio Alpe Pianetti at an elevation of 1,321 metres.

A distinctive feature can be found at a marked point on the path from the Santuario di Graglia to San Carlo: If you call out a word there, you can hear it echoed back after a fraction of a second. The echo can reproduce a word with eleven syllables. These specific discoveries add a brief, playful moment to the longer mountain routes.

Santuario, Sacro Monte and Graglia’s history

The origins of the Santuario di Graglia date back to a project conceived by don Nicolao Velotti in 1615. The foundation stone was laid in 1659, and construction was completed in the second half of the 18th century. A visit to the Santuario can therefore be combined with a look at the site’s long history of development.

Graglia’s cultural character also includes natural history collections. The Museo di Scienze Naturali in Piazza Crida houses around 700 well-preserved mounted birds and has a catalogued collection of minerals and shells. The Noro ornithological collection comprises more than 600 specimens from Piedmont and various European countries; it dates from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

The church of Madonna della Neve in the hamlet of Campra lies on the edge of the Graglia settlement and faces the mountain landscape of the Valle Elvo. The Sacro Monte di Graglia comprises four chapels integrated into the church building, as well as another chapel on Colle di San Carlo. In the Sacro Monte, a scene is formed by around ten life-size polychrome terracotta figures. In the restaurants at the Santuario, you can eat typical dishes from the Biellese tradition, including “polenta concia”, “fundua”, “ris an cagnun”, “bagna caouda” and “palpiton”.

Getting there and finding your way around

Graglia can be reached from Biella via the Carisio or Santhià exits of the A4 and the SS 230 or SS 143. From the Ivrea exit of the A5, the route leads via Chiaverano, Donato and Netro on the SP 419. Graglia also has an equipped motorhome parking area at Casale Campiglie.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Graglia, you can therefore plan your trip according to your preferred focus: The network of trails and Mombarone are ideal for days in the mountain landscape, while the Santuario, Sacro Monte, churches, collections and Biellese cuisine provide cultural and culinary highlights. The elevation figures and the different route lengths help you put together suitable activities for your trip.

Other destinations in the surrounding area

Cavaglià, Bielmonte, Candelo, Crevacuore, Cerrione, Cossato, Donato, Castellengo

To the overarching travel overview: Biella.