Sordevolo: Culture and Mountain Landscape

Sordevolo combines mountain landscapes, trails and cultural history. The town lies below the Monte Mars Nature Reserve and also encompasses the southern slopes of Monte Mucrone. Forests, pastures and scattered mountain huts are connected by a network of trails.

Your holiday apartment in Sordevolo between culture and mountain landscapes

Sordevolo is associated with the Passione di Sordevolo. The entire village community stages it every five years. The Passione recreates a small section of Palestine: the Upper Room, the Sanhedrin, Gethsemane, Herod’s palace, Pilate’s praetorium and Calvary are among the settings depicted. The Museo della Passione has been permanently housed in the choir and sacristy of the 17th-century Church of Santa Marta.

Villa Cernigliaro is a historic residence dating from the late 19th century, commissioned by the Vercellone family. During the Fascist period, it was a meeting place for opposition intellectuals and politicians, including Natalia Ginzburg, Norberto Bobbio, Cesare Pavese, Luigi Einaudi, Benedetto Croce, Luigi Pirandello and Eugenio Montale. The Church of Sant’Ambrogio preserves a polychrome marble altar from the 18th century by Francesco Olgiati, dating from 1776, as well as other marble altars and wooden sculptures.

Autumn festivals and regional products

Sordevolo’s Fiera Autunnale takes place every year in October and coincides with the tradition of transhumance. More than 500 Pezzata Rossa d’Oropa cattle are exhibited at this event, where you can view them up close. The fair also includes a cheese and butter section featuring products made from the milk of these cattle. The Mercatino degli Angeli has taken place every year since 2002 on six Sundays between November and December.

Historic sites and industrial heritage

La Trappa is a former Trappist monastery complex. Between 1796 and 1802, it was home to a Trappist community that had fled revolutionary France; the complex houses the Ecomuseo della Tradizione Costruttiva. The Vercellone Palace Wool Mills Archive conveys the history of a family business that operated internationally from 1730 to 1899.

Trails along the Cammino di San Carlo

Sordevolo lies on the Cammino di San Carlo, which branches off from the Via Francigena near Lago di Viverone. A hike of around two hours starts at the Sordevolo amphitheatre, leads through the town to the old washhouses and along an ancient mule track through the forest to San Grato, before returning to Sordevolo. Along the Roggia Molinaria, a trail leads uphill to forests and through gorges carved by the power of water.

Discover food and landscapes together

Slow Food Travel Montagne Biellesi connects food and landscape. The associated Associazione per l’Ecomuseo Valle Elvo e Serra is based at Via Bagneri 2, 13817 Sordevolo (BI).

Discover more places

Discover more places: Camandona, Sandigliano, Andorno Cacciorna, Zimone, Bioglio, Masserano, Netro, Bellaria.

More about the region: Biella.