Departure point:
Malesco (VB), Italy
How to get there:
By train: Domodossola Station, Ferrovie dello Stato. Timetables: http://www.trenitalia.com/; www.ffs.ch Malesco station, Vigezzina railway. Timetables: www.vigezzina.com
By car: A26 motorway to Gravellona Toce, then SS33 of Sempione, exit for Masera and Valle Vigezzo, follow the SS337 for Valle Vigezzo up to Malesco.
General Description:
Fundamental element of the itinerary with the visit to the Archaeological Museum of Soapstone of the National Park Val Grande. The exhibition of the museum combines archeology, ethnography and geology through a particular reading of the archaeological finds that highlights the tools of daily work and the skill of the ancient local stonemasons. The geological section explores some geological particularities of Val Vigezzo and allows you to understand the characteristics of soapstone. The itinerary from Malesco to Re allows you to meet some particular points of geological and morphological interest.
The route:
From via Stazione and via Mellerio you reach piazza Sostine. From here through via Minazzoli and via Trabucchi you walk through the center of the village, beautifully preserved. You reach the square of the Church of the Saints Pietro and Paolo and the small oratory of San Bernardino, testimony of baroque art. In the square is the fountain “del Basilisco” in the middle of which you find a block of soapstone from the Loana Valley (visible signs of extraction) representing the Berzelèsk, an imaginary creature. From via Trabucchi and via Teatro you reach the “Museo Archeologico della Pietra Ollare”, Archaeological Museum of the soapstone. Walking back again to the center of the village, take for via Roma to reach a rest area in a pine forest. From the lawn emerges a block of soapstone with carved cup-marks. A little higher up, in the woods is placed the “boulder of fertility”: evidents marks testify of its use as a slide in ancient rites related to female fertility. The cycling track crosses lawns and woods up to the bridge on the Eastern side of the Melezzo river. At this point it is possible to observe the emergence of thin layers of material dating back to the interglacial period Riss-Wurm. The cycling track crosses the Melezzo again reaching the medieval bridge of the Maglione where you can observe one of the most beautiful landscapes of the valley, characterized by beautiful erosive forms. Go up the road SS 337, until the Sanctuary of Re. From here you will soon reach the railway station of the Vigezzina.
Useful information:
For information and specialized educational visits for schools, contact:
Environmental Education Center “CEA Orcesco” (www.cea-orcesco.it)
City of Malesco
Malesco (www.comune.malesco.vb.it section Guida Turistica, Ecomuseums)
NB – at this link questa pagina web of the city of Malesco audio and video guides of the ecomuseum are available for download
Parco Nazionale della Val Grande (www.parcovalgrande.it, section museums and visitor centers)
Reservations for museum Tel. + 39 0324 92444
Malesco Tel. +39 0324 92261
Re: www.comune.re.vb.it
Santuario di Re: www.santuariomadonnadire.com
Where to eat:
Leon d'Oro
Via Trabucchi, 23, 28854 Malesco (VB), Tel.+39 0324 929925 osteria@leondoro.eu http://www.leondoro.eu/
