Pisano and Colazza are two villages in a panoramic situation in the hills of the Vergante area to the south-west of Lake Maggiore; popular holiday centres, they are also particularly rich in religious buildings and art.

Set amid luxuriant woods and orchards, which are a feature of the area, the two villages have retained their rural character, highlighted by the large number of votive chapels and shrines to be seen dotted throughout the streets and lanes. 

It’s almost impossible to walk through the villages without coming across one of these signs of folk piety. In Pisano, almost all of the chapels that have survived the ravages of time are dedicated to the Virgin Mary; the one set into the wall of an old farm building on the main Vergante road with a fresco of the Virgin and Child Blessing is a very fine example. The votive shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto, in Via Umberto I at the corner of Via della Fontana, dates from the mid 17th century: the Virgin’s robes are particularly beautiful, as is the superb golden necklace studded with precious gems painted over it.

The devotional chapels of Colazza are almost all located near the stone fountains which abound in the streets and lanes of the village. One of the most beautiful stands in the upper part of the village near Casa Mazzola, a curious house decorated with a series of frescoes depicting scenes from the other side of the Alps.

No-one who is interested in devotional art can miss seeing the chapels of Pisano and Colazza.