The tour to discover the artistic and spiritual culture of Valsesia begins at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a national monument considered the prologue and synthesis of the Sacro Monte.
Inside the church, you can see the imposing wall frescoed by Gaudenzio Ferrari (1513). You board the cable car and, in just 86 seconds, reach the Sacro Monte complex, which consists of avenues, squares, chapels, and buildings, for a total of 45 chapels containing over 800 sculptures and more than 3,000 frescoes. The artistic representation narrates the Life and Passion of Jesus, and the experience is completed inside the Basilica, which houses the chapel dedicated to Paradise. The area is entirely surrounded by nature and offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding valley.
Both of these places of faith, the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Sacro Monte, best express the life and culture of the people of the Valsesian Alps, and both were built starting in the late 15th century.