Attractions and Places To See around Perloz - Top 20

Language Follow Edit Il Sacro Monte di Graglia is a pre-Alpine locality situated in Graglia, in the province of Biella, in Piedmont, a few kilometers west of the provincial capital. It is located at the foot of the more majestic peak of Mombarone, almost on the border with the Aosta Valley; it mainly hosts the sanctuary of the same name (812 meters above sea level), dedicated to the Black Madonna and linked to the cult of Our Lady of Loreto, in the Marche. It is therefore part of that system of pre-Alpine devotional complexes that characterized a widespread popular Marian and Christian religiosity, which expressed itself between Piedmont and Lombardy starting from around the 16th century, such as, for example, the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ in the nearby town of Sordevolo, or other similar localities such as Sacro Monte di Arona, Sacro Monte di Oropa, Sacro Monte di Varallo, Sacro Monte di Ghiffa.

sanctuary about ten km above Biella, reachable by road bike along the only road from Biella, from Andrate, a town above Ivrea with the road called "Tracciolino" from Favaro, just above Biella by mountain bike along the route of the old train

The path to the Sanctuary of Oropa is a journey through nature, history, and spirituality: trails pass through ancient forests, hills, and charming villages, all the way up to the majestic Biella mountains. The itineraries, at times challenging, test your pace and endurance, but reward you with breathtaking views and the unique thrill of reaching one of Piedmont's most fascinating sacred sites.

The sanctuary of Oropa is a Marian sanctuary - dedicated to the Black Madonna - located a dozen kilometers north of the city of Biella, in the Oropa hamlet, at about 1,280 meters above sea level, in a natural amphitheater of mountains that surround the city below and are part of the Biella Alps. The sanctuary includes, in addition to a Sacred Mount (the Sacred Mount of Oropa), the original church built on the basis of an ancient shrine and the current sanctuary itself, equipped with various structures intended to accommodate the faithful and tourists. And it is also the Arrival of the Stage of the Giro d'Italia. The most famous one was in 1999 with the comeback of Marco Pantani who went on to win the Stage (Arrival dedicated to Him).

Oropa, definitely worth a visit. Not only is it fascinating in terms of history, but also because of the surrounding restaurants. And last but not least, the Black Madonna.

dedicated to the Black Madonna and connected to the cult of Our Lady of Loreto, in the Marche. It is therefore part of that system of pre-Alpine devotional complexes that characterized a widespread popular Marian and Christian religiosity.

Beautiful climb, almost all in the woods and never too challenging; the sanctuary is a quiet place from which to enjoy the view of the plain

The Roman road of the Gauls, built to connect Rome with the Rhone Valley, has in the Donnas section one of its most characteristic and spectacular points, carved out of the living rock over a length of 221 metres. In a place where in ancient times the rocky promontory plunged into the waters of the Dora, the Romans launched a real challenge to nature by carving out a living rock on which they could draw perfectly vertical walls and in whose bosom they cut the roadbed. Exciting and unusual, here the Via delle Gallie gives its best by offering the spectacle of a vaulted passage 4 metres thick, 4 metres high and almost 3 metres wide that eloquently illustrates the amount of rock removed and shows all the refinement of a road engineering never again achieved until viaducts and modern tunnels. In the Middle Ages it served as a gate to the village, which was closed at night; The other defences were of course: on one side the mountain and on the other the river. A fundamental road, much used over the centuries, as evidenced by the deep ruts left by the passage of carts and the wear of the walking surface that has been patched and repaired at various points over time. A little further on, on the right, we recognise the excellent profile of a milestone, also spared in the rocky bank, which informs us of the distance to Augusta Praetoria (the current city of Aosta): XXXVI miles (about 54 km).