Sacro Monte di Varallo

A Franciscan friar returning from Jerusalem began this in 1491 as a substitute pilgrimage for those who could not travel: chapels laid out on a wooded hill, each containing a scene from the life of Christ built as a tableau, with life-size painted terracotta figures set against frescoed walls so that painted and sculpted crowds merge. There are forty-five chapels and around eight hundred statues, many by Gaudenzio Ferrari in the sixteenth century, with real hair and cloth used on some figures. Samuel Butler wrote a book about it. It was the first of the Sacri Monti, UNESCO-listed as a group in 2003.

What you actually see

• The tableau chapels - scenes staged with life-size painted figures.
• The Gaudenzio Ferrari work - sculpture and fresco merging in one space.
• The eight hundred statues - crowds built up across forty-five chapels.
• The hill layout - a pilgrimage route climbing through woods.

When to go

April to October; chapels are viewed through grilles and glass and are better in good light. The cable car from Varallo saves the climb. Winter closes some.

Honest expectations

Scenes are seen through grilles or glass, not entered. Some chapels are closed for restoration at any time. The site is spread over a hill with steps.

Nearby

Varallo lies below; the Valsesia runs up toward Monte Rosa.