Stra' Granda

This itinerary dates back to 1553, first traveled by Joachim de Annono, Spanish governor of Milan. In 1553, the Anzasca Valley was visited by Joachim de Annono, an official of the Spanish governor of Milan. From here comes the first description of the Strà Granda, which from Piedimulera ascends to Macugnaga and then climbs the steep slope of Monte Moro to lead into the Saas Valley. At the center of his journey is the medieval road of the Anzasca Valley. This road, following Joachim de Annono's path 400 years later, can still be traveled today. On the worn pavement marking its hairpin bends, the valley's history has passed—not the Great History but the humble and hidden story of muleteers who went to Switzerland or villagers who descended to the Vogogna market to stock up on grains. Walking on the Strà Granda of Anzasca means taking a journey through time on a historical inter-valley communication path. Above Piedimulera stands the oratory of San Giovanni Nepomuceno, the significant protector against drowning and floods (and even slander!); in Mezzamulera, famous for hemp weaving, there are special niches in the walls for loading mules. At Cà Turnal, an anvil, pincers, and a hammer engraved on a stone slab reproduce the Ghibelline coat of arms of the Ferraria faction, one of the factions that bloodied Ossola in the 16th century. Then the communal ovens for collective bread baking a few times a year, the consortium presses for pressing grape pomace (a small masterpiece of rural engineering is the one in Morlongo), the mills and grinding stones for pressing walnut oil. A hundred and one are the artifacts of peasant material culture scattered along the Strà Granda, which becomes the thematic route to learn about the Alpine civilization developed among these mountains. And, at the head of the valley, the grandeur of the east face of Monte Rosa, two thousand meters of rock and ice, the only Himalayan-sized face in the Alps. An unusual valley, with two cultures (Walser and Romance), that preserves a high degree of naturalness and an ancient harmony between man and environment.