Masera is the municipality marking the entrance to Valle Vigezzo, with a documented history dating back more than a thousand years.
A village mentioned as early as the tenth century AD
The first historical references to Masera date back to documents from the 10th century: a deed of exchange from June 970 recounts how Aupaldo, Bishop of Novara, transferred to the priest Dododei of Vogogna a plot of land “in loco et feudo Maxerie”. Another reference appears in a deed of sale from 994, confirming just how ancient the settlement’s origins are.
The ancient Church of Sant’Abbondio
Among the village’s most interesting landmarks is the Church of Sant’Abbondio, dating from the 10th-11th century but extensively remodelled in subsequent centuries. The Romanesque bell tower, recently restored, remains from the original building and stands on a rocky spur overlooking the Melezzo stream, at the beginning of the village along the Provincial Road. Today, the church has been deconsecrated and is used for cultural events.
The railway gateway to Valle Vigezzo
Masera is one of the main Ossola stations on the Vigezzina, the historic panoramic railway that connects Domodossola with Locarno, crossing the whole of Valle Vigezzo: a detail that makes it a natural transit point for those wishing to discover the “valley of painters” by train.
Masera and Valle Vigezzo
From Masera, you can access Valle Vigezzo and its villages, including Santa Maria Maggiore and Druogno. To learn more about the history of the Church of Sant’Abbondio, see the Archeocarta entry.
From the valley floor at Masera, you can also easily reach the vineyards of Val d’Ossola, with the opportunity for a tasting.
A village on the way to the valley
Today, Masera continues to serve as the gateway to Valle Vigezzo that it has always been: anyone travelling along the road towards Santa Maria Maggiore inevitably passes through this municipality, which, despite its modest size, preserves historical evidence of great value for understanding the origins of the entire valley.
Between Masera and the surrounding hills
The municipality of Masera also extends across the surrounding hills, where small cultivated plots alternate with coppice woodland: a modest yet still thriving agricultural landscape that bears witness to the rural character that defined the village for centuries before the development of rail links to Valle Vigezzo.
A village looking ahead
While carefully preserving its medieval roots, Masera also looks to the future, investing in the maintenance of the Vigezzina line and in tourism promotion in collaboration with the other municipalities in the valley, aware of the strategic role that its position as a gateway continues to afford it.
A bridge between different eras
Masera embodies an ideal bridge between very different eras: from the medieval documents attesting to its existence as early as the 10th century, to the modernity represented by the Vigezzina railway, which continues to connect it daily with the rest of the valley and nearby Switzerland.
One final thought: few other villages in the valley can boast such a long documented history, a thousand years of continuity that makes Masera an interesting case study for those interested in local history.
A thousand years of history in a small yet great border village.
A bridge between eras, always open to passage.
One gateway, a thousand centuries of history to pass through.
One final note on Masera: its role as a gateway has remained unchanged for centuries, with only the means of transport used by travellers changing.
A small village, a great story to tell.
A bridge between eras, always open to travellers.
Masera is a natural transit point for those travelling from Domodossola towards Valle Vigezzo, a village that still preserves traces of the rural architecture typical of Lower Ossola.
From here, trails continue towards upper Valle Vigezzo, making Masera a convenient starting point for hikers.
