Between the Ossola valleys and Lake Maggiore lies the Val Grande National Park, often described as the largest wilderness area in the Italian Alps: a rugged land without permanent settlements, where nature has reclaimed ancient alpine pastures and paths connecting the valleys.
The largest wilderness area in the Alps
The park protects a wild environment of forests, steep ravines and rocky ridges, abandoned by humans over the course of the twentieth century and now returned to an almost unspoilt natural state. It is precisely this lack of a permanent human presence that makes it unique in the Alpine landscape, appreciated by experienced hikers seeking silence and isolation.
Demanding hiking
Unlike many other Alpine destinations in the Ossola Valley, Val Grande Park requires good hiking preparation: trails are little frequented, signposting is not always comprehensive, and hiking times need to be planned carefully. For this reason, it is advisable to rely on local guides or well-documented itineraries, especially for those who do not already know the area.
For recommended itineraries, access points and information on mountain refuges, the official website of the Val Grande National Park is the reference point.
Access points from the Ossola Valley
Several approach trails to the park start from the Ossola side, including the one that winds near Trontano, already a starting point towards the protected area for those seeking a first encounter with this environment.
A striking contrast with the valley-floor vineyards
The contrast between the ruggedness of Val Grande Park and the gentleness of the terraced vineyards on the valley floor is one of the most fascinating features of the Ossola Valley: after a demanding hike, a tasting at a winery is a pleasant way to return to the valley and end the day.
An experience for experienced hikers
Those tackling the trails of Val Grande Park must allow for longer hiking times than at other Alpine destinations in the Ossola Valley, as well as an almost total lack of support points along the way: it is precisely this scarcity of infrastructure that has allowed nature to reclaim the territory so completely, making the park a unique case study internationally too in the management of wilderness areas.
From inhabited valley to wilderness
Val Grande saw the presence of shepherds from at least the thirteenth century, and of woodcutters from the fifteenth century onwards. With the end of the Second World War, woodcutters and mountain dwellers gradually abandoned the valley, allowing the forest to reclaim the land: within fifty years, Val Grande had taken on such a wild and rugged appearance that in 1983 it was identified by the Italian Wilderness Association as one of the most interesting areas internationally in this field.
The 1944 roundup
During the Second World War, the rugged territory of Val Grande and nearby Val Pogallo provided refuge for numerous partisans. In July 1944, the Nazi-Fascists carried out a violent roundup of the area, which caused around 300 deaths among the partisans, the destruction of 208 mountain huts and the damage or destruction of 50 homes in Cicogna. Civilians, mountain dwellers and shepherds also fell victim to the roundup, paying with their lives or with the burning of their stables for the support they gave to the Resistance: a painful chapter that remains part of the historical memory of this territory, now returned to the tranquillity of nature.
Today, Val Grande National Park also represents a symbol of rebirth: the same nature that was once the scene of suffering and destruction during the 1944 roundup has been able to reclaim the territory completely, transforming it into one of the most important biodiversity sanctuaries in the Italian Alps, now visited by those seeking silence and authenticity.
