Varallo and the Valsesia

The sharp scent of pine along the Sesia river follows you up to Varallo’s Sacro Monte, first laid out in 1486 by the Franciscan Bernardino Caimi. Forty‑five chapels, around 800 polychrome terracotta figures by D’Enrico and Morazzone, and a hilltop setting at 600 m create a staged narrative of Jerusalem in the Alps. Then it’s Valsesia: Borgosesia, on to Scopello’s narrows, before Alagna Valsesia at 1,191 m, a Walser village beneath Monte Rosa, with glacier views on clear days from the Orfika ridge.

Your dedicated driver collects you at your Orta San Giulio hotel around 9 am in a Mercedes V‑Class or E‑Class and takes the SP299: about 45 minutes to Varallo. Parking handled, you wander and taste—polenta concia in Varallo or miacce up in Rimasco—while the driving is taken care of. Want a detour to the Ponte della Gula or a stop at Alagna’s Walser museum? Your chauffeur flexes timing and stops; expect to be back by 6 pm, roughly 55 km to Orta with photo breaks on the way.