Trarego Viggiona - Lake Maggiore & Lake Orta Travel Guide

From Cannero Riviera you should make a detour up into the mountains to Trarego Viggiona. A road that is narrow in places but well built takes you to Viggiona after about 5 km and to Trarego after about 6 km.

The drive leads from the "Mediterranean" world of the lakeshore, with its elegant villas and parks, into a mountain landscape of simple country houses and extensive mixed deciduous and chestnut woods. Unique views over Cannero Riviera and Lake Maggiore accompany the climb.

The three old mountain villages of Trarego, Viggiona and Cheglio were merged in 1920 to form the municipality of Trarego Viggiona. It belongs to the Alto Verbano, has around 400 inhabitants and lies at 700-800 m.


Viggiona sits on a moraine plateau at the foot of Monte Carza (1,116 m), sheltered from the wind. On the edge of the village stands the old Romanesque church from the 14th century; the newer Baroque parish church dates from the 16th century.

Slightly off the road to Trarego lies the hamlet of Cheglio, a maze of little lanes that still reflects the village life of the past. The oratory of San Rocco is dedicated to the patron saint of plague victims. A precious 16th-century polyptych shows the Madonna and Child enthroned with Saints Rocco, Sebastiano and Martino.

The parish church of Trarego, dedicated to S. Martino, dates from the 17th century and is an extension of an oratory that had existed since the 13th century. Notable features are the marble altar, several wooden statues (including by G.M. Franzosini) and a font of pink Candoglia marble, the same marble used to build Milan Cathedral. The tower, demolished in 1958 because it was in danger of collapse, has since been rebuilt in its original form.

Trarego Viggiona is rarely troubled by fog, on sunny days the sun warms the village all day long, and in many places there are wonderful panoramic views over Lake Maggiore. So it was that by the end of the 19th century Trarego Viggiona had become a popular retreat for people from Milan, and today many houses and converted rustici serve as summer residences for owners from central Europe.

Since 1999 an art exhibition in Trarego has been held every year at Easter.

Beyond Trarego a quiet mountain road leads further into the hills. It runs along the foot of Monte Carza (1,116 m), Cima l'Alpe (1,348 m) and Monte Spalavera (1,534 m) to the pass at Il Colle (1,238 m), then continues over Pian Cavallo and Premeno back down to the lakeshore at Verbania. This route is one of the most beautiful mountain roads on the west shore of Lake Maggiore, with some stunning panoramic views.

From Trarego Viggiona you should take the winding road towards Colle. A visit to Monte Carza (1,116 m), with its stunning views over Lake Maggiore, and to the fortifications of the First World War Linea Cadorna is well worthwhile. Afterwards you can stop for refreshments at the Grotto Monte Carza.

On easy walks from Trarego Viggiona you can discover more military ruins of the "Linea Cadorna", with which Italy sought to protect itself against a feared German-Austrian invasion in the First World War. The surrounding mountains were also the scene of partisan fighting against Fascism and the German occupation in 1943/44. Gravestones and memorials from that time are scattered through the woods.

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