Lago d’Orta Tour

DA APRILE A OTTOBRE

Part of this route, striking a pleasing balance between hard slog and fabulous landscapes, is along the banks of Lago d’Orta. The second part is through hills and the first buttresses of the Biella Alps.

1^st leg: Oasi Zegna Bielmonte – Orta (80 km)

We start from the square in Bielmonte and go down the Panoramica Zegna road and the Conca dei rododendri towards Valle Sessera. After Borgosesia we head for Varallo but just before reaching this town we branch off on a fairly demanding climb to Passo della Colma (930 m) and then down to Lago d’Orta. On reaching Omegna on a road with some very pretty views of the lake, we take the lakeside road on the eastern side to Orta, where you can stay in one of the numerous accommodation facilities. Orta is listed as one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, with very narrow, picturesque streets that are completely pedestrian. The island of San Giulio can be reached by boat from the main square.

2nd leg: Orta - Oasi Zegna Bielmonte (80 km)

We leave Orta back along the east bank of the lake and head for Gozzano to pick up the road over the Passo della Cremosina (553 m) leading us back into in Valsesia. We cross the Sesia to come back into Valsessera. After a short section ending just beyond the town of Pray, we branch off out of Valsessera towards Ponzone. On this road you’ll see the Fabbrica della Ruota, an impressive monument of Biellese industrial archeology, characterized on the outside by the wheels that used to transmit power to the machines. From the town of Croce Mosso the route traverses the flanks of Bielmonte in a series of ups and downs leading us into Valle Cervo at Andorno Micca. On the way you will cross the Pistolesa viaduct (nicknamed "Colossus", height 152 meters), site of Italy’s first permanent bungee jumping center.

Going up Valle Cervo you’ll see numerous villages, one of which, Rosazza, “Italy’s most mysterious village”, deserves a visit. After Rosazza, we return to Bielmonte on the Panoramica Zegna road. The climb is gentle, except for the last kilometer after Bocchetto Sessera, with gradients in excess of 10%.