HOTEL BEL SIT - SACRO MONTE
HOTEL BEL SIT – SACRO MONTE
11km - 1,5 hours - difficult
A rather tough route with a hard ascent, rewarded by great views during the itinerary and at destination in the village of Santa Maria del Monte.
As soon as we start off on the SS394 road, we meet the first view of the lake, which we will keep on our right-hand side for most of the route, enjoying lovely vistas over the waters and the small lakeside villages, with the Piedmontese Alps framing it all in the distance.
We cycle along an easy uphill stretch and skirt the village center or, if we wish to, stop to visit the Church of San Celso, a Romanesque edifice, classified among national monuments.
It can be easy to miss the Church of San Marino, parish church of Barasso, which we find to our left at the end of a short uphill stretch, but if you do pick it out, make sure to stop and take a look - as well as a breather. Continuing on in the direction of Varese we then pass in front of the Luvinate Golf Club, a former Benedictine monastery, dating back to the Twelfth Century, beautifully restored and renovated with loving care, the main body and annexed properties perfectly preserved.
A few more kilometers, including a brief muscle-warming climb, and we are in the area of the Municipality of Casciago. From here on we will be flanked by the green profile of the Campo dei Fiori massif, to our left, with the unmistakable village of Santa Maria del Monte clinging to the mountainside. Soon we should turn off of the main road and take the steep Via Lanfranconi up to the centre of Velate, an elegant residential neighbourhood, previously the traditional starting point for pilgrims directed to the Sacro Monte (note the Church of Santo Stefano).
Having crossed the village, we take the road leading, after a few wide curves and about a ten-minute cycle, to the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, the first signpost of the Sacred Way, as officially defined, where we can stop and take a break.
Continuing on we will soon encounter the Rosary Arch, a marker defining the border between the civic and the spiritual town. From here on, pilgrims walk upon a cobblestone path which is at least four centuries old and has remained virtually unchanged since the days of its construction.
Taking the paved road, we must now face a circa 2km-long tough climb, which we can break up in sections, perhaps stopping to take pictures of the beautiful view over Lake Varese and the city or, just above us, to the peak of the Campo dei Fiori massif, with Liberty villas dotting the mountainsides.
Once we reach the small archway leading under the cableway rising from the river Vellone to the village of Santa Maria, we can clap ourselves on the shoulder and celebrate: from here on the road gets easier and, just after the sign pointing to Santa Maria (if we were to continue straight on we would climb up to the peak of the Campo dei Fiori), is almost continuously flat.
One last curve to the left and a few hundred meter's soft ascent and we will have reached Piazzale Pogliaghi, which will reward all our efforts with breathtaking views over the valleys below, and the Alps beyond.
Cycling in front of the bus park we will enter the center of Santa Maria, where we can leave our bicycles to stroll around the precious religious artifacts and artistic treasures scattered around this absolute jewel of a village.
