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TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT

Rail

The train line from Milan traverses Val d’Ossola on its way to Brig in Switzerland. The slower ‘Regionale’ trains stop in a number of small towns en route, including Mergozzo and Varzo. A small scenic train connects Domodossola and Locarno via Val Vigezzo, stopping at numerous places along the way, including Santa Maria Maggiore and Craveggia (where there are campsites). Details from www.centovalli.ch. Car hire is not available in the area.

The clear green waters of Variola Superiore (Route 4) (photo: Simon Flower)

Driving

Val d’Ossola is linked to Milan by the A26 motorway. North of Gravellona-Toce it becomes the SS33, a dual carriageway free of toll booths, which in turn becomes a single-lane highway at Domodossola. Junctions off the SS33 are not always straightforward. An exit possible in one direction is not always possible in the other. Describing directions is therefore not always easy.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Although Val d’Ossola lacks the crowd-pulling scenery found elsewhere in the Alps, there is still plenty here to attract walkers. The region is home to two surprisingly little-visited protected parks which have a wild, rugged beauty. Visitors could also venture onto the lofty peaks along the Swiss border. A stroll in the forested hillsides has a charm, the slopes strewn with tumbledown hamlets, or baite, usually miles from any road and only sparsely inhabited at best. Some houses are used as summer retreats, while others are falling into disrepair. Many appear to be getting a new lease of life as ambitious building projects of wealthy city dwellers.