Alagna Valsesia - The village
Alagna Valsesia is a comune and small village high in the Valsesia alpine valley in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont, Italy. It was originally settled by Walser. It is located at the upper tip of Val Grande, in Piedmont Region of Italy, at an altitude of 1,191 m just south of the Monte Rosa.
Founded during the middle age (XIII) by a German population ("Walser") descending from the North into the Italian Valleys around Monte Rosa, it has preserved today its charming atmosphere with several buildings built around 1500-1600 in a pure "Walser Style" still in perfect conditions. These magnificent architectures can be appreciated especially in one of the small hamlets of Alagna, called Pedemonte. Here, you can find an entire hamlet totally preserved and a Walser Museum housed in a building built in XVII century.
In town, the Church of Saint John Baptist was built in 1511 and it has got inside some beautiful sculptures by Giovanni d'Enrico a famous Italian artist (1559-1644). At the entrance of the town, there is the native house of Tanzio da Varallo (1575-1633), one of the most important Italian artists and brother of Giovanni d'Enrico. In the centre, you can find the historical Hotel Monte Rosa Gugliermina, the first built in the town in 1865.