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The hamlet of Cervarolo
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Cervarolo, 707 m, formerly an autonomus commune and now a hamlet of Varallo, consists of an area characterised by scattared groups of houses: Villa Inferiore and Superiore, Molino, Prati, Sassello. The parish church, dedicated to S. Michele Arcangelo, enlarged and reconstructed during the Baroque era, lies on a narrow plain in Villa Inferiore. Inside, of particular interest are the Baroque wooden statue of Madonna del Rosario, the 1700s paintings of the Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross) by Orgiazzi and the large altar-piece by the artist G. Avondo (1829) representing the apparition of S. Michele above the grotta del Gargano. Nearby is the votive oratory of the Madonna della Riva, built in the 17th century, frescoed and dedicated to the Madonna Assunta. After Villa Superiore, along a wooded route, one reaches the Piane di Cervarolo, 1222 m, one of the most pleasant alpine pastures in Valsesia, still populated by shepherds and used in the summer holidays. |
