Bognanco

Access

The main road network follows the valley bottom: from the Ossola valley floor, one drives up from Domodossola along the provincial road that penetrates the Bognanco Valley to the upper hamlets, while for those coming from further afield, the main access points remain the Domodossola railway station, served by national and international lines, and the motorway routes that connect the Toce plain to the Simplon network and the major centres of the Po Valley.

Introduction

Bognanco is a mountain municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, occupying the upper valley of the Bogna stream, a side valley of the Ossola Valley, not far from Domodossola and the border with Canton Valais in Switzerland. The municipal territory extends in a wide alpine amphitheatre, with numerous hamlets distributed on the slopes and terraced valley floors, where human settlement has exploited the most favourable slopes for agriculture and grazing for centuries. The landscape alternates between broad-leaved and coniferous forests, mountain pastures and hollows shaped by glacialism, culminating in a crown of peaks over two thousand metres, among which Pizzo Straciugo stands out with its 2713 metres of altitude.

Description

The origins of the town are linked to a traditional agro-sylvo-pastoral economy, favoured by terraced slopes and the presence of high-altitude mountain pastures, while the current administrative structure of the municipality derives from the 20th century unification of ancient local communities distributed along the valley. A decisive step in recent history is represented by the exploitation of mineral waters: in the second half of the 19th century, the springs of Bognanco began to be bottled and, in a few decades, gave impetus to a thermal spa that transformed the town into a well-known resort and health resort, frequented by a middle-class clientele coming mainly from Piedmont and Lombardy. This thermal spa vocation, although going through alternating phases during the 20th century, has left a lasting mark on the image of the area, flanking traditional activities and helping to curb the depopulation typical of many Alpine valleys.
In economic terms, Bognanco today thrives on a balance between services related to tourism, exploitation of the mineral waters and a residual use of pastures and woods, with farms that are smaller than in the past but still present in some hamlets. The residential function is complemented by the role of seasonal destination: the municipality hosts accommodation facilities, second homes and alpine refuges that serve hikers, snowshoe hikers and ski mountaineers, especially in the upper valley locations such as San Bernardo and the Monscera area. However, the ageing population and low population density, common to many Alpine areas, are accompanied by initiatives to enhance the area, such as architectural renovations in some hamlets and projects to promote culture and hiking.
The local culture retains typically Ossola traits, with a linguistic heritage that includes the local dialect, in which the name of the village is attested as Bügnanch (in Ossola), and a fabric of hamlets and oratories that mark the human landscape of the valley. Religious traditions revolve around the cult of San Lorenzo, the patron saint celebrated on 10 August, an occasion when the liturgical calendar is flanked by community moments that strengthen the bond between residents and the original Bügnanch people who have emigrated elsewhere. The spa dimension is linked to a collective memory made up of tales of discoveries of springs and of seasons in which Bognanco was considered a reference 'water station' in the Piedmont Alpine panorama, today reinterpreted in terms of wellness, hiking and slow tourism.
Hiking is one of the most characteristic elements of the area's offerings: the network of trails leads to the Monscera Pass, the Paione lakes and other passes on the Swiss border, crossing environments ranging from mid-altitude woods to open high-mountain pastures. A number of refuges and facilities such as the Gattascosa refuge or the Alta Val Bognanco ring-routes make it possible to plan traverses and routes lasting several days, linking Bognanco to other Ossola valleys and the Valais area, in a context suitable for both summer hiking and winter snow activities.

Information

Area: 58.00 km²
Altitude:980
Maximum elevation: 2,713m - Pizzo Straciugo
 Number of inhabitants: 194 as of 31.07.2025
 Name in dialect: Bügnanch (in Ossola)
Inhabitants name: Bognanchesi
Patron Saint: San Lorenzo, celebrated on 10 August
Neighbouring municipalities: Antrona Schieranco, Crevoladossola, Domodossola, Montescheno, Trasquera, Zwischbergen
Website: www.comune.bognanco.vb.it