Calasca-Castiglione

Access

Access to Calasca-Castiglione is mainly along the Valle Anzasca provincial road, which climbs the valley floor from Piedimulera in the direction of Macugnaga, passing through several hamlets in the municipality. For those arriving by car, the most common route involves exiting the A26 motorway at Piedimulera or near Gravellona Toce, then continuing on the ordinary Ossola road and entering the valley; along the route there are car parks serving the main villages, which serve as starting points for excursions. The connection with the railway network is based on the Piedimulera station, located on the Domodossola-Novara line, from which valley bus services depart or connections by road to the lower hamlets of Calasca-Castiglione, while for air connections the reference airports are Milan Malpensa and, more generally, those in the Milan area, from which one continues by train to Domodossola and then in the direction of Valle Anzasca.

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Introduction

Calasca-Castiglione is a mountain municipality in the Anzasca Valley, in the north-western sector of Piedmont, located on the left bank of the Anza stream. Its territorial layout is typical of the scattered alpine municipality, formed by a constellation of villages and hamlets arranged between the valley floor and the mid-coast, with a wide extension that includes broadleaf forests, chestnut groves, ancient cultivated terraces and high-altitude pastures located on the watershed with the Antrona Valley. The widespread presence of villages, each with its own historical identity, reflects a long agricultural and pastoral tradition that has shaped the landscape and internal roads. The area retains a clearly legible rural character, with stone and wood architecture, community ovens, mills and pastoral areas that testify to a collective management of resources typical of Alpine communities.

Description

The history of the municipality is part of the broader story of the Anzasca Valley, which was already frequented in pre-Roman and Roman times, as revealed by Leponzi artefacts found in nearby localities. In the Middle Ages, the area first came under the influence of the Biandrate family, then the Visconti family and finally the Savoy State. Today's municipality is the result of the 1928 union of Calasca and Castiglione, which have retained a distinct identity of their main villages; the municipal seat is located in the hamlet of Antrogna, the former capital of Calasca. The contemporary age is marked by intense emigration, which has affected the demographic and social fabric, and by the events of the Resistance, with significant episodes such as the killing of parish priest Don Giuseppe Rossi near Colombetti in 1945, which testify to the valley's involvement in the history of the Second World War.
The local economy has traditionally been based on subsistence farming, livestock breeding and forest management, with extensive use of alpine pastures and cultivated terraces. In recent decades, greater attention has been paid to the recovery of the traditional agricultural landscape and its tourism potential, accompanied by the development of widespread accommodation activities, agritourisms and services related to hiking. Despite its growing vocation for tourism, the municipality maintains its scattered residential and rural character, with small, sparsely populated hamlets that preserve clearly recognisable historical architecture.
Cultural and religious life is strongly linked to a network of oratories, chapels and sanctuaries dotting the territory. Prominent among these is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Gurva, located along the valley floor road and the centre of one of the most popular celebrations, that of 15 August, which sees the presence of the Calasca Traditional Militia with the performance of ancient ritual salvos. Community initiatives, patronal festivals and religious rites maintain an important role in the sociality of the hamlets and contribute to the transmission of Ossola's Alpine traditions. The local gastronomy also derives from the peasant material culture, linked to bread, dairy products, chestnuts, self-consumption products and simple recipes that are today re-proposed in convivial contexts and initiatives to enhance the territory.
The hiking heritage is one of the most recognisable elements of Calasca-Castiglione. A dense network of paths and historic mule tracks link the hamlets together and lead to the mountain pastures and passes towards the Antrona Valley. The Via del Pane (Bread Route) leads through forests, terraces and community ovens, revealing the history of the agrarian landscape. The route to Alpe la Colma di Castiglione leads along the long panoramic ridge that divides the Anzasca Valley from the Antrona Valley, with views of the surrounding peaks and, on clear days, as far as Lake Maggiore. Other links connect to the Strà Granda, the network of historic Ossola itineraries and the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, with demanding stages that require good hiking preparation and familiarity with the gradients of the medium mountains.

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Information

Area: 57.64 km²
Altitude: 665m
Maximum elevation: 2,733m - Pizzo San MArtino
Number of inhabitants: 582 as of 31.07.2025
Name in dialect: Calasca e Castioj (Piedmontese); Calasca e Castiun (Ossolan)
Inhabitants: calaschesi
Patron Saint: Sant'Antonio Abate, celebrated on 17 January
Bordering municipalities: Bannio Anzino, Pallanzeno, Piedimulera, Rimella, Vanzone con San Carlo
Website: www.comune.calascacastiglione.vb.it