Malesco

Access

Head towards Gravellona Toce via the Genoa Voltri–Gravellona Toce motorway and continue along the Sempione state road towards Domodossola. Take the Masera–Valle Vigezzo junction and join the Val Vigezzo state road , passing through Druogno and Santa Maria Maggiore until you reach Malesco. The main town has a station on the Domodossola–Locarno railway line, served by trains operated by Ferrovia Vigezzina-Centovalli; bus services also run to the hamlets of Zornasco and Finero.

Introduction

Malesco is a municipality in Piedmont, in the Vigezzo Valley, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, situated at the confluence of the Loana and Melezzo Orientale streams. The main town lies at 761 metres on a terrace in the valley floor, whilst the municipal area extends up the Loana Valley as far as Cima della Laurasca, at 2,193 metres, encompassing part of the Val Grande National Park. The hamlets of Zornasco and Finero form part of a settlement pattern linked to the road network connecting Ossola, the Cannobina Valley and the Canton of Ticino. The local identity is documented by the Ecomuseum of Soapstone and Stonemasons, which showcases archaeological artefacts, craft activities and traditional practices of the community.

Description

The municipal area covers the eastern part of the Vigezzo Valley and stretches from the plain through which the Melezzo Orientale flows towards the Loana Valley and the Val Grande watershed. The Loana stream collects the waters from the southern valleys and flows into the Melezzo near the main town. Woodlands, mountain pastures and rocky ridges mark the ascent to Cima della Laurasca, which rises to 2,193 metres. The Loana Valley is one of the northern entrances to the Val Grande National Park and preserves kilns, quarries, mountain pasture settlements and trails linked to the exploitation of stone and forest resources.

Archaeological finds attest to human settlement in the area during prehistoric and Roman times; tombs, artefacts and the paving of an ancient road document the valley’s integration into the Ossola transport network. In the Middle Ages, the territory followed the fortunes of the Vigezzo parish and the Ossola region, passing from the influence of the bishops of Novara to the rule of the Visconti and Sforza families, and subsequently to the Borromeo family. Following Spanish and Austrian rule, it became part of the Savoy territories in 1743. Finero and Zornasco, formerly independent municipalities, were merged with Malesco in 1929.

The traditional economy combined livestock farming, mountain agriculture, forestry and seasonal emigration. The working of soapstone provided a livelihood for stonemasons and fuelled the production of vessels and artefacts, whilst many inhabitants worked as chimney sweeps outside the valley. These traditions are preserved at the Ed Leuzerie and Scherpelit Ecomuseum, recognised by the Piedmont Region in 2007, which comprises the Archaeological Museum of the Val Grande National Park, the washhouse with its exhibition dedicated to Giovan Maria Salati, and the ‘mulino dul Tač’ mill in Zornasco. The local dialect belongs to the Ossola area and retains features characteristic of the Malesco dialect.

The built heritage includes the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, the Gabbio Oratory, the church of Saint Bernard of Menton in Zornasco and that of Saint Gotthard in Finero. Frescoes, paintings and rural architecture reflect the figurative tradition of the Val Vigezzo. Local specialities include ‘runditt’, thin sheets of dough cooked on an iron griddle, ‘turtei’ and the ‘turta ad San Per’, associated with the patronal feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

Part of the area lies within the Val Grande National Park; the Pian dei Sali Nature Reserve also protects a section of woodland and wetlands. At lower altitudes, deciduous woods and chestnut groves predominate, whilst higher up beech woods, conifers, shrublands and alpine meadows appear. The hiking network follows the Loana Valley towards Fondo Li Gabbi, Scaredi and Cima della Laurasca, providing links to the mountain pastures and the Park’s cross-country routes. The valley floor is crossed by the Val Vigezzo cycle and footpath, which links Druogno, Santa Maria Maggiore, Malesco and Re.

Information

General information

Area: 43.24 km²

Altitude of the main town: 761 m

Highest point: 2,193 m – Cima della Laurasca

Population: 1,337 (as at 1 January 2025)

Name in the local dialect: Malesch

Name of inhabitants: Maleschesi

Patron saints: Saints Peter and Paul, celebrated on 29 June

Neighbouring municipalities: Cossogno – Craveggia – Re – Santa Maria Maggiore – Trontano – Valle Cannobina – Villette

Province: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy

Official website: https://www.comune.malesco.vb.it

Villages and hamlets: Finero, Zornasco