Frazioni alte di MOLLIA

Route description

The itinerary largely follows the Mollia Art Trail and is of both scenic and cultural interest. It is partly on a mule track, partly on a trail, and connects Mollia to its upper hamlets.

The trail begins at the entrance to the village of Mollia, 880m, where you take the beautiful mule track that first flanks and then crosses the Croso Mazzantone canal and shortly reaches the hamlet of Grampa, 956m. Without entering the hamlet, follow the carriage road to the left and pass the niche of San Defendente with ancient frescoes and, immediately after the stream, take the mule track to the left. Crossing the Croso della Piana on the left, you climb to the hamlet of Piana Fontana, 972m. This hamlet is the site of the Mulino Fucina ecomuseum, the Madonna del Carmine oratory and the chapel of Sant’Agata. You leave the hamlet and continue uphill through the woods to reach the picturesque Croso della Giara, and then through beech and chestnut woods to the hamlet Piana Viana, 1065m (in about 45 minutes) located at the highest point of the itinerary, with its characteristic oratory.

Still on a mule track, you descend a short distance to the hamlet Piana Toni, 992m, in the middle of a clearing where you can observe the oratory of the Madonna della Neve and a wooden house, “cà d’ torba,” a testimony to ancient architecture.
You then continue on a path through the woods, passing at the base of a rock wall, and enter an area of large boulders (Sass dal Diau) climbing up to the junction for the “Falesia Cuore” climbing area.
After a flat section, the trail descends into a pasture and comes out on the provincial road upstream from the village of Casa Capietto, opposite Otra Sesia, located on the opposite side of the river.

From here, crossing the Sesia River on the bridge and following the bike path on the right bank, you can easily return to the village of Mollia.

This is a route with modest elevation differences that can be ridden indifferently in both directions in approximately the same amount of time.