- OSSOLA  VALLEY ITALIAN ALPS TOURS

Garden of the Alps. A land where natural and artistic hidden treasures compete for attention. The land of the Lepontii, where prehistoric man left his mark: this is Ossola Valley.

Ossola Valley corresponds to the northen end of Piedmont. It' s a land wedged between lake Maggiore and the German-speaking part of Switzerland dominated by majestic mountains  whose tops are over 3 000 metres high. Queen of Ossola is Mount Rosa, the second highest mountain in western Europe, 15 200 feet high. Often referred to as "Garden of the Alps" owing to its unspoilt green areas such as Veglia / Devero  Park, the upper part of Formazza Valley and the numerous alpine pastures, Ossola Valley offers several natural wonders. Chief town of Ossola is Domodossola, an attractive town dotted with historical buildings, which has an elevation of 268 metres. From there one can quickly reach higheraltitudes in the seven side valleys (Anzasca, Antrona, Bognanco, Divedro, Antigorio, Formazza and Vigezzo). In Formazza Valley are the spectacular Toce Falls that drop 143 metres, considered by many to be the most beautiful and impressive in Europe. In the 15th century there was a big rivalry between Ossola and the near Wallis canton. The Helvetians intended to conquer Ossola that was actually invaded several times. Finally, in 1487 the big and decisive battle of Crevola took place near Domodossola and on that occasion the Helvetians were badly defeated.

During World War II  the partisans' battles led to the establishment of a temporary partisan governement, known as "The Free Republic of Ossola", the most important in Italy at that time (1944), officially recognized by the Allies. Another  unfortunate, tragic event occurred in Domodossola on 23rd September 1910: Geo Chavez was the first aviator who flew over the Alps. He flew a Blériot XI monoplane and his trans-Alpine flight over the Simplon Pass was successful but his plane crashed upon landing on a field near the town of Domodossola  and Chavez died four days later.