Sacro Monte di Varallo

The site is a hilltop devotional complex near Varallo in Piedmont, Italy, established in the late 15th century as a representation of the Holy Land. It is one of the historic Sacri Monti of northern Italy and combines multiple chapels, a basilica and outdoor devotional routes.

The Sacro Monte was begun in the late 15th century by Franciscan initiative to recreate scenes from the Holy Land; construction and decoration continued through the 16th and 17th centuries. Artists and workshops associated with the site, notably Gaudenzio Ferrari and his followers, executed many of the painted cycles and statuary that give the site its distinctive narrative tableaux.

The site sits above the town of Varallo (Varallo Sesia) in the Valsesia valley of Piedmont, on a wooded hillside overlooking the town. It is in northern Piedmont, roughly northeast of Turin and serves as a landmark within the local alpine foothills.

• UNESCO listing: Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy in 2003.
• Principal artist: Artistic highlights include extensive work by Gaudenzio Ferrari and his workshop, visible in painted scenes and sculpted figures across the chapels.

What to See #

• Chapel complex: Groupings of chapels and scenes climb a wooded hillside along a marked devotional path that culminates at the upper sanctuary. Many chapels contain life-size polychrome statuary and painted backdrops arranged as staged biblical episodes.
• Basilica / Sanctuary: A basilica and sanctuary sit at the focal point of the site and house major altarpieces and larger devotional spaces dating from the Renaissance and later periods.