Tempting as it was to stock up on the pasticceria’s cakes, sauce jars and many-shaped pastas, I resisted. The Centovalli is a boon for walkers – trails wriggle from its stations, even out into Italy’s Val Grande National Park. With more limited time, I walked a simple loop, first up to the tight-knit hamlets of Crana and Buttogno – all painted houses and medieval alleys – and back via the forested valley floor. Snow peaks dazzled in the distance, and footpath signs led temptingly further afield… But I had a rail ride to complete. When I jumped back on, the train was virtually empty. I was able to sit where I liked – the right side being the best side, view-wise, now. I pulled down the windows and breathed in the forest as we continued at the same unhurried pace.
It was late afternoon when the Centovalli trundled into Domodossola. To make the most of the lovely light, I hotfooted up Mattarella Hill, following the cobbled devotional path of Sacro Monte Calvario. There’s been a castle here for millennia, built to defend the surrounding Alpine passes. Fragments remain, but now the mound is dominated by 15 chapels marking the stations of the cross. The Resurrection chapel, at the top, offered the best view. As I looked out, the sun was slipping behind the mountains, casting shadows. A few birds flittered. It was extremely peaceful.
Less tranquil was Domodossola’s main piazza. Having walked back down, I headed there, to find it was clearly aperitivo o’clock: pavement tables overspilled, glasses chinked, grissini crunched, pigeons swirled about the colourful facades, human hubbub swirled with them.
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Publish date : 2024-10-16 00:02:00
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The post Centovalli Line: Europe’s most dramatic rail journey first appeared on Love Europe.
Author : love-europe
Publish date : 2024-10-16 07:05:25
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