The Path of Saint-Charles (Cammino di San Carlo) is an historical, artistic and devotional route which follows the travels of saint Charles Borromeo from Arona, his native town, and Viverone, where the path joins the Via Francigena.
The 200 km may be divided in twelve stages for walkers and in four stages for bikers.
This path is one of the most important ways of CoEur - In the heart of European paths.
The birth of the path is due to a research made about saint Charles and his passages in northern Piedmont and of the Biellese territory in particular. This research [1] allowed to trace the numerous transits of Borromeo through the valleys of Biella. We also have proofs of his presence in this area thanks to the many consecration of altars and churches between 1610 and 1640, year of his canonization.
Saint Charles passed through the northern Piedmont many times throughout his pilgrimages and his travels. Many places have trace of his transit and we also have information thanks to his letters.
In 1571, 1578 and 1584, he visited the Sacro Monte di Varallo in order to check its construction. He also stopped there during his many travels between Milan and Turin in order to visit the Shroud of Turin.
In September 1584, Saint Charles was in the Biellese territory in order to visit a relative of his, the marquis Besso Ferrero Fieschi of Masserano, who was sick. After leaving Masserano, Charles went to Vercelli and afterwards to Turin, to visit the Shroud. He went back to Biella on 10 October, when the marquis Besso died. The next day, the saint went to Masserano to minister the burial.
The day after he left for Varallo, where he arrived on 12 October. He stayed there until 29 October and, despite his malaria, he left for Switzerland to sign a document, and afterwards he went back to Milan, where he died on 3 November.
The path connects five world heritage UNESCO sites.
Along the way there are many nature parks and natural reserves.
Biella is a city and comune (municipality) in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about 80 kilometres northeast of Turin and at about the same distance west-northwest of Milan.
Arona is a town and comune on Lake Maggiore, in the province of Novara. Its main economic activity is tourism, especially from Milan, France and Germany.
The Sacri Montiof Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century. They are dedicated to various aspects of the Christian faith and are considered of great beauty by virtue of the skill with which they have been integrated into the surrounding natural landscape of hills, forests and lakes. They also house important artistic materials in the form of wall paintings and statuary. In 2003, they were named as a World Heritage Site.
Orta San Giulio is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Turin and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Novara. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
The Sacred Mountain of Varallo is a Sacro Monte overlooking the town of Varallo Sesia in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the oldest Sacro Monte, founded in 1491 by Franciscan friar Bernardino Caimi. It is built on a natural terrace on the rocky slopes of Monte Tre Croci, on the left bank of the Sesia river where it leaves Val Mastallone. It is 600 m above sea level, 150 m above the historic centre of Varallo.
The Sacro Monte di Oropa is a Roman Catholic devotional complex in the province of Biella, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is one of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The Diocese of Biella is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy, in the Piedmont region. The diocese was established in 1772. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli. Biella is a city in Piedmont, 42 km (25 mi) northwest of Vercelli.
The Banchette sanctuary devoted to the Virgin Mary situated in the Banchette hamlet, in the comune of Bioglio, near the village of Pettinengo.
The Sacro Monte di Varese is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont which were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003. It has an altitude of 807 metres above sea level.
Santuario della Brugarola is a sanctuary in Ailoche, Province of Biella in the Italian region of Piedmont. It was built in 1722 and dedicated to the Madonna d'Oropa.
The Sanctuary of Oropa is a group of Roman Catholic buildings and structures in Oropa, frazione of the municipality of Biella, Italy. It is located at a height of 1,159 metres in a small valley of the Alpi Biellesi.
CoEur is a Christian devotional and hiking route in Italy and Switzerland. Its Italian subtitle, Nel cuore dei cammini d'Europa, translates as "In the heart of Europe's paths".
The Sacro Monte di Graglia is one of the numerous devotional places around the Italian Alps and it houses the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Loreto, one of the four major sanctuaries of the Biellese territory. Set in the Valle Elvo at 690 m on the sea level, the sanctuary is built near the Lauretana water industry.
The Sacro Monte del Santuario di San Giovanni Battista d'Andorno is the Sacro Monte built around a sanctuary in the Cervo Valley above the village of Campiglia Cervo, at an altitude of 1020 meters. It is the only sanctuary devoted to Saint John in Italy and probably in Europe.
The Mazzucco Sanctuary is a sanctuary devoted to Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary and Bernard of Menthon.
The Nostra Signora della Brughiera is a sanctuary devoted to the Virgin Mary in the town of Trivero in northern Italy.
The Cavallero sanctuary devoted to Saint Mary of the Snow. It is set at 543 m height near the Sessera river in the municipality of Coggiola.
The Moglietti sanctuary is a sanctuary devoted to Our Lady of Graces in the comune of Coggiola.
The Sacro Monte di Arona, devoted to Charles Borromeo, is part of the Sacri Monti built in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is located in the territory of the town of Arona, province of Novara, region of Piedmont, Italy.
Giovanni Antonio Salvatore Orgiazzi, also called Antonio il Vecchio, was an Italian painter active mainly in the Valselsia, including at Varallo and Vercelli.