The best cycling routes around Crevoladossola

The name of the chapel is S. Gaudenzio, Sculptures are by Giancarlo Sangregorio (My oncle).

Worth the visit, the hike, and the trip. A unique monument, definitely worth a visit with plenty of time.

Rosswald lies on a relatively narrow ridge at 1,800 meters, high above Brig. The paved road ends in the center of the village, around which many chalets nestle. Two restaurants (Parkplatz and Adler) directly in the village and two more just outside (Fleschboden and Bortelhütte) offer stunning views of the Rhone Valley and the Bernese Alps opposite, inviting visitors to stop for a break before or after their ascent. As early as the 1950s, this sun-drenched village was made accessible by cable car. The artificial lake just above Rosswald is a popular spot, used in winter for artificial snowmaking on the ski slopes and in summer as a rest area. Several official mountain bike routes also pass through Rosswald, such as the Valais Panorama Bike (Route 81) and the Rosswald Bike Route 780.

"Kaspar Stockalper (* 14 July 1609 in Brig; † 29 April 1691 ibid) was a Swiss entrepreneur and politician. He invested the large dowry that his fiancée Magdalena Zumbrunn brought into the marriage in the expansion of the mule track over the pass, today Via Stockalper. He also organised the transport of goods and people over the Simplon. He managed to keep the pass out of the chaos of war, he made himself useful to both sides and expanded his influence in the Valais. His second marriage - Magdalena Zumbrunn died after three years - to Cäcilia von Riedmatten consolidated his position. In addition to the monopoly on larch resin, tinder fungus and snails, which were particularly sought after in France, Stockalper secured the monopoly on the transport of goods over the Simplon and, as a crowning achievement in 1648, the salt monopoly. He continued to increase his wealth through speculation and trade. He ensured that his family became related to other influential Valais families, whom he helped to advance in their careers and thereby created dependencies. He distributed offices and money in a calculating manner. At the French court he exchanged mercenaries and loans for trading privileges, acquired the assets of insolvent debtors and maintained his own mines in which he mined iron, lead, copper and gold. Among other things, he owned the Gondo gold mine, the old hospice on the Simplon Pass and the Stockalper Tower in Gondo as well as other extensive properties from Milan to Lyon. The backbone of his power continued to be the Simplon Pass with its bridges, customs stations, warehouses, inns and the Stockalper Canal, which, however, was not destined for long-term success. His trading empire stretched from the Adriatic to the English Channel and from southern Spain to northern Germany." (Source: Wikipedia)

An interesting building from a trading empire of the Baroque period, which you should at least take a little time to see, despite the quick descent from the Simplon Pass: "The Stockalper Tower in Gondo in the canton of Valais in Switzerland was built between 1666 and 1685 by Kaspar von Stockalper. It stands at the entrance to the Gondo Gorge. The entire transport of goods by the muleteers, which developed on the Stockalper Trail between Valais and Italy, passed by the Stockalper Tower. The Stockalper Tower was a warehouse and transshipment point for the goods that Stockalper had transported in large quantities over the pass. The muleteers found accommodation and supplies in the tower. In later years the tower served as a workshop, shop and warehouse. During the Alpine flood disaster on October 14, 2000, about half of the tower was torn away by a landslide; 13 people lost their lives in Gondo. With the help of the Swiss population, various institutions and the Stockalper Tower Foundation, it was possible to repair the collapsed part. of the five-story Stockalper Tower and to renovate the entire building." (Source: Wikipedia)

Imposing church in Baceno

Architecture At the center of the Romanesque stone façade of the monumental Church of San Gaudenzio stands the portal, surmounted by a rose window and flanked by the large fresco of San Cristoforo, painted in 1542. At the entrance, the breadth of the basilica church is highlighted, with five naves, divided by four series of different columns and characterized by a markedly sloping floor, composed of slabs of serizzo. The difference in height between the beginning of the nave and the base of the steps of the presbytery is about 90 centimeters. The side naves are made up of ten splendidly frescoed transepts; in addition to the imposing ciborium of the main altar, seven side altars dedicated respectively to: San Rocco, San Giovanni Battista, Santa Vittoria, the Blessed Virgin Mary, San Pietro, Sant'Antonio Abate and San Carlo Borromeo enrich the Church of San Gaudenzio. The oldest and most artistically valuable part of the building is the Chapel of the Madonna (now of the Rosary), built in 1326; it is located in the nave to the right of the altar, and its wonderful frescoes are dedicated to the life of Mary. In the presbytery, on the right, there is the large Crucifixion (1542), a work by Antonio Zanetti known as Bugnate, below the figures of Adam and Eve, while on the barrel vault the seven-headed dragon of the Apocalypse is depicted; the transept of the presbytery is enclosed by three arches finely frescoed with prophets and sibyls. At the end of the eastern nave you can admire the sixteenth-century Baptistery consisting of a pedestal in white Crevoladossola marble surmounted by a wooden ciborium containing the baptismal font. To the west of the church in 1628 the chapel of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament was erected, today used as a winter chapel and intended to guard the Blessed Sacrament. The bell tower from 1522, 50 meters high, the 'new' sacristy and the wooden choir behind the high altar, dating back to the end of the 17th century. The architecture of the church is completed by the beautiful organ of Swiss-Valais manufacture by the organ builders Carlent and Walpen dating back to the first half of the 19th century.

MONUMENTAL CHURCH OF SAN GAUDENZIO IN BACENO ** TIMES FOR VISITING THE CHURCH From Monday to Saturday: morning, from 09.00 to 12.00 afternoon, from 15.00 to 17.30 Sunday and holidays: morning, from 09.00 to 10.15 afternoon, from 14.30 to 17.15 For group visits with a guide, arrange by calling 0324 / 62045 – (Elena, Albergo Vecchio Scarpone, tel. 0324 62023 for booking guided tours). BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH The first documents that testify to the existence of a primitive chapel date back to the early 1000s. In fact, Bascapè, bishop of Novara from 1593 to 1615, in his book "Novaria Sacra", highlights a document about the existence in Baceno of a "cappellam" donated to the canons of S. Maria di Novara by Gualberto, bishop of Novara from 1032 to 1039. The rectangular chapel was located where the presbytery is currently located. Built in Lombard Romanesque, it was dedicated to S. Gaudenzio, the first bishop of Novara (337-417). The first expansion dates back to between the 12th and 13th centuries. Since there was not enough space, the orientation was changed, north-south, building the part that is now the central nave (including the two aisles) and the Romanesque façade between the two pilasters. In 1326, where the access to the original chapel was located, the cleric Signebaldo de Baceno son of Giacomo erected the chapel of the Madonna. As Christianity spread more and more among the people of Antigorio, the need was felt for a new expansion and embellishment of the church with the addition of the current side naves. The occasion was given in 1486 by the marriage of Bernardino de Baceno, imperial vassal of Antigorio and Formazza, with the noblewoman Ludovica Trivulzio, daughter of Antonio Trivulzio, representative of the Duke of Milan in Ossola. Towards the end of the 15th century, work began on the construction of the side naves, thus highlighting the Gothic style, and at the same time the frescoes were painted, which were completed only in 1542 with the large Crucifixion on the right wall of the presbytery. Starting from the last decade of the 16th century, as a consequence of the new norms dictated by the Council of Trent, the interior of the church was subjected to new interventions that significantly modified its structure, with the consequent result that the Baroque was added to the Romanesque and Gothic.