BACK TO OASI ZEGNA. BE ASTONISHED

Having left Trivero Valdilana, only a few kilometers away, we come to the picturesque Conca dei Rododendri (Rhododendron Bowl), where it’s well worth stopping for a walk amidst the silence and multitude of colors of the flowers. What a thrill it will be to feel the uniqueness and magnificence of the place and be surprised by the colors and fragrances, a butterfly fluttering and then alighting on a leaf. A real treat, after such a long wait, to breathe in deep, contemplate and reflect. 

At kilometer 7 along the Panoramica Zegna, we come to one of those unforgettable places. From here, it’s a mere 30-minute walk along the path leading to the Santuario di San Bernardo, on top of Monte Rubello, to get a 360° view across the Ligurian Apennines, the Alps and the plains of the Po Valley. It’s important to take your time and allow eyes and mind to get used to so much beauty, the harmony between natural landscape and human intervention, agriculture and mountains, buildings and vegetation. 

Back on the main road, it’s only a few kilometers to Bielmonte, which Ermenegildo Zegna built as a mountain resort for the people of the Biella area. From here you can take the single-seat chairlift to Rifugio Monte Marca and its wonderfully sunny panoramic terraces. Or stop at Albergo Ristorante Bucaneve for a relaxing lunch and enjoy the delicious creations of chef Ernesto Tonetto. 

After Bielmonte, you come to Bocchetto Sessera, where you can take the path for the Forest of Smiles and breathe in the pure and scented air, embrace the trunks to absorb their vital energy and feel you are part of the whole. This return to nature will be uplifting, an experience – spiritual elation accompanying physical sensations – to remember and treasure. Things you’ve never done, maybe always put off, apparently simple and obvious, like a walk, an excursion, will now seem like a reward. For one of the most pressing desires over the last few weeks has been that of immersion in nature, especially for those stuck in the narrow confines of a flat in town, where only the lucky few have the consolation of a balcony or green space to hand. 

Visiting the Forest of Smiles is also a good opportunity, if you have time, to press on into a wilder area, the Upper Valsessera, with paths (also bikable) to the alpine grazing grounds and to Rifugio Piana del Ponte, where you can try their homemade polenta, cakes and bread (call first to check availability).

Their culinary delights are even more intense after a good walk (a little over 30 minutes from Bocchetto Sessera on path F10). Completely different but no less interesting is the section of the Panoramica Zegna beyond Bocchetto Sessera, going down towards Biella. Here, in Valle Cervo, lovers of alpine scenarios will find glacially modelled syenite landscapes and little towns overlooked by time. 

Oasi Zegna awaits you, whatever your particular desire or ideas of nature or beauty.