High above the western shore of Lake Maggiore, in a forest of chestnut and beech above the village of Ghiffa, a small sanctuary dedicated to the Holy Trinity looks out over the water to the hills of Lombardy. The Sacro Monte of Ghiffa began in the seventeenth century as a series of chapels along a path, each meant to illustrate a scene from sacred history for pilgrims, but it was never completed as planned. It is the smallest of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy listed by UNESCO in 2003, and its charm lies in its intimacy and its setting: a few chapels, a porticoed walkway and a church in the woods, with the lake shining below.
The area around Ghiffa is part of the Verbano, the stretch of Lake Maggiore between Verbania and Cannobio. The lake is famous for its gardens: the Borromean Islands, with their palaces and terraced gardens, are just south, and the Villa Taranto gardens in Verbania hold thousands of species of plants from all over the world. The mild climate allows camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and even citrus to flourish.
The riding here is varied and fun. The lake road, the SS34, runs along the shore from Verbania to Cannobio and the Swiss border, with views of the water and the mountains, but it is busy in summer and the villages slow you down. Better are the roads that climb into the hills behind the lake, such as the road up to Premeno and Pian di Sole, with hairpins, forests and great views, or the road from Cannobio into the Valle Cannobina, narrow and twisty, following a river through deep gorges. Watch out for gravel, leaves and other bikers on weekends.
Ghiffa is a small village with a few cafés, and Verbania, four kilometres away, has fuel, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. The lake towns are full of places to eat, from simple trattorias to elegant restaurants. Try lake fish, such as perch or whitefish, risotto with perch fillets or polenta with local cheese. In autumn, look for chestnuts roasted by the roadside, a perfect snack on a cool day.