Recognized by UNESCO on 5th September 2013, the "Sesia Val Grande" GeoPark is located in the north-western part of Piedmont, stretching from Lake Maggiore, on the border with Switzerland, up to Mount Rosa, on the border with the Aosta Valley. A national park (Val Grande) and two regional parks (Alta Valsesia and Monte Fenera) stretch over a territory covering four provinces (Verbano Cusio Ossola, Biella, Novara and Vercelli). Its geological importance is linked to the formation processes of the Alps that have deformed the earth's crust so much that the deepest parts have been allowed to emerge. Here we find one of the most spectacular sections of the earth's crust, within which it is even possible to see the feeding system of a super volcano fossil, seen from the most superficial rocks of the crater up to 25 km in depth.
All the characteristics of the territory are deeply linked to its geology: the extraordinary presence of different types of rocks, the diversity of the forms of the landscape, the great altitudinal excursion that determines a great variety of different environments and living forms. The latter has inevitably also influenced the life of man: the development of culture and traditions is closely linked to the territory, from the Palaeolithic period up to the present day, including also that extraordinary example of the close connection between man and the environment constituted by the Walser population. Further evidence of the GeoPark’s naturalistic and cultural importance is the presence of numerous protected natural areas and of the three Sacred Mounts of Varallo, Domodossola and Ghiffa, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
