This picturesque region northwest of Lake Orta makes for a splendid day's drive. West out of Omegna, 14km of winding valley road follows a deep river gorge, the Torrente Strona, on a verdant, meandering course northwest to the settlement of Forno (850m). The object of the trip is essentially to take in the scenery, which becomes more dramatic the higher you climb. Keep your eyes open for majestic spring waterfalls and snowcapped mountains (most of the year) in the background.
From Forno, a 3km track leads west to the Campello Monti, mountain pasture land that was inhabited in the 13th century by the Walser community. The Walsers, speakers of a German dialect from the Upper Valais area of southern Switzerland, migrated to various parts of southern Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy during the Middle Ages. In the 13th century they arrived here. To this day, they maintain their dialect and a scattering of their traditional timber farmhouses.
