Glimpses of Valsesia. A Motorbike Weekend in Scopello and Alagna

When July arrives and the temperatures start to rise, we feel an irrepressible need to go somewhere cool. And now that we have the sidecar, nobody can stop us anymore.

We decide to go to Valsesia, a mountain area very close to us and for this reason often relegated to a mere destination for Sunday day trips. We book a place for the night, ready, set, go.

SATURDAY 4 JULY 2020 - SCOPELLO In the morning the four of us set off from the province of Varese: my husband Max and I on the sidecar, my daughter Clarissa on her Harley, and Davide, her boyfriend. At Gallarate we take the motorway as far as Romagnano Sesia, stopping for breakfast at the Agogna Ovest service area on the A26. From Romagnano onwards, the lovely landscapes typical of Valsesia begin: watercourses, bridges, small waterfalls and lots of greenery. Already the air feels cooler and more breathable and, with the reflection of the sun, the river and the canals look like silver ribbons unrolled over the meadows. We have booked accommodation in Scopello, the Albergo Rosetta, a medium-sized hotel, family-run and recently renovated.

We arrive in Scopello shortly after midday. The rooms are already ready and the very kind family of owners hands us the keys. The rooms assigned to us are spacious enough; in particular Clarissa and Davide's room has a large wooden balcony where you can sit to admire the mountain scenery. For lunch we settle on a covered terrace of the hotel and have some boards of typical cold cuts and cheeses brought to us, accompanied, to the delight of Max and Davide, by a fragrant onion preserve.

We rest a little in the room and around 16.30 we get back on the motorbikes to head towards Alagna, about 20 km from Scopello. The connecting road between the two places is wide and not at all winding. The landscape is breathtaking, with the Sesia river flowing alongside and a succession of bridges, small waterfalls and picturesque views.

We never tire of watching the small rapids of the river that create emerald-coloured pools which, in the sunlight, take on an even more intense hue. Alagna is a cheerful little town, a renowned ski resort, as well as the main centre of the Val Grande del Sesia. We park and take a walk through the central streets. It's Saturday afternoon and there are quite a lot of people. The bar's outdoor tables in the little central square are all taken and the queues at the artisanal gelateria are endless. So we get back on the motorbikes and return to Scopello.

Once we arrive, we go to the main attraction of Scopello: the lovely covered wooden bridge, adorned with red geraniums. At first we admire it from a distance, positioning ourselves on the bridge in the village centre, since the best way to observe it is to have the view from one bridge to the other. Then we cross it on foot, walking on the floor made of wooden planks.

We return to the hotel to change for dinner, while Clarissa and Davide stop at the Bistrot Cervo for an aperitif with which they declare themselves very satisfied.

The dinner included in the half board is very simple. Perhaps too simple. The cooking is excessively homely and the choice of dishes rather limited. Basically you eat the same things we could have prepared ourselves at home. However, this is the only flaw we found in the hotel we chose. After dinner we return to the very nearby Cervo Bistrot for coffee and a digestive. We sit outdoors even though the evening is rather cool, so much so that I even wear the light jacket I brought with me.

SUNDAY 5 JULY 2020: ALAGNA AND BACK Waking up early in a little mountain village is always a magnificent experience; after all, it's well known that in the morning the mountains give their best. You lean out of the window and see the mountains lit by the sun, the village streets already lively with always-early-rising people, and the sound of the bells as a backdrop to all of this. The breakfast at the Albergo Rosetta is more than decent, with a good choice of cold cuts and cheeses, a tall and very soft cake, tart, croissants and more. Then, without haste, we leave the hotel and head once again towards Alagna. We want to revisit calmly some views we noticed quickly the previous day and take a few more photos. First stop at the old stone bridge on the edge of Scopello, which can be crossed on foot.

Then, along the way, you pass through some characteristic centres such as Campertogno, awarded in 2017 as a "Flowered Municipality", and Riva Valdobbia, a quiet spot with traces of the ancient Walser community, from which you enjoy the best view of Monte Rosa.

Arriving in Alagna we are astonished by the chaos of Sunday holidaymakers that we find: cars parked in every gap, crazed hikers escaped from the cages of lockdown, ready to climb anywhere like grazing goats, and tourists crammed together to take a shuttle that will carry them who knows where, in defiance of social distancing. At that point we declare ourselves satisfied with our high-altitude weekend and set off for home, oxygenated by the fresh air in body and spirit. Amen. DANI, MAX, CLA AND DAVIDINO