Ranco, a little pearl on the Verbano among lake, art and nature

An itinerary among art, history, traditions and nature. After the Angerese experience, the widespread museum also arrives in Ranco, thanks to the initiative of the municipal administration. The stages that allow you to discover the heritage of the small town on the Verbano starting from the old town centre are twenty.

The starting point is the old town hall which housed not only the offices but also the primary school, which at the end of the 19th century had 112 students all managed by a single teacher. Gianni Rodari also taught here between 1940 and 1941. We then continue with the parish church, some views of the historic centre and the various devotional chapels that preserve some very interesting artistic evidence.

This is the case, for example, of the Madonna del Latte, a 16th century fresco on the façade of Casa Marzorati. The painting shows the Virgin Mary nursing Christ infant and behind her there is St. Joseph. The cult of the Madonna del Latte is very widespread in the territory and perhaps derives from ancient pagan devotions.

Among the stages most linked to local tradition is the one that leads to the discovery of fish farming, the historic station for the increase and development of the fish heritage of Lake Maggiore.

There are also several farmsteads that you can meet along the path of the diffuse museum. An itinerary that could only end in nature: between the paths and the greenery of the Bosco della Quassa and the beach of Sass Cavalasc, an erratic boulder that represents a true regional natural monument.