The "Antrona Route" and the Valais
About
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | La Strada Antronesca (C0) |
| Start Point | Villadossola (mt. 273) |
| End Point | Passo di SAAS (mt.2839) |
| Time travel | Salita (11h 50') - Discesa (8h 25') |
| Degree of difficulty | (E) Itinerario Escursionistico |
| Recommended period | I° Tratto: Primavera / Autunno II° Tratto: in Estate |
| Features | Tipologia: Sentiero Ambiente: Boschi Prati Morfologia: Mezzacosta Frequentazione: Poco Frequentato Segnaletica: Buono Situazione Fondo: Boscato Acqua sul Percorso: Scarsa |
| Information | Sezione C.A.I. Villadossola - Tel. 0324.575245 Comunità Montana - Tel. 0324.51856 Soccorso Alpino Generale Tel. 118 - Villadossola Tel. 0324.575377 |
Since ancient times the Antrona route was frequented by travellers passing from the Antrona to the Saas valley, through the Antrona or the Saas pass, therefore for travelling from the Ossola to the Valais, linking up Villadossola to Visp.
Of high importance is the finding of a Roman age coin in a stopping place right below the pass).
This route never reached in importance the one of the Sempione pass, protected by the govemments of the State of Milan and of the Valais. Nevertheless many attempts were made to keep the Antrona route practicable and to increase the transit of goods.
The main problem was obviously that of the maintenance, as reported in a document of 1454 telling about a meeting of the delegates from the Antrona and the Saas valleys that had been called dose to the S.Bartolomeo church of Saas Grund.
During the C16 the yearly cattie fair was moved to Villadossola. This fact presumably implies that in the C15 and the C16 this route had been kept practicable.
From the Valais mostly cattie and woollen clothware was imported, while the Ossola exported wine, ironware and handicrafts. Moreover, there was the export trade of salt. But the Sempione route was important especially because it linked Lombardy to Burgundy, therefore favouring the big international trades.
Domodossola, having stopping places, food supply facilities and toll houses, made considerable profits out of this commerce. A detour of the trading stream toward the Antrona valley would have seriously affected the economy of Domodossola to the advantage of Vogogna and Villadossola.
The landslide of 1642 blocked the trade and only after 1700, the Antrona people together with Vogogna planned to resume the trading activity along the Antrona route.
But in 1719 the supremacy of Domodossola caused the final stop, decided by Senator Paolo Silva, of the maintenance works on this route and consequently even more impoverished this valley.
Only in 1878 a consortium was formed by royal decree with the aim to build the new road of the Antrona valley. The road was opened in 1883. Some stretches of the old layout are still visible the best kept stretch runs from the Cingino lake up to the pass. Some stopping places are visible, like the one at the pass and the one at the Alpe Saler.
Of high importance is the finding of a Roman age coin in a stopping place right below the pass).
This route never reached in importance the one of the Sempione pass, protected by the govemments of the State of Milan and of the Valais. Nevertheless many attempts were made to keep the Antrona route practicable and to increase the transit of goods.
The main problem was obviously that of the maintenance, as reported in a document of 1454 telling about a meeting of the delegates from the Antrona and the Saas valleys that had been called dose to the S.Bartolomeo church of Saas Grund.
During the C16 the yearly cattie fair was moved to Villadossola. This fact presumably implies that in the C15 and the C16 this route had been kept practicable.
From the Valais mostly cattie and woollen clothware was imported, while the Ossola exported wine, ironware and handicrafts. Moreover, there was the export trade of salt. But the Sempione route was important especially because it linked Lombardy to Burgundy, therefore favouring the big international trades.
Domodossola, having stopping places, food supply facilities and toll houses, made considerable profits out of this commerce. A detour of the trading stream toward the Antrona valley would have seriously affected the economy of Domodossola to the advantage of Vogogna and Villadossola.
The landslide of 1642 blocked the trade and only after 1700, the Antrona people together with Vogogna planned to resume the trading activity along the Antrona route.
But in 1719 the supremacy of Domodossola caused the final stop, decided by Senator Paolo Silva, of the maintenance works on this route and consequently even more impoverished this valley.
Only in 1878 a consortium was formed by royal decree with the aim to build the new road of the Antrona valley. The road was opened in 1883. Some stretches of the old layout are still visible the best kept stretch runs from the Cingino lake up to the pass. Some stopping places are visible, like the one at the pass and the one at the Alpe Saler.
Tratto da:
"La Strada Antronesca - Scheda n°4" Anno 2001
C.A.I. Sezione di Villadossola /
Comunità Montana Valle Antrona
Attachments
- Percorso[.docx 13,11 Kb - 10/04/2017]