Sacro Monte Calvario Botanic - Agricultural Garden
Sacro Monte Calvario is a complex of historical, cultural, and religious interest which was born in the 17th century. It has been representing for centuries an important religious center thanks to the presence of the imposing Via Crucis which, leaving from Domodossola plateau, leads to the top of Colle di Mattarella, developing in various stations architecturally organized through a series of chapels. According to historical evidences and to the accounts recently given by some Rosminiani fathers, the religious that inhabited the structure had annexed lands to the architectural complex. These lands were used both for agricultural and ornamental purposes (gardens). As witnessed by photopostcards of the early 20th century, the lands with agricultural purposes were cultivated with vine, fruit trees, fodder and vegetables. The football field, obtained in the 1930s by levelling the outcropping rocks with dynamite, was used during the last World War to cultivate potatoes. The past agricultural use of the area surrounding Colle Mattarella is highlighted by the presence of terracing, some of which well-preserved and others in a bad state of conservation.
