The main (some would say, only) reason for stopping in Ghiffa, a blip of a village 4km northeast of Verbania, is to make a pilgrimage 3km inland and uphill (by road – a stone-paved walking trail is a little shorter and steeper) to the Sacro Monte della Santissima Trinità. This holy mount was laid out in the mid-17th century but apparently was not completed.
The lovely tree-filled sanctuary, including its church and a couple of chapels (not to mention the handy restaurant), is sited within a small nature reserve and provides a balcony view over Lake Maggiore below (albeit partly obscured by the thick foliage). One chapel on the walking path (about 100m away) was completed but, presumably, a series of them, running all the way downhill, was originally planned.
