Way of Oropa

• Length:

  62 km

• Stages:

  3 o 4

• Departure:

  Santhià

• Arrival:

  Oropa

• Theme:

  montano

The Cammino di Oropa della Serra was conceived in 2012 by Alberto Conte, president of the Movimento Lento Association and the Casa del Movimento Lento in Roppolo, who still personally supports and promotes it, collaborating with local associations, primarily the Association of Friends of Via Francigena in Santhià and with the Sanctuary of Oropa.

The path is marked with a yellow arrow on a black background indicating the direction of Oropa, and a black arrow on a yellow background indicating the opposite direction. A yellow band with the black logo of the Camino di Oropa is used as a confirmation marker or as a backing for sticky arrows.

Stage 1:
Santhià center
Palestrina Farm Oasis
Cascina Maresca Oasis
Cavaglià center
Roppolo, 57 Castle Street

Stage 2:
Viverone, via al castello 2-6
Zimone, village center
Magnano, village center

Stage 3:
Donato, 2B Martyrs of Liberty Street
Donato, church of San Rocco
Graglia-Sanctuary, at the Sanctuary of Graglia

Stage 4:
Graglia-Sanctuary, at the cemetery street park
Sordevolo, Mario Germano Street, 1
Sordevolo, Antonio Petiva Street (two fountains)
Sordevolo, via lawyer camillo vercellone 68

Bars, grocery stores, restaurants, and pharmacies:

Stage 1: In Santhià and Cavaglià present bars, supermarkets, restaurants and pharmacy;
in Roppolo present two restaurants, in Viverone present restaurants, pharmacy and convenience store.

Stage 2: In Zimone, Magnano and Torrazzo small grocery stores, in Zimone also present a pharmacy;

Stage 3: In Donato and Graglia small grocery stores, bars and pharmacies;

Stage 4: In Sordevolo, Favaro and Oropa small grocery stores , bars and pharmacies.

Reservation service:

The Slow Movement Association provides a reservation service at all facilities along the Trail and assistance to those who support the association (with a fee of €20, valid for one year).

By associating with Movimento Lento you contribute to the maintenance, signage, management and promotion of the trail, and to microeconomic and social development in the area. You will thus get 10 percent discount for overnight stays and restaurant meals, and you will receive a credential with gadgets of the walk for free (more details in the official website of the Walk).

Luggage transport service:

Present and at discounted prices for people who book through the Reservation Center (more details on the official Camino website).

Bike rental service:

To return to the starting point of the Camino, it is possible to rent a bicycle or e-bike (more details on the official Camino website).

Discounted prices for people who book through the Reservation Center.

Oropa walk as a group:

There are several official guides of the Camino di Oropa who organize guided group tours every year (more details on the official Camino website).

There are B&Bs, hostels, hotels and guesthouses at the Sanctuaries on the Oropa Trail.

To book nights, one can visit the ATL Biella website or make reservations with a single reservation at the Oropa Trail Reservation Center (more details on the official Trail website).

The Way of Oropa can be traveled with a Credential, the pilgrim’s passport, to be filled out with the stamps of the stage places, which allows you to obtain the Testimonium once you arrive in Oropa.

The Oropa Walk credential kit and gadget is complimentary for those who book through the Oropa Walk Reservation Center, while people who book independently can purchase it, after filling out this form, and pick it up at their starting point by paying €5.

Proceeds from the distribution of the credential are used by the Slow Movement Association APS to carry out the maintenance and promotion of the itinerary, and for the printing and distribution of the Testimonium.

The areas you pass through along the way are very quiet and you are always near a village. The path during the good season is quite busy and the telephone coverage is quite good, so it is also suitable for single walkers. There are no obvious dangers on the routes to be walked.

For people who want to walk the Cammino di Oropa della Serra in a tent, we recommend dividing it into 4 stages:

• In Roppolo, one can lean on the La Rocca campsite, which is located near Lake Viverone, approximately a 30-minute walk from the village.

• In Sala Biellese is the Future is Nature campground, a recreational campground;
  In Torrazzo, the Serra campsite.
• In Graglia there is a ‘camper area in the Sanctuary area or in the San Carlo area, where there is a space with benches and tables, drinking water and a toilet.
• There is no camping at Oropa, but overnight bivouac is still possible if the land is public.

In case of a 3-stage route, on Magnano there is possibility to set up tents at B&B Home, just before the village, while for Graglia and Oropa stages as reported above. Free bivouac in the area of the church of San Secondo, with drinking fountain a short distance from the church, before arriving in Magnano, just after the Monastery of Bose.

The pedestrian route of the Oropa Trail is unfortunately not accessible with wheelchairs, the ground is often uneven and in part on the trail there are several sections with steep inclines that can reach 12% on asphalt ground. The bike route is mostly on asphalt or on undemanding dirt roads, and it is generally accessible with an all-terrain wheelchair but only if equipped with electric traction. The stopover places in Magnano (Locanda del Borgo Antico) and the Foresteria del Santuario di Graglia have accessible rooms. In Magnano the bathroom is accessible but does not have a shower, only a bathtub. In Roppolo there are currently no accessible facilities.

The route was designed with special attention to people with visual impairments. There are no sections on busy roads, we have favored cart tracks and roads that allow two people to walk side by side, trying to avoid exposed sections, or those with stones and roots that would make walking difficult. On the last leg, however, we recommend taking the tramway variant.

Mail Oropa Walk Reservation Center: oropa@movimentolento.it