The Cistella MTB Tour is a 38-kilometer loop of extraordinary interest around Monte Cistella, the iconic mountain of Alta Ossola to which arcane and mysterious legends are linked: the witches of Cistella are still etched in the memory of Ossolans. The plateau was regarded with terror as “the grand ballroom of Messer lo Diavolo.”
It involves three municipalities in Alta Ossola (Varzo, Crodo, and Baceno). The route stretches along an existing network of agro-sylvo-pastoral and consortium trails and tracks.
The loop tour can be approached starting from two locations: San Domenico (municipality of Varzo), which can also be reached by public transport, or Foppiano (municipality of Crodo), which is not served by public transport but allows you to immediately tackle the most challenging section of the entire tour with fresh forces: the climb to the Colmine Pass.