Miasino a place to discover
Among the major monuments present on the territory of the Town of Miasino, Villa Nigra is to be necessarily mentioned, a wonderful example of aristocratic country residence, among the most beautiful of all the Cusio. Originally Casa Martinelli, the Villa is structured in three sections, of which the central part, with its sight on Piazza Beltrami, where the town hall is located, dates back to the end of ‘500. The central part is of the following century, whereas the south wing is of ‘700, with the orangery and the tower, built as designed by Architect G.A. Martelli. The following restoration was accomplished at the start of the XXth century by Architect Carlo Nigra, from Turin, who became the landlord of the Villa that now is called after him. Nowadays the Villa is owned by the Town of Miasino that allows to use some rooms for exhibitions and concerts.
Located at the top of the hamlet that it overlooks from its immensity and majesty. Dedicated to the Saint from Montpellier (France), it was declared national monument and was built in 1566 on the remains of a roman chapel. In 1627, in accordance with the design of the Milan Architect Richini, it was extended. The present façade was made in 1933 in accordance with the design of Architect Carlo Nigra, using the white granite of Alzo and the stone of Oira. The interior of the church is rich in baroque art pieces of remarkable fashion, as well as of paintings of leading artists, as Giorgio Bonola, G.C. Procaccini, Giuseppe Zanatta and G.B. Cantalupi.
The small hamlet of Pisogno has its pearl, besides Piazza San Carlo – recently embellished by the new floor and with at the centre the statue of the saint- the parish church dedicated to San Gottardo. Built in baroque style in ‘500, it was at the time a simple chapel that was completely transformed the following century in accordance with the design of Architect Andrea Biffi. The great prestige of the fresco on the wall of the chorus, representing a « gallery of Saints », is due to Fermo Stella da Caravaggio. The fascinating little church of the Crucifix at the « castello » can be reached through a stairway along a Via Crucis of ‘700. The little church overlooks Pisogno and with the jubilee year it resumed an old tradition : every 25 years, the day before the feast of the Crux Exaltation (in September), the parish members bring the statue of the Crucifix in a procession to the parish church of San Gottardo, then they take it solemnly to the Castle the day after. In the past the traditional transfer occurred every 50 years. Every 5 years, instead, the same procedure occurs for the statue of Madonna Addolorata, whose feast is on the day after the one of the Crux Exaltation.
In the hamlet of Carcegna, called « the Riviera » for its ideal exposure to the sun as a porch on the Cusio, the Parish Church dedicated to Saint Peter is remarkable for its architectural qualities. Built in ‘600 in accordance with the design of Architect Andrea Biffi, the parish was built on the foundation of an earlier roman church, already documented in 1217 among the chapels of the Pieve of Orta. The traces of this earlier building are partially visible in the foundation of the bell tower– leaning – and in the semi-circular apse. Inside, there are prestigious frescos of ‘700 of L. Rossetti and S. Bianchi, an icon of Scaramuzza and two large paintings of Luigi Garzi and Giorgio Bonola. Noticeably in the historic center of Carcegna there is a votive chapel decorated with a mutilated fresco of Tommaso de Cagnola dating back to 1400 that the local administration introduced in the wider project of recovery of these monuments.