Directions
An easy stroll to discover the castle ruins and the surrounding hamlets. After leaving your car in Vergonzo, at the carpark near the junction to the castle, walk up following the signs along a scenic track that will quickly lead you to Castel Restor. The castle, erected in 1265 by Conti d’Arco (The Counts of Arco), is located at the foot of Mount S. Martino. Used as a fortress during the battles between the da Campo, the Lodron and the d’Arco familes, it fell into ruin in the XVIII century and now, all that is left of it is just a hint of its past. Just recently, restoration work has been carried out to preserve what remains of the castle. Today, we can still appreciate the structure of the granite tower, a water chamber, part of the interior walls and a section of the perimeter walls. After you walked back to the town, set off to discover the neighbouring villages with their small churches. Start at the nearby SS. Bartolomeo e Matteo church, just down from the carpark, which was built in the second half of the XVI century where previously a shrine was erected with frescoes presumably attributed to the Italian Baroque painter Baschenis. Walk down on the left to cross the main road and continue, still keeping on the left, towards Tignerone.
As you approach the village you will come to S. Giorgio’s church, rebuilt during the Renaissance, inside you will find important altars dedicated to S. Giorgio, S. Antonio da Padova and Santi Rocco e Sebastiano. Pass Tignerone and arrive in Cillà where a private chapel, dedicated to S. Francesco e S. Giacomo, has stood there since 1893. Once you've passed the church, the track continues on the left (follow the signs for “Biè – P. Arche”) winding through the countryside, where you will find the SS.Crocefisso shrine. Start a gentle descent into “Val di Biè” and then climb up the short ramp leading to the first houses of Biè. At the crossing, take the unpaved country lane on the left arriving shortly at S. Nicolò’s church. After the church, continue along the flat road through the crop fields until you reach the borough of Comighello. Cross the village and join Strada Provinciale N° 5 del Bleggio, keeping on the pavement on the right-hand side. A little further ahead, turn right and enter the road for Sesto. To appreciate the unique architecture of this village, walk along the main road all the way through the town, when you get to a small fountain turn left and walk up to join a road parallel to the previous one. Turn left again and walk under a bridge until you reach the main road, strada provinciale, where on the right, you will enter a small paved country road that will lead you back to Vergonzo.
