The history of Macugnaga

Macugnaga, a splendid alpine town at 1,327 m above sea level recognised as a “Bandiera arancione” village by the Touring Club Italiano, fills you with amazement and wonder in every season.

Situated in the Anzasca Valley, at the foot of the majestic east wall of Monte Rosa, the town of Macugnaga consists of the characteristic municipal districts of Stabioli, Pestarena, Fornarelli, Isella, Motta, Quarazza, Borca, Staffa and Pecetto, each with its unique features.

The original name of Macugnaga is “Z’Makana”, in the Walser language: Titsch. The first settlement dates back to the second half of the 13^th century, the work of the Walser, a population coming from the Swiss Saas Valley. Establishing themselves in the upper part of the Anzasca Valley, as well as in other Ossolano towns, having traversed the Monte Moro pass, the Walser would have found an ideal place for flourishing sheep herding and agricultural activities in the vast glacial basin of Macugnaga.

Macugnaga also boasts a great mountaineering history linked, above all, to the famous east wall of Monte Rosa, the highest in the Alps. With its 2,600 metres of height and a width of approximately three kilometres, the wall is the only one in the Alps with Himalayan dimensions.