The first four rooms narrate the art in Valsesia from the fifteenth to the sixteenth century.
The oldest works document the influences from across the Alps filtered into Upper Valsesia through the Walser and the establishment of Lombard culture in the lower valley.
The founding of Sacro Monte brings about a new modernity: from here come sculptures and frescoes that testify to the origins of the construction site.
At Sacro Monte, Gaudenzio Ferrari took his first steps, leaving masterpieces in Varallo such as the tramezzo of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the chapels of the Crucifixion and the Arrival of the Magi. The museum preserves frescoes and panels from the artist’s early years.
From Gaudenzio Ferrari, we move on to his students, Bernardino Lanino and Fermo Stella from Caravaggio, who keep his legacy alive in the territory. Among the works are paintings from ancient chapels of Sacro Monte that have been destroyed.