La Pietra Racconta
The cultural festival of granite between Baveno and Mergozzo, on Lake Maggiore
About La Pietra Racconta
A festival that makes stone speak
In Baveno, an elegant village on Lake Maggiore in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Piedmont), stone is more than just scenery: it is identity. The famous pink granite of Baveno and the marble of Candoglia have built churches, palaces, and even the Milan Cathedral. La Pietra Racconta was created specifically to give voice to this history through a widespread cultural festival that unites the towns of Baveno and Mergozzo in a single great journey of exhibitions, meetings, music, and excursions.
The 2026 tenth-anniversary themes
In 2026, the festival celebrates its tenth edition, tinged with the warm colors of fire. There are two main threads for the year:
- Fire to the Powder — an exhibition and a series of meetings dedicated to the history of the powder mills and the large mines used to extract granite in local quarries between the 19th and 20th centuries, a little-known page of the territory's working-class memory.
- Archaeology and Myth — an original contemporary art exhibition by GP Colombo, in dialogue with the archaeological finds of Mergozzo, centered on mythological figures such as Vulcan, Icarus, and the Trojan Horse.
A widespread calendar across the territory
From spring to winter, La Pietra Racconta brings Baveno, Mergozzo, and their hamlets to life — from Bracchio to Montorfano, from Feriolo to Oltrefiume — with a program designed for diverse audiences. There are evocative sunrise concerts on the lake beaches, creative workshops for children, lectures by local scholars, book presentations, and guided excursions along the marble route and into the Candoglia quarries. The traditional Baveno Book Sunday closes the summer with an afternoon dedicated to local culture in the greenery of Parco di Villa Mussi.
Organizers
The festival is promoted by the City of Baveno and the Municipality of Mergozzo, in collaboration with the Ecomuseo del Granito di Montorfano, the Museo GranUM in Baveno, and the Mu.Me. — Archaeological Museum of Mergozzo, with the support of the Fondazione Comunitaria del VCO. It is now one of the most anticipated cultural events on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore.
La Pietra Racconta — edition 2026
The year 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of La Pietra Racconta, which for the occasion offers a particularly rich program distributed between Baveno and Mergozzo. At the heart of the edition are two exhibitions: Fire to the Powder at the Museo GranUM in Baveno, dedicated to the development of local powder mills between the 19th and 20th centuries, and Archaeology and Myth by GP Colombo, set up at the Antica Latteria and the Mu.Me. in Mergozzo, where installations dialogue with archaeological finds around figures such as Vulcan, Icarus, and the Trojan Horse.
The festival is promoted by the City of Baveno and the Municipality of Mergozzo with the Ecomuseo del Granito, the Museo GranUM, and the Mu.Me., and the support of the Fondazione Comunitaria del VCO.
Programme La Pietra Racconta 2026
April
- April 19 — Mergozzo, MuMaG, 5:00 PM: presentation of the book La via del marmo rosa
May
- May 9 — Mergozzo, Candoglia Quarry, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: afternoon in the quarry for children
- May 15 — Baveno, Museo GranUM, 9:00 PM: inauguration of the "Fire to the Powder" exhibition
- May 23 — Mergozzo, Antica Latteria, 5:00 PM: lecture on epigraphic novelties
June
- June 6 — Mergozzo, Porticato delle cappelle, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM: creative workshops
- June 13 — Bracchio, Church of San Carlo, 9:00 PM: concert with Zebo
July
- July 9 — Mergozzo (Antica Latteria and Mu.Me.), 9:00 PM: inauguration of the "Archaeology and Myth" exhibition by GP Colombo
- July 16, 23, and 30 — Mergozzo, Antica Latteria, 9:00 PM: thematic meetings
- July 19 — Baveno, 6:00 PM: mini-cruise with a lecture on water "Quarries, mines, and powder mills"
August
- August 1 — Baveno, Villa Fedora beach, 6:00 AM: sunrise concert
- August 29 — Baveno, Feriolo beach, 6:30 AM: sunrise concert
September
- September 6 — Oltrefiume, Parco di Villa Mussi, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Baveno Book Sunday, afternoon dedicated to local culture
October
- October 4 — Baveno and hamlets, 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM: excursion on the history of powder mills
The "Fire to the Powder" exhibition remains open until October 4, 2026, every day (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM) and continues from October 5, 2026, to February 28, 2027, with reduced hours.
Highlights La Pietra Racconta 2026
Prices La Pietra Racconta 2026
Practical information — La Pietra Racconta
Where it takes place
Events are held between Baveno and Mergozzo (Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): the Museo GranUM in Baveno hosts the "Fire to the Powder" exhibition, while the Antica Latteria and the Mu.Me. in Mergozzo host "Archaeology and Myth." Other events enliven the lake beaches, the hamlets, and the Candoglia quarries.
How to get there
By car: Baveno is along the SS33 Simplon road, a few kilometers from Stresa and the Carpugnino motorway exit (A26). By train: the Baveno station is on the Domodossola–Milan line. Mergozzo is about ten kilometers to the north.
Tickets and reservations
Many events have free admission; some appointments (such as mini-cruises with lectures) require a voluntary contribution with a minimum fee and mandatory reservation. Information and reservations: Baveno Turismo, tel. +39 0323 924632, [email protected].
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Where does it take place — La Pietra Racconta
Museo GranUM