Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival

A mountain festival in the hamlet of Olino

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival is one of the most cherished events in the summer calendar of Calasca-Castiglione, a municipality in the Valle Anzasca, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont. The celebration takes place in the hamlet of Olino, one of the area's oldest settlements: a small stone village nestled on a panoramic ridge along the ancient mule track of Valle Anzasca that connects the villages scattered at the foot of Monte Rosa.

Devotion and tradition

The festival honors the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, one of the most deeply rooted Marian devotions in the Alpine valleys. Like many festivals in the hamlets of Calasca-Castiglione, it is a time when residents, vacationers, and those with roots in the village travel up to Olino to gather around the small church. The religious heart of the day is the celebration of Holy Mass, followed by Vespers, according to a liturgy that has been repeated in Olino for generations.

Local products and conviviality

Alongside the moment of prayer, the festival retains its popular and convivial character thanks to the distribution of local products: the flavors of the Ossola and Walser traditions that are part of the identity of these places. It is a simple and authentic opportunity to discover an otherwise quiet hamlet, immersed in the woods and the terracing typical of the valley's stone architecture.

A municipality of festivals among the hamlets

Calasca-Castiglione is a widespread territory, made up of numerous hamlets and localities—from Antrogna, home to the monumental parish church, to the higher settlements like Olino—each with its own traditions. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival is part of this rich calendar of celebrations that, from one hamlet to another, accompany the summer in Valle Anzasca with masses, processions, and moments of community celebration.