Postua – Alpe Morcei Partisan Walk

Walking through the memory of the Valsesia Resistance

The Postua – Alpe Morcei Partisan Walk is more than just a hike: it is a day of active remembrance along the trails of the Resistance, in the heart of the Strona Valley, in Postua, a small town in the Province of Vercelli nestled among the beech and chestnut forests of Piedmont. The event is part of the annual calendar of Partisan Walks organized by ANPI Varallo Alta Valsesia together with the Institute for the History of the Resistance and Contemporary Society in the Biella, Vercelli, and Valsesia areas (ISTORBIVE).

Following the footsteps of the Pisacane detachment

The small and beautiful Strona Valley of Postua is a treasure trove of stories from the Resistance period. This is where the Pisacane detachment was formed, led by the legendary commander Gemisto, and Postua itself hosted the unit's first headquarters. The territory witnessed direct clashes, Nazi-fascist roundups, and harsh reprisals, claiming victims among both the partisans and the civilian population. Walking these trails today means keeping the connection alive between the sites of the Resistance and the landscape that still preserves them.

A trek accompanied by historians

The walk follows a hiking trail (difficulty E), covering approximately 10 kilometers with an elevation gain of about 500 meters, from the village up to Alpe Morcei. Throughout the hike, historians accompany participants, recounting episodes of the partisan struggle linked to each location: this is what distinguishes these outings from a standard hike, transforming the path into an open-air classroom.

A convivial spirit

As per the tradition of the Partisan Walks, lunch is a picnic, but ANPI provides cheese and wine to share: a social moment that strengthens the sense of community driving the entire initiative. Appropriate trekking gear is recommended, including mountain footwear and a waterproof jacket.

A network of stages in Valsesia

The Postua stage is part of a cycle that traverses the symbolic sites of the Valsesia Resistance every year — from Breia to Borgosesia, from Camasco to Rassa, from Fobello to Monte Fenera, and up to Gattinara. The common thread is always the same: keeping the memory of the liberation war alive in the mountains of Piedmont, engaging citizens, young people, and hikers in a journey that combines history, landscape, and civic commitment.