Silent White Walk on the Benedicta trails

A walk of remembrance in the Capanne di Marcarolo Park

The Silent White Walk is an annual event held on June 2nd, Republic Day, bringing together hikers, partisans, families, and citizens along the Benedicta trails in the municipality of Bosio, in the province of Alessandria, within the Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park. This is not a festival or a village fair: it is a commemorative march that traverses the symbolic sites of the Piedmontese and Ligurian Resistance in total silence.

The symbol of the white strips

The hallmark of the initiative is the characteristic strips of white linen distributed to participants along the route. Carried in silence, they become a collective sign of peace, mourning, and shared meditation: a sober and powerful gesture that transforms the walk into a true participatory performance, bridging historical memory and contemporary artistic expression.

The sites of the Benedicta massacre

The route begins at the ruins of the Benedicta Memorial, the site of one of the most tragic partisan massacres in Northwestern Italy in April 1944. From here, hikers reach the farmsteads scattered across the Apennines on the border between Piedmont and Liguria—places that hold the traces of partisan detachments and the stories of those who lost their lives there. The walk changes its itinerary and its dedicatee each year, while maintaining the same spirit of reflection.

Organizers

The initiative is promoted by the Legambiente Circle of Ovada and the Benedicta Memory Association, in collaboration with the local ANPI, the Tobbio-Colma Mountain Union, and the Management Body for the Protected Areas of the Piedmontese Apennines, with the patronage of the Municipality of Bosio. Participation is free and open to all, with expert guides accompanying hikers to explain the park's flora and history.

A Republic Day appointment

Choosing June 2nd for this march is no coincidence: the Silent White Walk ideally links the birth of the Republic to the memory of those who laid its foundations through the partisan struggle. For those visiting the Alessandria area and the Lemme Valley, it is a unique opportunity to discover a wild and evocative corner of the Piedmontese Apennines, walking with awareness through the places of history.