Bognanco, also known as the "village of a hundred waterfalls", is the smallest valley in the Ossola and the one where, with the fewest kilometres of asphalted road, you can reach an altitude of over 1600 metres. It borders Switzerland to the west, the municipalities of Varzo and Trasquera to the north, the municipalities of Crevoladossola and Domodossola to the east, and Domodossola and the Antrona valley to the south.
The main direction of the valley is east-west, parallel to the nearby Vigezzo Valley and the more distant Valtellina.
Approximately 58 square kilometres in size, it is rich in terraced land and high-altitude pastures, so much so that for centuries it only lived comfortably just with agriculture and pastoralism, while today Bognanco mainly relies to tourism. There are about twenty hamlets throughout the valley and some have undergone very interesting architectural renovations.
Bognanco became world famous when a young girl discovered a mineral water spring in 1863. From then until the 1960s, the small thermal centre became a favourite destination for wellness and health. In recent years, the valley has equipped itself with a new wellness centre within the thermal park and new accommodation facilities, including at high altitude, with a tourist village and new alpine lodges to serve hikers, snowshoe hikers and ski tour enthusiasts. An enviable network of paths and major treks such as the Great Crossing of the Alps (GTA), the Stockalper Route (D0), the Simplon Fletschhorn Trekking (SFT) and well-maintained and signposted mid-mountain routes linking the numerous stone hamlets, with their thousands of testimonies of ancient traditions of rural and religious life. The various streams and torrents, alpine lakes and rock faces make Bognanco even more interesting for those who want to relax and practise sport.
