Vogogna

When a flood destroyed Pietrasanta in 1328, this village in the middle of the Val d'Ossola became the seat of government for Lower Ossola, a role it kept until 1819. The Visconti gave it a castle and an arcaded Palazzo Pretorio in the 14th century, and trade along the old Simplon road kept it prosperous under the Sforza. Part of its land lies in the Val Grande National Park.

Highlights

• The Visconti castle, used as a prison from 1798 and reopened in 1998
• Palazzo Pretorio, a Lombard-style broletto on pointed arches
• A carved Celtic mask in soapstone, once part of a fountain
• Ruins of the 9th–10th-century rocca just above the castle
• Trails into the Val Grande National Park, whose headquarters is here

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.