CHURCH OF ST. ROCCO

A small church and a balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore from which to admire a unique panorama

The church of San Rocco stands on a panoramic hill overlooking Lake Maggiore, in the charming village of Campagnano, a hamlet of Maccagno.

This unique place, immersed in nature and suspended between sky and water, offers an unparalleled view of Lake Verbano, making it one of the most fascinating lookouts on the upper lake.

The church was built as a result of a popular vote during the terrible plague of 1577 and was consecrated in 1596 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo. After numerous interventions over the centuries, its current appearance dates largely to the restorations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, made difficult by the lack of access roads and the poverty of the area: many materials were in fact transported on the shoulders of the local inhabitants.

The church has a simple rectangular plan with a semicircular apse, which houses the statue of Saint Rocco, a protector invoked against plagues. Every year on August 16th, a traditional festival is held in the small oppposite panoramic square , once characterized by the lighting of a large bonfire.

Reopened in 1966 and completely restored the following year, the church continues to be a place of worship and an unmissable panoramic destination for those visiting the Lombardy shore of Lake Maggiore. Here, art, history, and nature blend in a timeless atmosphere, amid ancient legends and the silence suspended over the lake.