Villette, the smallest of the seven municipalities in the Valle Vigezzo, is a small village lying at the foot of the mountains, overlooking the Valle dei Pittori (Valley of Painters), with the unmistakable outline of a special guardian, Monte Gridone, behind it. The territory of Villette is still mainly characterised by pastures, chestnut and beech woods that make it a small rural village from bygone times.
Villette comprises three small hamlets: Gagliago, Vallaro and Londrago, known by the Latin toponym Ville, from which the present name, Villette, derives.
In addition to the Parish Church of San Bartolomeo, the village also boasts the Ca’ di feman da la Piaza, an interesting historical museum of country art that evokes the life and activities of long ago. However, what will capture the attention of more observant visitors will be the very many sundials in the village, leading Villette to be known as the “village of sundials”.
Indeed there are sundials on the façade of the town hall and on the walls of lots of houses, as well as on the façade of the Parish Church which has two, one of them dating from the 17th century and one much more recent, dating from 1992.
Strolling through this small village will be a truly curious experience that will amaze you: the splendid sundials, the silence of nature, the dry-stone walls, the voices that are still coloured by the centuries-old dialect and traditions linked to the rural life… what more could you wish for?
