Alpe Massucco

Two quarries producing fine white marble are situated in Rassa in the Val Sorba, in the Massucco area, just downstream of the Artorto mountain pasture. This is why the marble is referred to interchangeably as Artorto or Massucco marble. Evidence of these quarries can be found as early as 1818. The main quarry is situated at an altitude of 1,800 metres on the northern slope of the valley and extends into the mountain for about 50 metres, with a vertical drop of approximately 3 metres. There are clear traces of a wide mule track and of a building whose roof beams were fixed into the rock.

It is said that rusty tools were still being found on the site not many decades ago. Numerous graffiti markings are still visible, most of which date from the final period (the second half of the 19th century) when the quarry was in use. Numerous small pieces of marble debris can be found on the scree slope below the quarries, all the way down to the stream bed.

The involvement of the Fabbriceria del Duomo di Milano, as noted by Luigi Ravelli, took place around 1700. However, the project did not come to fruition due to the lack of access roads; constructing these, from Massucco to Varallo and Novara, would have required a substantial sum. Many marble artefacts from Massucco can be found throughout the Valsesia region (baptisteries, holy water fonts, tombstones, etc.) and confirm just how long the quarry has been in use, if only for the extraction of marble for sculpture.

The limestone veins of the Val Sorba were also used for the production of lime. The large quantities of marble debris from the Massucco quarries were also utilised for this purpose: the remains of lime kilns found in the surrounding area bear witness to this. Along the path leading up to the mountain pasture, ancient lime kilns have been restored, bearing witness to the activities that took place in these areas until just a few decades ago. In the kilns, powdered lime was produced from the limestone rocks. The lime produced in this way was exported, mainly to the upper Valsesia.