The rock in Piero
One of the few such examples in the Luino district, this rock preserves scratched and carved inscriptions dating back to 2000 B.C.

This large rock, in the like-named subalpine village built on a cliff overlooking the river Giona, is notable for its scratched and carved decorations dating back to 2000 B.C. The value of these petroglyphs is considerable, because they represent figures and symbols typical of the pagan age.
The rock is therefore of great cultural importance as regards the area's historical origins. In addition, it preserves traces of the interest that it evoked over the course of the centuries, when it was used in religious rituals linked initially to the adoration of nature, and later to Christianity. In fact, one can see the way in which the pagan symbols were replaced, during the Middle Ages, by numerous decorative crosses, of evident Carolingian iconographic influence.
Some of the inscriptions on the Piero rock, when compared with others in neighbouring locations, show that these areas were already inhabited very early on in history, and more precisely from the second millennium B.C.

The mills in Piero
They offer visitors the chance to savour an atmosphere of years gone by, still today set in an unreal silence, amidst winding, rocky paths, mule tracks and stone steps.

The feeling is that of stepping back into the past at just a short distance from modern civilization. Piero is the name of a village clinging onto the slopes of Monte Lema, and its winding, rocky paths, mule tracks and stone steps give visitors a taste of the atmosphere typical of years gone by. Still today, the village is immersed in an apparently unreal silence.
Piero's mills are typically mountain constructions, built using stone and local timber. Here, traditions are preserved by its inhabitants and by a recent rebuilding project. Amongst farms raising goats and producing cheese from goats' milk, this cluster of rural buildings is of remarkable interest.
Taking the path that runs alongside the mills, you can reach other mountain villages set in the green forest environment. These equally peaceful locations include Biegno, Cangili and Monterecchio, and the forest track eventually reaches Alpe Forcora.