ALAGNA VALSESIA, Piedmonth — A bar, steakhouse, and pizzeria opening at 1,191 metres above sea level at the foot of Monte Rosa this month is seen by travel experts as a quiet answer to a dilemma Italy is facing together with many neighbouring countries on how to draw visitors away from its overcrowded landmarks.
The BISA venue, in the village of Alagna Valsesia in a quiet corner of the north-eastern region of Piedmont is the work of MAIO Group, a family hospitality business marking 50 years in 2026. It sits inside the new Cascata d’Otro development, alongside 47 apartments run by LVG Hotel Collection.
The name nods to the bisa (the valley breeze that cools Alagna in summer). Designed by architect Giorgia Longoni, the space gathers its three functions under tall windows facing the valley, with river stones underfoot and a counter in local stone.
For one observer, projects like this matter beyond the plate. “Alagna is a great region for a project like this,” said Leslie Coleman, travel expert and founder of Suitcase Gals. “As a travel advisor with over 23 years of experience, I feel that this is a great option for building a long term solution for spreading out tourism within Italy.”
The argument is that quality food and lodging in quieter valleys can absorb pressure that now falls on Venice and the Dolomites. Alagna, a Walser village below Monte Rosa, draws a fraction of those crowds.
Family roots
MAIO Group started in 1977 in Carisio, in the province of Vercelli, before expanding to Milan and Rome. Brothers Alessandro and Massimo Maio now run restaurants atop the Rinascente department store in both cities.
“We wanted to create a place that can welcome everyone, from families during the day to groups of friends in the evening,” said Alessandro Maio.
The kitchen
The kitchen leans on Piedmontese staples such as battuta di Fassona (chopped raw Fassona beef) with bagna cauda (a warm anchovy and garlic dip), ravioli del plin, and panissa, a rice and bean dish from the Vercelli plain. The pizza dough rests for three days.
Beyond the table, BISA runs from coffee to late DJ sets, with a games room and a terrace over the valley. Its motto, “Alta quota, zero pensieri” (high altitude, zero worries), promises ease.
Whether a bar with DJ sets that runs late counts as slow tourism is a fair question. But the travel expert’s wider point holds. Italy’s problem is rarely too few beautiful places. It is that too few of them stand ready to receive anyone at all.
