In Piedmont there is a village made of carriages. It looks like a railway station, but here the trains remain stationary to accommodate visitors looking for a simple and relaxing place surrounded by nature to rediscover the pleasure of simplicity in a unique and original context. The Villaggio dei Bimbi (Children’s Village), as this place is called, is located in the middle of a forest. The wagons include 16 bedrooms, 4 storerooms, 4 refectories, 3 exhibition halls with paintings, ceramics, sculptures and photographs and a TV room. Very interesting are also the wagon "Once upon a time" and the wagon "Toyland".
Outside this very special Piedmontese village there is a playground with swings and slides for children, a soccer field and a volleyball court where tournaments are organized, a park, an open-air church, a fishing pond and a covered area with long tables where guests can all have lunch together.
But how did this unusual and fairy-tale place come into being?
It was between 1953 and 1960. In Domodossola, a town near the border, many emigrants arrived, mainly from southern Italy. Almost all of them worked in Switzerland, where it was not possible, by law, to bring their families with them. For many of them it is a drama to separate from their children and many, very many, don’t know who to entrust them to. It is a real problem and the Capuchin friars are looking for a way to accommodate the many children and young people who are forced to stay in the city, far from their families. The first solution was a house in Gravegna, but it was granted for a short time. Then, at last, the Casa del Fanciullo was founded which managed to accommodate the children of the emigrants.
But what about the summer?
Even the children of hardship had a right to leisure and entertainment. And so a solution was sought. A piece of land was found in Baceno Croveo Osso. The owners, out of love for the children, generously granted it to the friars. The place is very beautiful, immersed in nature, the ideal place for these young energies. But how to equip it? One thinks of tents or a hut. Then there was a chance meeting with Scalfaro, the Minister of Transport, and a bizarre idea came up and became a request: "Would you give us a train?
It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. A project is emerging. "It would serve to create a village to accommodate children who live far from their parents, to offer them a place for a holiday, a bit of joy and serenity…". It’s done. The carriages are really coming.
Everyone in a carriage! The Children’s Train is born
Today the village "Children’s Train" is still run by the Capuchin friars and some volunteers. Here, families and groups can live the experience of staying in the old carriages for a few days or spend a few hours immersed in nature, for a picnic, a stop in the park equipped with games suitable for children, for a barbecue or a game of football or for a day of meditation and prayer.
