The history of Baceno has ancient roots: the name of the capital of the Antigorio Valley appears for the first time in a document of 918, but the discovery, in 1958, of a tomb dating back to the second century A.D. testifies to its origins even more distant.
In the Middle Ages Baceno had an important role for the higest part of the Val d’Ossola, thanks to its strategic position at the confluence of three valleys, Devero, Antigorio and Formazza.
Since 1200 there were alternating events, which initially saw the prevalence of the local families of De Rodis and De Baceno. In 1381 Baceno and the whole Val d’Ossola came under the domination of the Visconti’s family, in 1450 the Sforza family took over, while in 1595 the territory was given as a feud to the Borromeo family. In 1647 Baceno and all the other centers of the Antigorio Valley were exempted from the infeudation.
