Lake Orta
The Cusio, as the Romans called it, is a special territory where art, culture, spirituality and nature coexist in perfect harmony, capable of transmitting to all visitors who come here enchantment, magic, satisfaction at every glance.
You will be spoiled for choice: in addition to the most famous pilgrimages to the Basilica of the Island of San Giulio and to the Sacro Monte, there are many other highly spiritual places, fascinating because they are still little known, such as the Franciscan Convent of the Friars Minor of the Mountain. Mesma, and the Sanctuary of Bocciola, rare for the panorama it offers from its terrace on the lake and for the cycle of neoclassical frescoes that it protects inside, or the beautiful Romanesque church of Santa Maria Assunta in Armeno with frescoes by Giovanni di Campo .
Or a nice walk among the walls of Legro, a small hamlet of Orta San Giulio inscribed in the list of “painted villages”, where you can take a journey into cinematic memory admiring the murals that recall scenes from films shot over the years in this beautiful territory of the lakes: an open air Museum of Cinema!
Omegna
A dip into the past awaits you in Omegna, which has been able to project itself into the future through the history of the most famous Italian household goods as told at the Forum Museum in Omegna.
Internationally renowned companies such as Bialetti, Lagostina, Girmi, Alessi tell their stories through their famous productions, objects of tradition and modern design that have been successful in the world.
Also in Omegna, even the little ones will be satisfied at the Parco della Fantasia, dedicated to the writer Gianni Rodari and his fictional stories, which fascinate not only the youngest visitors, and also the possibility of visiting a workshop of wood craftsmen to discover how the much loved Pinocchietti of the Cusio valleys are born from the hands of the artisans.
The most “enjoyable” tourist part, that of flavors and taste, cannot be missed and you will not be disappointed, thanks to the food and wine tours to taste the cheeses and honey of Mottarone, mortadella from Orta, gorgonzola and rice from Novara and DOC and DOCG wines from the Novara Hills.
Orta San Giulio - Medieval village and island
Lake Orta, a mirror of calm and clean waters, the pride of the naturalistic splendors of Piedmont. In the center, a single island, which alone is worth a visit to discover the story of its two-thousand-year history.
Julius, the saint from Greece, on this small island encountered at the end of a long journey undertaken in the 4th century, builds, as legend has it, his hundredth church.
Today the medieval Basilica of the saint of Aegina Julius is a melting pot of spirituality, told through the many frescoed and sculpted art images, which do not spare emotions to those who visit them.
The walk on the only path on the island, inhabited by the cloistered Benedictine nuns in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, will make you breathe the silent and rarefied atmosphere that characterizes this place of peace away from everyday noise.
The historic village of Orta, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, welcomes you with Piazza Motta, a “lakeside lounge” where the sixteenth-century historic building often called Broletto is located, which begins the discovery of the small and characteristic center, dominated by from the baroque facade of the parish church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, at the top of the scenic climb that led and takes pilgrims to the Sacro Monte.
The Sacro Monte
The Sacro Monte di Orta is a splendid religious complex that tells the life of San Francesco d’Assisi and rises at the end of the sixteenth century on a hill already considered sacred, behind the village of Orta.
The story of the saint is told in 20 chapels, which mark a spiral path set in a protected natural area, which gives this place an atmosphere of calm and serenity.
Inside the chapels frescoed and decorated by important artists active from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, the narrative finds its fulcrum in the groups of life-size statues in painted terracotta, more than 300 present on the Monte, creating a unique scenography also called “Mountain theater “.
Amazing story of pilgrimage destination of the past and present, enriched by unique landscape views of the lake, such as the one that can be enjoyed from the terrace – churchyard dedicated to Saints Nicolao and Francesco, the beating heart of the Franciscan complex.
A masterpiece of art that in 2003, together with the other Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy, became part of the Unesco Heritage.
OMEGNA AND THE HOUSEHOLD MUSEUM
We walk in the alleys and underpasses of the “Vatican” district, up to the church of Sant’Ambrogio and then reach the Forum museum, where city brands such as Bialetti, Lagostina, Alessi, Girmi, Piazza will tell us their story through the objects that made them famous around the world.
WALKING IN THE BOCA VINEYARDS
a regenerating excursion through the vineyards of Boca and in the natural park of Monte Fenera, admiring beautiful views and ending with a nice food and wine snack!
