At forty minutes away from where our home was, the glacial Lago Orta is a hidden gem nestled in the Pre Alps in the Novara Province of Piedmonte. It was one of our favourite day trips and the place we brought all visiting friends. On the weekends it’s really popular with the Milanese escaping the city, and parking is a nightmare. During the week, however, we found it quiet enough to feel like it was one of those best-kept-secrets.
The main attractions are the town centre of San Guilio, Isola San Guilio and Sacro Monte di Orta (the Sacred Mountain).
Visiting Lago Orta was always a reliable sojourn: one picturesque scene after another and delicious food from friendly staff.
San Guilio
San Guilio is the main village, filled with narrow cobbled street, boutiques and restaurants. The food in Piedmonte is amazing and one of the best panini I ever had was from the little deli in the courtyard. This was the location of my favourite dinner experiences, eating outside on the verandas over looking the island while boats floated past.
Isola San Giulio
Just off the shores of the village of San Guilio is this curious island so covered in buildings that it looks they are merely floating on the sapphire water. There is a ferry service that runs out to Isola San Guilio from the docks for a few hours in the morning and then again after siesta. There is one restaurant on the islands that is open during the summer only.
A tiny island (275 metres/902 feet long, it can be traversed in no time at all. Since the 1970s it has become a Benedictine Monastery.
We were told it was once called the Island of Silence. And that is an apt name. The day we went out there, the streets were deserted and it was incredibly tranquil. Plaques hanging around the island offer inspirational advice.
Sacra Monte di San Guilio
Situated on the top of San Nicole, a hill overlooking the lake, Sacro Monte di San Guilio is a Catholic complex featuring twenty devotional buildings erected from 1583 in honour of St. Francis Assisi. The paintings, sculptures and architecture are intriguing and the vegetation and views make the drive up well worth it. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Whimspherical 