Lake Orta - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The island of San Giulio is the only island of Lake Orta and is part of the municipality of Orta San Giulio, in the province of Novara, in Piedmont. There is a small inhabited center where the buildings of greater historical importance are the Basilica of San Giulio and the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, built on the ruins of an ancient castle and which occupies a large part of the island's surface. Currently, the island is permanently inhabited only by very few families, in addition to the monastery.

The Sacro Monte di Orta is part of the group of nine Alpine Sacred Mountains in Piedmont and Lombardy considered world heritage sites and is located in the municipality of Orta San Giulio in the province of Novara. Many of the artworks are of a high quality, some of the most highly thought of painters and sculptors of the period having been commissioned to produce them. The vegetation of the Sacred Mountain runs down to the shores of Lake Orta and was designed in line with ornamental criteria t

The Mottarone is a granite mountain, located in Piedmont, in the Mergozzolo group, in the Pennine Alps, divided between the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and the province of Novara. Over the years, various archaeological finds have been found at the summit of Mottarone during several excavations which, subsequently, have been attributed to the Lombard period. The peak is in the communal territory of Stresa, between the Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore. The source of the Agogna river is located in the mountain

L ' Isola Bella is located in Lake Maggiore, is part of the group of so-called Borromean Islands, and is located in the Gulf dedicated to the famous family who still has the property, about 400 meters off the coast of Stresa. It measures 320 meters long and 180 meters wide and is largely occupied by the Italian garden of the Borromeo palace, which occupies the north-western coast of the islet.

L ' Isola Dei Pescatori, also known as Isola Superiore, is the only archipelago of the Borromeo in Lake Maggiore to be permanently inhabited. 100 meters wide by 350 meters long, it houses a small village, with characteristic multi-story houses, with a small square, characteristic narrow alleys, the lakefront, and the main street to allow the movements strictly on foot of the 57 inhabitants who live off fishing and tourism.

The Rocca Borromeo di Angera, or Rocca d'Angera, also called Borromeo Castle, is a castle on a lakeside hilltop in the limits of the town of Angera in the Province of Varese. Rocca di Angera dominates the southern end of Lake Maggiore. In the historic rooms, there are original frescoes, paintings, and decorations. Inside the fortress there is the Doll and Toy Museum which traces the history of the game from the 18th century.