A private tour around Lake Orta and its mounts from Lake Maggiore

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. This small town, standing on the Western coast of Lake Maggiore in the so-called Borromea Gulf, is one of the most visited touristic sites of entire Piemonte. Its territory includes three of the four Borromean Islands: Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola Superiora, also named Isola dei Pescatori. The first recorded file about the town is dated 998, but even in the Roman age, the way leading from Milan to the Sempione pass ran by this site.

   Passes by

2. Also simply known as Orta, it is part of the club of the most charming villages in Italy. From the Medieval age to the 18th century, Orta was the chief town of an independent association of cities called "Comunità della Riviera", well defended by the natural configuration of the site. The town centre is characterized by narrow alleys, mostly converging into the beautiful Piazza Motta, seat of the City Hall and overlooking the lake.

   1 h

3. The isle is the only one in the lake of Orta and belongs to the municipality of Orta San Giulio. Probably inhabited since the Iron age, the isle has been considered a strategic site since the 6th century and thus surrounded by defensive walls. After having been a stage for the rivalry between the Sacred Roman Empire and the Lombard kingdom in the 10th century, the whole lake district was ceased to the bishops of Novara, who reconstructed on the island the cathedral of San Giulio in a Romanesque style. In 1841, the medieval castle was demolished to make room to a Seminary, designed by architect Ferdinando Caronesi.

   2 h

4. This Sacred Mount is the only one, among the others standing in Lombardy and Piedmont, dedicated to a saint, Francis. It was built between the 16th and the 18th century, thus showing traces of Mannerism, Baroque and later other, less specific styles. It is composed by twenty-one chapels, built along an ascending path, plus the church of San Francesco, a monumental door and a fountain. The church garden features an amazing look over the lake of Orta.

   2 h

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Know before you go

How it compares in Lake Maggiore

• Its from-price is 30% above the median of the 18 day trips we list in Lake Maggiore.
• Its length is typical for the group.

About Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore is a long Alpine lake shared by Italy and Switzerland, with the Borromean Islands, villa gardens and mountains at its back.

Lake Maggiore stretches for some 60 km from the Swiss canton of Ticino south into Piedmont and Lombardy, and it is the second largest lake in Italy after Garda. Its western shore holds the resort towns of Stresa, Baveno and Verbania, with grand 19th-century hotels along the water and mountains rising behind. The mild climate allows palms, camellias and azaleas to flourish in the lakeside gardens.

Top-ranked sights in Lake Maggiore: Palazzo Borromeo, Gardens of Villa Taranto (Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto).

See all 82 experiences in Lake Maggiore