Colosso di san Carlo Borromeo Arona

San Carlo Borromeo Statue, Arona

San Carlo Borromeo Statue, Arona What to do in Arona? Do you know that on Lake Maggiore there’s a 35-meter-tall statue? We are talking about the Statue of San Carlo, a colossal statue located in Arona, on the Holy Mount, built between 1624 and 1698 and based on the project of Giovanni Battista Crespi. Visitors…

La zafferaia - Novara

La Zafferaia

La Zafferaia What to do near Novara? The “Zafferaia” is a family farm located in Novara countryside. Zafferaia produces rice and also cultivate blackberries, blueberries and raspberries to produce KM 0 products, such as natural jams, teas or juices. However, the most important activity of the farm, is the cultivation of 210.00 saffron bulbs to…

Monte Rosa

Monte Rosa The boundary between Italy and Switzerland runs along the ridge of this high mountain with an altitude of 15,200 feet. It is the second highest mountain in the Alps, separating the Gressoney Valley in the Valle d’Aosta from the Val Sesia. The highest mountain station in Europe is situated here at 14,957 feet,…

Sacro Monte di Orta

Orta Holy Mount

Orta Holy Mount Four places of pilgrimage in the overall region of Lago Maggiore, the so-called “Sacri Monti”, have been declared world heritage sites by the Unesco. Each “Sacro Monte” consists of several chapels along the Way of the Cross; step by step they lead up the mountain into the natural landscape, as if by…

Santa Maria Maggiore_aerea - ph. MelissaTonetti

Vigezzo Valley

Vigezzo Valley People who want to stay in an intimate but welcoming place can’t certainly miss Valle Vigezzo, a destination characterized by elegant architecture and stone huts, wild and steep slopes but also important museums such as the famous “house of femmis-farina perfume”. Val Vigezzo is also known as the “Valley of painters” due to…

Parco Naturale Alpe devero-veglia

Alpe Veglia & Alpe Devero Nature Park

Alpe Veglia & Alpe Devero Nature Park Alpe Devero Guided Tours This nature park at the Swiss border, dominated by the towering skyline of the Alpe Veglia and Alpe Devero, is fascinating for its diversity of vegetation: with waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and above all vast stretches of untouched countryside with the Cascata di Buscagna and…

Specialità enogastronomiche: il miele della val d'Ossola

Gastronomic Specialties: Honey

Gastronomic Specialties: Honey Together with bacon or cheese, as embellishment for sweets and desserts, even added to dishes with pasta, meat and fish: the honey of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is one of the region’s must-try quality specialities. The origins of today’s bee-keeping industry lie in the fourteenth century. The conditions for this are ideal:…

Specialità enogastronomiche: i formaggi della Val d'Ossola

Gastronomic Specialties: Cheese

Gastronomic Specialties: Cheese Cheese is a foodstuff closely linked to the history and tradition of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Cattle and goats have grazed on the green pastures of the valleys, Alpine meadows and the pasturelands of the valley floors ever since the days of Ancient Rome. Free-grazing herds can be met even today when…

Santa Caterina dal Sasso , lago Maggiore

Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso

Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso The monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso is indubitably one of the most beautiful and popular sightseeing attractions on the Lombardian side of the lake. It lies between Arolo and Reno on a rocky promontory above Lago Maggiore and is accessible by ship and by car. The monastery itself…

Novara

San Gaudenzio Dome in Novara

San Gaudenzio Dome in Novara Novara’s most important church is the Basilica di San Gaudenzio built in 1659 with architecture by Pellegrino Tibaldi. Its dome is 397 feet high, the city’s landmark, heralding from afar the approach to the city. It is also a work of Alessandro Antonelli (completed in 1888) and crowned by a…