Lake Orta. Living a fairy tale

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The lake, 13.4 km long and 2.5 km wide, is an authentic gem set between the greenery of the Alps and Piedmontese woods, the small, peaceful cousin of the majestic Lake Maggiore.

Timeless villages

The shores of the lake are dotted with small picturesque villages, ancient villages and marinas that document the life of fishermen, once the most numerous inhabitants of Lake Orta. Today, however, they tell modern stories of sports boats and ports, of quality international tourism.

Ancient jewel

Orta is an ideal destination for families, couples looking for a romantic place to relax, sports lovers, extreme and gentle, young and old who love nature and its energy.

Let’s discover the lake

Let’s take a quick tour of the coastal towns together, starting from the town of Omegna, the main urban center at the northernmost point of the lake with its beautiful lakeside promenade and Thursday market, and then following the eastern shore of the lake.

Better on foot

Now you arrive in Pettenasco, a small historic town that has developed in our time with several hotels, restaurants, bars and campsites on the panoramic lakefront. To the north it looks towards the only island in the lake and to the south it enjoys pleasant views towards the peninsula which is home to both the Sacro Monte and the magical town of Orta San Giulio.

Go on ….

Another 4 km and we arrive in Orta, which has always been loved by poets, painters, royal families and captains of industry.

Today the medieval village of Orta San Giulio has just as much charm for those who love peace and tranquility, its mysterious, almost spiritual aura. The Island of San Giulio is dominated by its splendid basilica and a Benedictine abbey inhabited by silent nuns who benevolently keep watch over the Via del Silenzio.

Here the writings of Mother Abbess Anna Maria Canopi dispense profound thoughts that teach us about the powers of Silence and Meditation.

Culture

The writer Gianni Rodari is originally from the Lake Orta area, born on 23 October 1920 in Omegna. In his works there are numerous references to the lake, such as in There Was Twice Baron Lamberto set on the island of San Giulio, and in Cusio’s The Accountant-Fish.

Omegna and Gianni Rodari

To pay homage to the well-known fellow citizen, the municipality of Omegna created the “Gianni Rodari Fantasy Park”.

Lake Orta was the scene of the brief meeting between Friedrich Nietzsche and Lou von Salomé, which constituted one of the philosopher’s very rare female experiences. After Lou Salomé’s rejection of his love proposal, Nietzsche began the gestation of his critical works, including Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

The legend of San Giulio

The legend about the foundation of the Basilica of San Giulio tells that at the end of the 4th century. Two brothers, Julius and Julian, originally from the Greek island of Aegina, arrived on the shores of the lake and dedicated themselves to demolishing pagan places of worship and building churches, with the approval of Emperor Theodosius I.

San Giulio left his brother Giuliano the task of building the ninety-ninth church in Gozzano, searching alone for the place where the hundredth would be built.

The Dragon

Julius identified the small island as the suitable place, but finding no one willing to ferry him, he spread his cloak on the waters and sailed on it.

On the island, Julius defeated the dragons and snakes that populated the place, a clear symbol of pagan superstition. Driving them out forever and laying the foundations of the church in the same spot where the basilica is today. Lake Orta Piedmont Italy

The history

In the Middle Ages the lake was known as Lake San Giulio and only from the 17th century did the current name of Lake Orta begin to establish itself, from the main coastal town, Orta San Giulio.

The name Cusius (Cusio) derives from a misreading of the Tabula Peutingeriana, where a lacus Clisius appears whose exact identification is uncertain. The name Cusio. Popularized by the historian Lazzaro Agostino Cotta, author of the Chorography of the Riviera of San Giulio at the end of the 15th century, it nevertheless entered common use. Lake Orta Piedmont Italy. Discover the experiences in the area! Lake Orta Piedmont Italy.