The square
On the lake.
Jean-Christophe BENOIST — CC BY 3.0 · trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 66colpi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0 · trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0
Orta San Giulio is a small town in the province of Novara in Piedmont, northern Italy, on the eastern shore of Lake Orta, about 100 km northeast of Turin and 13 km southwest of Lake Maggiore in a straight line. It is listed among the most beautiful villages of Italy. The town is built on a promontory jutting into the lake near San Giulio Island, which belongs to the same municipality. On the hill behind it stands the Sacro Monte, added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2003. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche visited in 1882 with Lou Andreas-Salomé on their way back from a tour of Italy. Colourful houses with iron balconies and cafés under the trees line the main square and the lanes of the old town, looking out over the calm lake. San Giulio Island lies just offshore with its tightly packed stone buildings and tower, and green wooded hills ring the lake. Visitors wander the lanes and the lakeside square, take small boats over to nearby San Giulio Island, and some climb the hill for a view of the lake. The town is quiet, with fairly small-scale tourism, making it a relaxed outing.
On the lake.
By boat.
Colourful houses.
Orta San Giulio, Novara, Piedmont, Italy
By small boats from the town.
It is quiet, with small-scale tourism.