Orta San Giulio
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Orta San Giulio
The village and its island
A square on the water, a UNESCO-listed Sacro Monte and the island of San Giulio.
Orta San Giulio is the village on a peninsula of small Lake Orta, in Piedmont: a square on the water, Piazza Motta, arcaded palazzi and, offshore, the Isola di San Giulio with its Romanesque basilica and Benedictine monastery, circled by the Way of Silence. Behind the village, the Sacro Monte di Orta, twenty chapels dedicated to St Francis, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the other Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy. From Malpensa it is 47 km, under an hour.
Orta San Giulio
What to see
- The Isola di San Giulio, a few minutes by boat from Piazza Motta.
- The Sacro Monte, with its twenty frescoed chapels in the woods.
- Piazza Motta and the sixteenth-century Palazzotto della Comunità.
Orta San Giulio
Practical tips
- The old centre is closed to traffic: cars stop at the car parks above the village, and if your hotel is inside, agree luggage access with them.
- It is the quietest of the three lakes: for a peaceful day, choose a weekday.
Orta San Giulio