It is impossible to resist one of the most romantic views in Italy, starting with the spectacle of Orta San Giulio, whose name, for many, is also associated with the famous relais and restaurant - Villa Crespi - of chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo (one more reason to visit Lake Orta). This summer 2022 there are plenty of events and activities not to be missed. Which ones should you mark in your diary? Here are the highlights!
By boat on Lake Orta
Cruising on Lake Orta is an experience not to be missed: its 15 kilometres in length and 2 in width make it a small lake, but one rich in things to see. And it is also easily accessible, thanks to the navigation lines connecting the various villages and also the Island of San Giulio, today inhabited only by a woman and the Benedictine nuns who live inside the Monastery. The island of San Giulio is also known as 'the island of silence' and if you want to stop for dinner, there is a restaurant available, but to go back you have to book a motorboat from land, because the regular boats do not operate in the evening.
WONDER ORTA is the name of an artistic review dedicated to the living arts and collective practices that will animate the main square of Orta San Giulio - Piazza Motta - with two appointments. The first is scheduled for 27 July, with the itinerant theatre project Il Teatro nei paesi (Theatre in the villages), curated by the collective Progetto RESCUE! which creates artistic incursions in the squares of small towns, on board a Piaggio 50 Ape Car, transformed into a theatre for the occasion. While on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 August, there will be a double date with the Palestra Sociale, an artistic project by the Didymos collective, which will create a public space where one can "train to escape from routine". How? You really have to go to Orta San Giulio to find out!
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In the last ten days of August, from 21st to 30th August to be precise, Omegna hosts the long-awaited feast of San Vito - the town's patron saint - which this year reaches its 118th edition. What to expect? One of the most popular festivals, with concerts, markets, cultural events and the big fireworks over the lake. Omegna is also worth a visit to take a closer look at the Nigoglia, a stream that flows northwards, heading towards the Alps rather than the sea. Particularly pleasant is the walk from the lake locks to the Forum of Omegna, along the romantic hanging promenade.
When it comes to events, it is impossible not to mention the Stresa Festival, now in its 61st edition with a programme that this year features artists of the calibre of Patti Smith, Fabrizio Bosso, Andrea Lucchesini and Stephen Braun. Concerts are scheduled in some of the most evocative locations around Lake Maggiore: from Stresa, of course, to the Borromeo Islands, the Rocca di Angera, and even the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso. A good reason to leave the shores of Lake Orta for a few hours and head for nearby Lake Maggiore.
It does not take place in summer, but in early autumn. Its originality, however, certainly deserves a mention. It is the Corto e Fieno festival, the event born in 2010 with the desire to unite the passion for cinema with rural culture. The 13th edition will take place on Lake Orta from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 October and will, as always, feature short films of rural cinema, selected from all over the world.
Lun - Ven 9/13 - 14/18 Sab 9/13 Domenica - Su appuntamento
Mon - Fri 9/13 - 14/18 Sat 9/13 Sunday - On appointment
Mo - Fr 9/13 - 14/18 Sa 9/13 Sonntag - Nach Vereinbarung