A very old and mystical place…
We pretty much visited everything we wanted in Lago Maggiore. For our last day we wanted to explore further inland. We asked the receptionist at the hotel if she had any suggestions as to where to go for a quiet and relax day. With that in mind, she took out a map and pointed out the town of Orta San Giulio. It’s a city about 40 minutes away by car, so from Ghiffa, not too far.
Our first stop was at the Sacro Monte d’Orta San Giulio. It’s a series of not 1, not 2, not 3, not 15, but 20 chapels! They are ALL dedicated to San Francesco di Assisi, an Italian friar who founded the Franciscan religious order back in 1208 in Assisi. Each chapel depicts a period of his life and his unconditional devotion for the Catholic church and Jesus Christ. Well deserved, I should say.
Worth the visit if you ask me. Besides, you get a magnificent view of Isola San Giulio from atop this hill.
Picturesque
After visiting a couple of the chapels, (heavy pregnant ball-belly lady in need of sitting down, eat something and rest her feet now, please!), we headed to our car and made our way down to the city of Orta. One thing about finding parking; if you don’t have coins with you, you’re in trouble. We asked for change at a local restaurant, but umm, let’s just say that the guy there was not happy, happy, happy. I think he needed a hug. Despite trouble parking our car, we arrived.
It sits right at the shore of the lake adorned by the spirits surrounding it. There’s just this mystical feeling compelling you to take the boat ride and explore Isola d’Orta San Giulio. Almost everybody is drawn immediately to take this boat ride to the island. TAKE THE BOAT RIDE…TAKE. THE. BOAT. RIDE!
Did I mention the boat ride?
Upon arrival, you enter the beautiful Basilica San Giulio. You can still see very well their walled frescos, some faded overtime, but still, impressive that you just want to take pictures of everything…, yeah, about that. You are NOT suppose to take pictures inside the Basilica, so…, I sneaked out a couple of them, including one of the crypt where the bones of St. Julius are presumably resting. About our friend Julius: Back in 390AD Julius of Novara arrived in Orta as part of his quest to end Paganism and spread the word of Christianity. By this time, he has already built about 99 churches alongside his brother Julian. Legend says that upon arrival there he had to fight an evil creature. He channeled himself into the lake waters, took out his long cloak, put it in the water, hopped in, and like riding on a horse, challenged himself towards this animal. However, as he got closer, the evil creature faded and had the island appear instead. Tired from this event, he chose to built the last church on this island. Both, the Basilica and the island were his home until his death. And that’s why the they bare his name.
Here are more pictures of Isola San Giulio
After touring the island, we took the boat ride back to the mainland. By this time I was starving, (Hey, I eat for two, you know!), so we stopped at the “Ristorante Venus” which is the restaurant that you see as soon as you arrive at the Piazza. We ordered pizzas and salads. My husband ordered the “pizza della casa”. Not like any other pizza. They take the dough, twist it around, cook it, and then, they put all the ingredients on top of the cooked dough. Presto…, “pizza della casa”! Sorry, no pictures. After savoring this Italian lunch, we had to have some gelato!!! Love them calories. When in Italy, always eat gelato; creamy decadent gelato is a must. How can you turn down a gelato? That’s a big no no! Great for washing downs your sins! As we indulged on this, we strolled once more around the old village. We couldn’t get enough of it, but, like every good experience the day had to come to an end, right? It was time to say “Arrivederci” to Orta San Giulio.
We certainly enjoyed its little Piazza Motta, the trip to Isola San Giulio, the food, the stroll around the old village, and yes, the gelato. Orta San Giulio is definitely an “off the beaten path” tourist destination ready to unleash all it has to offer to everybody. I bet you it’s 10x more beautiful during the summer! I guess I’ll have to come back to see it for myself.
To learn more about the mystical, old town of Orta San Giulio, visit their official website at http://www.orta.net
