Tour of Lake Orta

Tour of Lake Orta – Ready to discover Lake Orta in all its facets? This itinerary will allow us to get to know the many souls of Lake Orta and, at the same time, have fun on two wheels, going from an easy and suggestive cycle path to challenging mule tracks, fun descents on single-track and non-trivial paths and climbs, through suggestive woods and ancient-flavoured lakeside and hillside villages.

Not recommended for absolute beginners, it requires good technical skills and good physical preparation for the length and altitude difference of the tour.
We start from Lido di Gozzano in the direction of Pella. After leaving the car park, we take a dirt road that introduces the beautiful cycle/pedestrian path that develops in the shade of the trees, along the waters of the lake. The route for more than half of the journey is dirt or gravel, with some small rocky ups and downs.
You cross the village of Lagna with its pretty houses, encountering small coves, beaches sheltered by pine forests and suggestive glimpses at water level, with a beautiful view of the eastern shore of the lake and the island of San Giulio. In the last stretch you pass on the main road, encountering on a meadow on the left the complex of San Filiberto, the oldest chapel on the western shore of Lake Orta (11th century)

Adorned with a circle of fourteen suggestive chapels of the Via Crucis dating back to the 18th century and an interesting Romanesque bell tower (11th-12th century). You easily reach the peninsula on which the ancient village of Pella stands, dominated from behind by steep granite hills. In the heart of the town we can admire the parish church dedicated to Sant’Albino which houses valuable canvases, frescoes and paintings, and the ancient wash house in Piazza Ravedoni, which allowed the women of Pella to do their laundry even when the lake conditions were prohibitive.

Passing through Pella

From the small square of Pella we head towards the old Roman bridge, then take the mule track that moves away from the water, climbing towards the road to Monte San Giulio, another beautiful village with a spectacular view. We take the mule track to Egro, emerging at the Belvedere and, after passing the village, we then reach the Cappellania church, where a fun mule track (itinerary T0) begins downhill until reaching the village of Grassona.

Continuing along the T0 route, we pass through Colma, cross the state road that connects Alzo to Cesara and take the dirt road in the woods again, passing through Vanzera and exiting at the Nonio cemetery and its lakes, where a sunny picnic area is ideal for a lunch break.

Through shady woods

We take the T0 again a little further on with three downhill variants, of different difficulty: the first, the one on the left, has some fairly technical passages and heads towards Cireggio. The second, the central one, is the easiest and also leads to Cireggio; finally, the third, the one on the right, well signposted, leads directly to Brolo, on the high slope with some fairly exposed passages and a fun descent in the last stretch.

If you opt for one of the first two variants, just before reaching Ci-reggio, you must take via Varallo on the right to go up to Brolo and find the trail at the church of Sant’Antonio. Once you reach the village of Brolo, you descend towards Prà della Marta. The fun mule track leads to Omegna, passing through the hamlet of Bagnella, where a cycle path/pedestrian path starts that runs along the shore of the lake.

After passing the hospital, we head onto via della Repubblica, keeping the railway on our right and reach the hamlet of Borca. Here begins a nice single-track stretch with ups and downs and some streams in the chestnut and oak forest until we emerge in Crabbia and, therefore, reach Pettenasco.

We are well on our way around Lake Orta

At this point we move away from the lake again, climbing towards the railway bridge, to then continue always uphill on the mule track and then the dirt road that leads through the woods to the cobbled streets and historic houses of Carcegna, arriving at its parish church, the Church of San Pietro, characterized by the never-finished façade and the slightly leaning bell tower on the side.

From Carcegna we set off again towards the hamlet of Miasino and, along another mule track, the “painted village” of Legro. From Legro we reach the peninsula of Orta San Giulio, covering the entire stretch on a beautiful pedestrian/cycle path with a narrow carriageway (about 1 meter wide) that requires a certain amount of attention. Once we reach the churchyard, we can once again look out over the lake and an enchanting view with the island of San Giulio.

Immersed in an almost unreal peace and silence, we resume the descent along a fun mule track towards Bolzano Novarese and from here reach the Lido di Gozzano on a path. Tour of Lake d

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