They say that visiting Lake Orta is like travelling through time. Maybe it's the peacefulness and beauty of its body of water surrounded by gentle peaks where many small historic hamlets are nestled. Or maybe it's Orta itself, the town known as "the pearl of the Cusio". This description is not an exaggeration: you will see why when you explore the pedestrian medieval hamlet, which develops around Piazza Motta and the Broletto, the 16th century municipal palace with a frescoed lodge. Orta is home to artisans' ateliers, cafes, lake shore restaurants, noble palaces along narrow cobbled streets and the imposing Villa Bossi, with its gardens that reflect in the lake and the "painter", a sculpture-symbol in the act of painting Saint Giulio Island, which is located right across the stretch of water. According to the legend, Saint Giulio laid his cloak on the water of the lake to reach the small island and built his 100th church there, after driving away the dragons and serpents which infested it. Today, access to the island affectionately known as "the Island of Silence" is much easier: it only takes a couple of minutes by boat to reach it and discover its enchantment. Whether you take the "Route of Silence" of the "Route of Contemplation", follow the signs with quotes that invite you to reflect and you will reach the convent of the Mater Ecclesiae Benedictine nuns and the solemn Basilica of Saint Giulio, which dates back to the 4th century and contains many frescos. And when you see the large vertebral fossil ring hanging in the sacristy, rather than think about the legend, you'll be thinking about the ancient presence of fin whales in the lake...
Just outside Orta, on the hills of the Cusio that lead to the mountain of Mottarone, you find Legro, a special "painted village" which is immensely popular among Italian and foreign tourists, famous for "fixing the cinema to the walls". This small hamlet is basically an open-air gallery dedicated to the seventh art, cinematography, with a beautiful series of "murals" on the façades of the ancient hamlet’s houses made by artists from all over the world. These murals are inspired by movies set on Lake Cusio and the works of poet and writer Gianni Rodari, who came from the nearby town of Omegna. From here, in the lush green forest of the Natural Reserve, you can spot the Sacro Monte, famous for its 20 chapels. When you visit Sacro Monte, look for the frescoed hands on the façades of the chapels: just like in the old times, these hands lead the way. Orta is unique within the UNESCO Sacri Monti complex of Piedmont and Lombardy (UNESCO World Heritage) because it is the only one dedicated to the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.
If you then wish to explore Lake Orta by bicycle, take the Light Blue Ring (Anello Azzurro); you can even discover it on foot. From Sacro Monte, the ring goes down to Via Francisca and Corconio; it then continues for a brief stretch before heading up to Mount Mesma. At the top, you will find the church and convent dedicated to Saint Francis: here is the place to enjoy the splendid landscape of the lake, immersed in an enchanting peacefulness and stillness, with Mount Rosa in the background.
There are many other itineraries and trails that interweave around the Lake and all are worth exploring at a slow pace...