The flirtatious island in Lake Orta.

Isola di San Giulio. - The island can be reached in a few minutes from the port of Orta and already observing it before the landing, you can see the landscape value, with the cypresses that recall the verticality of the towers and the bell tower and the globular oaks, as wide as the facades of the buildings. Despite its romantic and enchanting appearance, the little oasis has been at the center of violent strife.

In opposition to the chivalrous legend of San Giulio who built the Church there after having pierced dragons and snakes, the island historically saw the assassination of Minulf accused of treason in 590 and the bloody siege of Otto I against Berengar II in 957. Under the protectorate of the Bishop of Novara until 1817 it was ceded to Vittorio Emanuele I, except for the Castle and the Bishop's Palace, which remained in the Curia. Like the stairs that venture into the lake, silence also impresses the air of the small town. An elegant Magnolia explores the space between the colored walls of the houses with its dark and shiny green branches and leaves, while along the path of meditation you go up to the Romanesque Basilica, with its colorful interiors decorated with frescoes. The whole and the articulation of the buildings with plants, the loggias on the water and the internal gardens, are truly extraordinary corners.