The cloistered nuns on Lake Orta

isola san Giulio - In Lake Orta, which is located in the province of Novara, there is a small island called San Giulio island. Its dimensions are very small: it measures just 260 meters. Most of this area is occupied by a large building which is a cloistered monastery, the Benedictine monastery Mater Ecclesia. It is not difficult to imagine why someone wanted to erect a similar place right here, if you think that the island is also called 'of silence'.

If you want to stay on San Giulio island, you must ask the nuns for a spiritual retreat. Here there is only one small shop, the Antica Bottega, and there are no groceries. There is only one restaurant, located inside a historic noble building. A legend is told on the island. San Giulio, a priest, returning from Greece, decided to build his hundredth church right here. But no one wanted to accompany him to the island that was infested with snakes. However, he was not discouraged and, armed only with his cloak and his staff, he defeated all the snakes by reclaiming the island.