Parallel to Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta is located on the road from Domodossola to Novara. It is the westernmost of the Alpine lakes created by the Simplon glacier after the last ice age some twenty thousand years ago.

In medieval times, the lake was called Lake San Giulio after the name of its small island, and it was only in the 17th century that it began to be called Lake Orta, after the town of Orta San Giulio situated in front of the island.

This small town and the island are the main tourist destination, known all over the world. Unfortunately, this makes the place overcrowded in high season, just like the western coast of Lake Maggiore.

In early June 2022, we passed by hoping to shoot some beautiful panoramas but the omnipresent crowds and full car parks made us postpone this project to another time...

Useful links

Italian Region of Piedmont (iSwitzerland Guide) - Wikipedia