Local Activities and Information
We have gathered a selection of information for our guests’ reference – local places of interest including beautiful views, hikes, historical monuments and good spots for swimming, skiing and relaxing as well as restaurant recommendations and local supermarkets.
Browse freely or use the tag cloud below to sort for your interests.
All Year (17) Autumn (2) Bar (1) Culture (3) Food (9) Hiking (1) History (7) Local Walks (4) Nature (18) Restaurant (2) Shopping (3) Spring (1) Summer (5) Supermarket (5) Swim (3) Tourism (9)
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Arca di Noè
The indoor dining room and garden offer a beautiful view of Lake Maggiore. This restaurant is famous for its genuine cuisine, which combines traditional flavours with a touch of creativity. The ambience is warm and cosy, with an intimate atmosphere that makes it perfect for a romantic dinner or a relaxing lunch. The menu offers…
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Arona – Public Beach
Arona’s public beach is located along the shores of Lake Maggiore and is a popular spot for residents and tourists during the summer months. This beach offers a quiet and well-maintained area, ideal for relaxing and bathing in the clear waters of the lake. Despite its simplicity, the beach has all the essential services nearby,…
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Arona – Public Beach
Arona’s public beach is located along the shores of Lake Maggiore and is a popular spot for residents and tourists during the summer months. This beach offers a quiet and well-maintained area, ideal for relaxing and bathing in the clear waters of the lake. Despite its simplicity, the beach has all the essential services nearby,…
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Arona City Centre
Arona is a picturesque town located on the western shore of Lake Maggiore. With its elegant squares, picturesque lakeside promenades and lively atmosphere, Arona is a popular destination for tourists and residents alike. The town is famous for the Rocca di Arona, an ancient fortification offering spectacular views of the lake, and for the statue…
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Bar Le Sorelle
Local village bar – ideal for breakfast, coffee and aperitivo.
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Cascata “Tina Bautina”
The Tina Bautina Waterfall is a small but beautiful waterfall located in a natural area not far from the centre of Paruzzaro. The waterfall can be reached with a pleasant walk of about 20 minutes along a path that follows a stream, surrounded by nature. The path is suitable for everyone and offers the opportunity…
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Castello di Gabbiano
The maze at Gabiano Castle is one of the very few documented examples of its kind in Piedmont’s historic gardens. Its importance stems not only from its rarity, but also from the historical period in which it was created, namely the 1930s, a time when the established taste for landscaping was integrated with formal gardens…
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Esselunga – Castelletto Sopra Ticino
High-quality supermarket with excellent local and national products, wide selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, deli and bakery.
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Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto
Located in Verbania, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, the Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto are a must-see destination for nature and landscape lovers. The result of the vision and work of Captain Neil McEacharn, who began this ambitious project in 1931, the park welcomes thousands of visitors every year. Here, among flower-lined paths and…
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Giardino Belvedere Mariateresa
Mariateresa Belvedere is a successful Milanese entrepreneur who has been working in the beauty and aesthetics sector for more than fifty years, with a direct and decisive manner. When she arrived in the village of Caprile di Biella in 1990, she was comforted by the feeling of nature’s dominance, breathing in the peaceful air, listening…
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Giardino Botanico Alpinia
The Alpinia Botanical Garden is situated in Alpino, at 800 meters high over Stresa, it has a overlooking on Lake Maggiore: a real natural balcony, where you can relax and stay in touch with the nature.This natural balcony has a Belvedere’s house where you can sit on comfortable benches and experience the wonderful view.In Alpinia…
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Giardino Botanico di Oropa
The construction of the Oropa Botanical Garden (first envisaged in the 1930s by Prof. Camillo Sormano in the Rivista Biellese magazine) was promoted by the Biella Garden Club Association in early 1990. The location chosen for this project was the basin where the Marian Shrine of Oropa is located, at an altitude of 1,200 metres,…
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Giardino Spinarosa
The Spinarosa Botanical Garden is a precious little gem nestled among the ridges of the lower Val Borbera. A hidden and unique pearl in the Novese area. A green corner where a passion for plants sometimes blends with literature, sometimes with painting and sometimes with photography.
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Ipercoop – Borgomanero/Gozzano
One of the largest supermarkets in the area, but prices at the higher end. Largest bakery and patisserie selection, as well as a large deli.
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Lake of Orta – Pettenasco
Pettenasco is a pretty village on the shores of Lake Orta, known for its peaceful atmosphere and the natural beauty of the landscape. One of the village’s main attractions is the lakeside promenade, which offers a picturesque and scenic route along the crystal-clear waters of the lake. This promenade is ideal for relaxing, jogging or…
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Lidl – Arona
Budget supermarket – best place in the area for cheap food shopping. Surprisingly high-quality products, better than Lidl in other countries!
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Margherita Conad
The local village shop – alongside standard Conad supermarket items, Matteo also stocks a hand-picked selection of local goods, herb/spice blends and a range of cheeses and cold meats.
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Milan City Centre
Milan is the closest big city to Paruzzaro. The city boasts many popular tourist attractions, such as the Milan Cathedral and Piazza del Duomo, the Teatro alla Scala, the San Siro Stadium, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Castello Sforzesco, the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Via Montenapoleone, the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, the Navigli and the Brera district. The Milan Cathedral is the city’s most popular tourist destination. Milan…
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Monastero di Torba
Located between Milan and Varese, Monastero di Torba is a monumental Longobard complex, today part of an archaeology park that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, immersed in nature and centered around an imposing tower with frescoed interiors. Open from March to December, it’s a family destination with an interesting focus on archeology and nature.…
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Mottarone
Mottarone is a mountain located between Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta in the Pennine Alps in Piedmont. At 1,492 metres high, it offers an extraordinary panoramic view from the Alps to the Po Valley, including seven lakes visible on clear days. Mottarone is a popular destination in both summer and winter: in summer it is…
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Oasi Zegna
Tutto è iniziato con un solo albero, piantato a Trivero. Oggi, oltre 500.000 alberi crescono rigogliosi nell’Oasi Zegna, simbolo del nostro impegno centenario nei confronti della natura. Con il lancio di Oasi Zegna Global Initiatives, quella visione prende forma attraverso azioni concrete: dalla piantumazione di 160.000 alberi autoctoni per rigenerare l’area di Lake Christine ad…
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Orta – Town Centre
Orta San Giulio is a charming village located on the shores of Lake Orta. Known for its tranquil atmosphere and medieval streets, Orta San Giulio is a hidden gem offering breathtaking views of the lake and the Island of San Giulio, located just opposite the historical centre. The village is an ideal place for those…
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Osteria del Vergante
Trattoria Alto Vergante is renowned for its home-style cuisine that celebrates traditional Piemontese flavours. The menu offers a variety of dishes prepared with fresh, local ingredients, such as cured meats, cheeses, risottos, homemade pastas and meat specialities, often accompanied by excellent regional wines. The ambience of the Trattoria Alto Vergante is rustic and familiar, with…
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Palazzo Gromo Losa
The pride and joy of Palazzo Gromo Losa is undoubtedly its Italian garden, dedicated to roses, whose various species intertwine along the central pergola, reminiscent of the warp and weft of a fabric. A stroll among the fountains and flowerbeds of the garden is an essential part of any visit to the exhibitions hosted in…
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Parco Nazionale Della Val Grande
The Val Grande National Park is a vast wilderness area in Piedmont, known as the largest wilderness zone in Italy. The park features breathtaking landscapes, including mountains, untouched forests, and clear streams. It’s a paradise for hikers and nature lovers who seek an immersive experience far from civilisation.
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Parco Pallavicino
Villa Pallavicino was built as a private residence in 1855. In 1862, it was acquired by the noble Pallavicino family of Genoa, who expanded the estate, built carriage roads, adorned the park with statues and transformed the simple residence into the splendid 19th-century neoclassical villa that still stands on the hill today. The Borromeo family…
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Pescone Waterfall
The Cascata del Pescone is an enchanting waterfall located near the village of Armeno, along the Pescone stream. This corner of uncontaminated nature is an ideal place for those who love hiking and want to discover quiet and picturesque places surrounded by greenery. The path to the waterfall is relatively simple and also suitable for…
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PrestoFresco
The closest proper supermarket – many local products, good fresh fruit and vegetables and an excellent selection of cold cut meats and cheeses.
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Riserva Naturale Parco Burcina “Felice Piacenza”
Burcina Park is a historic garden located on the hill of the same name, ‘Brik Burcina’, a gentle hill close to the Biella Alps. The origins of Burcina Park date back to the mid-1800s when Giovanni Piacenza (1811-1883) began purchasing various plots of land on the lower slopes facing south and west of the hill,…
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Sacromonte
The Sacro Monte di Orta is a spiritual and cultural site of great beauty, situated on a hill overlooking the village of Orta San Giulio and Lake Orta. This monumental complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of 20 chapels set in a natural park, built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Each chapel is…
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Stresa and Borromeo’s Islands
Stresa is one of the most charming resorts on Lake Maggiore, located on the western shore of the lake in Piedmont. Known for its elegance and aristocratic past, Stresa is a popular destination for its beautiful landscape, mild climate and splendid villas with botanical gardens. The lakeside promenade, lined with historic hotels and sophisticated cafés,…
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Tigros – Gozzano
A local supermarket for the North West of Italy, Tigros stocks a lot of high-quality local products, and specialises in big discounts – a good place to find the kind of treats you might like to take home with you.
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Varallo – Museum and Monastery
Built from the end of the 15th century onwards, the magnificent Varallan complex mainly comprises about forty chapels, all frescoed and decorated with polychrome statues, and a grandiose Marian shrine overlooking a piazza-garden of great beauty. Initially founded as a reproduction of the Christian sites of the Holy Land, it was later transformed into a…
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Villa Arconati – FAR
Among the most beautiful and majestic Villas of delight in Milan, Villa Arconati is a heritage of great historical, cultural and architectural value. The Villa – which today, together with its Garden, is home to the Augusto Rancilio Foundation – is located in the Groane Park, in the hamlet of Castellazzo di Bollate. Fondazione Augusto…
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Villa Cicogna Mozzoni
There is no country house in Lombardy that reflects the genius of Renaissance architecture more than does Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, where interior and exterior spaces blend into a graceful, co-ordinated whole. Rather than the garden borrowing its layout from the house, it is the building which seems to throw itself open to the magnificent views…
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Villa della Porta Bozzolo
Only 10 km from Laveno on Maggiore Lake, Villa Della Porta Bozzolo is a country mansion of the 16th century surrounded by a scenographic and monumental Italian garden. Interiors are rich of frescos and offer a sample of the lifestyle of the 18th century of a wealthy Lombard family. In spring the garden offers spectacular flowering of…
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Villa e Collezione Panza
In Varese, not far from the railway station and only 50 minutes away from Milan, Villa Panza is a 18th century villa surrounded by a magnificent Italian garden that hosts one of the foremost collections of contemporary art and international exhibitions. Dan Flavin, James Turrel and Robert Irwin are only three of the many artists at Villa and Collezione Panza.…
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Villa Ottolenghi Wedekind
Villa Ottolenghi is the only example in Italy of close collaboration between architects, painters, sculptors and patrons to create a stately home characterised by the presence of important works of art. In 1920, Counts Ottolenghi, Arturo and Herta von Wedekind zu Horst, entrusted the design of Villa Ottolenghi first to Federico d’Amato and then to…
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Villa Pizzo
THE VILLA SURROUNDINGS To the left of the Villa is a fountain bordered by a Rosa x odorata “Mutabilis”, located in the shadow of the century old Magnolia grandiflora; luxuriant century old Cycas border a path and a lemon-house resting against a wall covered with Ficus punila and Fuchsia magellanica. The winter version of the…
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Villa Reale di Monza – Giardini Reali
Created at the end of the 18th century, they are one of the earliest examples of an English-style garden in northern Italy, with historic furnishings and valuable plants. The gardens cover an area of 40 hectares around the Royal Villa. Behind the Serrone, which borders the geometric garden currently dedicated to the rose garden, you…
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Voglio La Pizza
The closest pizza shop, known for the quality of their pizzas and fresh ingredients, the atmosphere is simple and familiar – ideal for an informal meal with friends or family. Aside from the pizza, Voglio La Pizza also offers a selection of typical Italian food and a wide variety of drinks.