Lake Mergozzo
Lake Mergozzo
In ancient times, the tiny and charming Lake Mergozzo, in the Ossola Valley, was a gulf of Lake Maggiore. Now it is one of the cleanest lakes in Italy: indeed, due to the absence of industrial activity, to a ban on motor boats and to an efficient sewage system, its waters are amongst the clearest in Italy.
The village of Mergozzo looks down on to the lake. It is very pleasant to walk on the wonderful promenade or sit outdoors in one of the many bars in any season. Splendid but not too crowded, there are numerous beaches along the shores of the lake suitable for everyone, ideal destination for swimming, sunbathing and relaxing.
Curious, there is a beach reserved for dog owners!
Its houses, typically made in stone, rest one against the other and are occasionally divided by steep streets that often give way to steps.
Montorfano
Along a medieval mule-track, you reach the small village of Montorfano, lying amidst chestnut woods and proudly featuring the most interesting and best preserved Romanesque church in this area, with early christian baptismal font. It dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries and it stands on the remains of a religious building from the 9th century, but recent excavations brought to light the remains of a more ancient church that was built in the 5th and 6th centuries,
From the village square, a signposted path will lead you on to an outing of artistic interest.
The Ossola Valley supplies marble and stone used for the construction of Italian monuments famous throughout the world, among which the Duomo in Milan, which was built using the special pink marble of the Candoglia Quarry, in the Mergozzo district.
The Candoglia marble blocks reached the city of Milan via waterborne routes: thanks to the use of rafts this transport took place along the river Toce to Lake Maggiore, then along the river Ticino and the Naviglio Canal to the quay of Sant’Eustorgio in Milan.