Departure on foot, or by tourist train, to discover the sacred mount “ Sacro monte” of Orta. It lies on the top of a small hill and it’s dedicated to Saint Francis’ life; it’s composed of 20 chapels, with 900 frescoes and 376 statues, created by great artists of the late sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Since 2003 the “Sacro Monte” has become a UNESCO heritage.
After the Sacro Monte, the visit will continue, on foot or by train, to the picturesque village of Orta, overlooking the lake.
Orta village still maintains its ancient medieval beauty; the architectural style of the houses and alleys have remained unchanged until now and it’s why, Orta, is today considered of one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy.
With the tourist guide you will visit, the church of Saint Rocco, the square with its medieval Law Courts, the garden of Villa Bossi with its town hall, the historical Bersani Way, the Gemelli and Penotti palaces, the dwarves’ house and the church of Our Lady of the Assumption.
After lunch, in the afternoon, you will continue the visit with the tourist guide, to Saint Julius’ island. Here, you will visit the millenary Romanesque Basilica with frescoes of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the wonderful ceiling realized by great local painters, the extraordinary serpentine stone ambo of the twelfth century, and the crypt with the remains of Saint Julius.
We will continue the visit, walking around the Benedictine convent, along the path of silence and meditation.
The admission to the sacro monte and to the basilica of saint julius is free.
To pay