Province NO
Borgomanero, NO
A town in the province of Novara between Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore, laid out as a medieval planned settlement with two main streets crossing at the centre. It is the commercial hub for the Novara hills rather than a lake resort, and it has a strongly defended local dish.
Sights
- Collegiata di San Bartolomeo, the main parish church, with terracotta detailing and baroque altars
- Oratorio di San Leonardo, about 1125 to 1150, retaining 13th-century frescoes
- Palazzo d'Este, a 15th-century noble residence linked to the Trivulzio family
- Oratorio di San Nicola alla Baraggiola, a proto-Romanesque building of about the 10th century
- Castello del Vergano, a 14th-century castle raised over the surrounding country
Things to do
- Go to the Friday market on Corso Roma, which the town dates back more than five centuries
- Order tapulon, the local dish of finely chopped meat cooked slowly in red wine
- Walk the Cammino delle Colline Novaresi through the vineyard hills, or use the town for Lake Orta
Annual events
September
Festa dell'Uva
Grape harvest festival with a parade of decorated floats, a donkey race, a mass tapulon cook-up and concerts, past its 75th edition.
When to visit
September, for the harvest festival and the vineyards. The hill walking is also at its best then.
