Gloria Miller writes for Language Connections about her favourite
place in the Lakes Region.
Lake Orta (Lago D’Orta in Italian) is the nearest
of the major Piedmont lakes to Turin. It lies to the west of Lake Maggiore, and
has been an inspiration to poets and writers for centuries. The German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who visited the lake in May 1882, believed that
the experience changed his life forever, inscribed the date "von Orta
an" ("from Orta onwards") as a preface to his masterpiece Thus Spake Zarathustra. Regarded as the most romantic lake in
Italy it is 13.5kms long and surrounded by mountains covered in lush
vegetation. The setting alone is breathtaking but the jewel in the crown is the
island of San Giulio in the middle of Lake Orta, dominated by its thirteenth
century basilica and convent.
The place to stay is Orta San Giulio on the shores
of the lake. A charming car-free town and not at all touristy – most of the
tourists to the lake are the local Italian people from Piedmont and the well
heeled from Turin. We stayed at the Piccolo Hotel Olina which was comfortable
and well located. Also highly recommended is Orta Lake Holiday Flats – www.ortalakeflats.com.
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