It is from the small capital of Lake Maggiore, where one of the most suggestive itineraries of Verbano begins. Geographic heart of the basin, Verbania is somewhat the meeting point between the northern and southern arms of the lake; It is also the starting point for an interesting cross-country tour of the Borromean islands.
We leave Verbania along the state road 34 of Lake Maggiore, one of the most panoramic tracts of Piedmont, long path along the waters of the Piedmont bank to the Swiss border.
Ghiffa and Oggebbio precede the arrival at Cannero Riviera. The first around the middle of the nineteenth century became an important craft center specializing in the production of male hats in rabbit felt. Ghiffa is also its Sacro Monte in a beautiful panoramic position on the lake, a baroque complex that joins the church of the Shrine with other three chapels and the beautiful arcade of the Via Crucis, nestled in the two hundred hectares of the Sacred Mountain’s Special Nature Reserve.
Left Ghiffa, continuing north to Cannobio, reach Oggebbio, dominated by the tallest bell tower in Verbano, of 42 meters, of the parish church of S. Pietro, a village of fifteen villages.
Continuing along State road 34 you reach Cannero Riviera, a village with lush vegetation, favored by the temperate climate in summer and mild winter. Cedars, oranges, palms, camellias, rhododendrons, olives, lemons and azaleas give Mediterranean scenery.
It is the promenade on the lakefront to give the sight of the castles of Cannero, suggestive ruins rising on two islands just a few meters from the shore.
Stunning views can be enjoyed from the dense network of indoor trails. In the coastal area, historically land of commerce, fishing, villas and gardens, it is contrasted with that of the interior, land dominated by agricultural activity.
Exclusive and elegant location, Cannero Riviera is worth a visit all year round. Citrus land, whose cultivation seems to have been practiced here since the sixteenth century, changed its name from Cannero to Cannero Riviera in 1947 for its climate and for such cultivations. In celebration of this extraordinary peculiarity, the town proposes a trip among its fruits in the Citrus Park, a route between the “local” citrus rows, typical of this corner of Piedmont, with mild climate, where to breathe the Mediterranean air and deepen botanical knowledge.
You can enjoy the stroll along the lake among olive trees, aloes, oranges and palm trees, between the meadows, the water and the mountains that surround the town.
Interesting also a visit to the Ethnographic Museum and of the Brush, located at Villa Laura, which allows you to know through the objects the daily life of Cannero of a time. A journey through the past between life in kindergarten and school, through the costumes of the past, games, pastimes and domestic and peasant activities, and a part devoted to production that characterized Cannero between the 19th and the first half of the XX century; the brush industry.
Leave the town of Cannero Riviera, crossing the lake, reaching one of the most charming corners of Lake Maggiore. The view of the Cannero Castles imposes a stop along the road leading to Cannobio. The ruins of the two castles, the remains of the Vitalian Rock wanted by Lodovico Borromeo, seem to emerge from the waters.
It is the view of Switzerland and the northern end of Lake Maggiore before the arrival at Cannobio, the last center of the Piedmont coastal area before crossing the border.
Among the most lively and interesting centers of the entire Verbano, Cannobio proposes its beautiful palazzo and one of the most scenic walks on the lake, among the old fishermen’s houses, the beautiful square Vittorio Emanuele III and the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Pietà .
An important commercial center since the pre-Roman age, the town offers a rich architectural structure. Entering the town from the south is the Lion’s monument to welcome visitors; dating from 1889 is the work of sculptor Giulio Branca, in memory of Cannobio’s defense against the Austrians coming from the lake in 1859.
At the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament join the Collegiate of San Vittore, the imposing interior with a single nave, with the organ of 1837, built by the little Luigi Maroni Biroldi, and the Oratorio di Santa Marta.
The main expression of civil architecture is the Palazzo della Ragione, called Parasio, built in 1291 by the Ugolino Podestà , while on the right side of the building stands the Municipal Tower, a Romanesque building from the 12th century.
You can not miss a delightful stop in one of the restaurants in the village to give yourself a taste of Ossolani salami or maybe some dish based on lake fish.
