Lake of Orta: nature, art and history

Lake of Orta, a water expanse of fluvial glacial origin, is 12.5 Km long and 2.5 Km wide and is located at an altitude of 193 m. above sea level. It is in Northern Italy, West of Lake Maggiore to which it is linked through the Nigoglia stream and the Strona and Toce rivers. Nature, art, history are just a few of the things one can discover on this lake. Here many illustrious artists and people of culture (i.e. Honoré de Balzac, Gianni Rodari, Eugenio Montale e Mario Soldati) spent their holidays and celebrated it and business men established an industrial district and here again is the birthplace of many important “chefs de cuisine” who were later to become very famous around the world.