Lake Orta holiday rentals: some itineraries ad places to see in the area

Hiking or cycling along Lake Orta banks is a wonderful opportunity to admire local landscapes and some of the most interesting artistic and historical places of this area of Piedmont. If you don’t know the zone and want to cycle, we suggest that you turn to an expert guide or local tour operator specialized in the organization cycling tours in Lake Orta area. This way you will be sure about the places you will visit and the kind of paths you will face. If you decide to spend some days in this area, we recommend that you consider one of the Lake Orta holiday rentals services: this is the best way to appreciate the region and you will be free to spend and manage your time as you prefer. Renting a holiday house you can enjoy the familiar atmosphere of a real house and you can cook by yourself the specialties of the region. Going to the local market, buying local ingredients and cook them at home will give you a different taste and the opportunity to appreciate local culture.

After tasting local food, you can go on with your bike (or your feet) to discover new enchanting places of the area. If you want to try a self-guided tour, we suggest a special itinerary starting from the village of Omegna, along Lake Orta shores, to come back to the Town Hall. Before you start, it is important to collect all the main information about the itinerary and the surrounding area. You should know that this trip is for MTB, as more than 60% is on unsurfaced tracks and many times it is over rough terrain as well.

This trail will allow you to discover some of the most intriguing and interesting landscapes of the whole area. Let’s start! You will leave from the Town Hall of Omegna to follow directions for Orta. After passing ENI service station, turn left and go up, then turn to the right following directions to get the town of Borca.

On the right side of the trail, you can admire the little church of San Gottardo, one of the most interesting religious and artistic monuments of the area. Take the path which over more or less level terrain goes to Crabbia. Always pay attention to the path: there are some streams to ford along this trail which are not so easy to cross. Pay attention to hikers as well, because they will follow the same path. When you get the village of Crabbia, don’t enter the village and go up, turn to the left and take the surfaced road. It will change after some minutes becoming a dirt track. You will come out at the cemetery of Agrano. We suggest that you go on, turn to the right, passing some isolated houses, until you reach the fork for the hilltop of Barro.

At this point, we recommend that you take the trail going down to the village of Pratolungo, and turn to the right of the little church of Madonna della Neve, where Preia Grosa begins. Go on and you will find a descending way, surfaced only in some places. Following the trail you will get the town of Pettenasco. At this point, turn left before the railway bridge and after the bridge over the Pescone stream, take the track up to the right. This way, you will have the opportunity to visit a panoramic road leading to Carcegna village. Go through the village, keeping to the left and continue on this trail until you get the surfaced road to Armeno.Before you get to the village, take the white trail you find on the the left (it is located in the open countryside), and after a half kilometer follow the directions to for Pettenasco. When you get the valley of Pescone, go back under the railway bridge. At the crossroads there is a gentle slope up to the station and the village of Crabbia. When you get the crossroad with the signposts, go left to go back to Omegna, on the same trail you used to get.

Ilaria Sabrini - teacher and blogger. I was born in the United States, but I've spend in Italy most of my life. I'm a language teacher and a travel blogger.