Today's excursion is to the Lago di Orta
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| Underneath is a picture of Alfonso Bialetti, the inventor of the "Moka" |
Omegna is the city of "Moka"
Alfonso Bialetti (1888–1970) invented the Moka Express Coffeemaker. Designed in 1933, the coffee pot has been a style icon since the 1950s. It is the source of nostalgia and affection for many Italians and is an essential and fashionable part of almost every Italian kitchen.
The Bialetti mascot with his index finger held up as if ordering another espresso. In Italian he is called l’omino con i baffi - "the mustachioed little man". The mascot is a caricature of Alfonso's son, Renato Bialetti.
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| La Città di Orta |
The area around Lake Orta has long been a favorite tourists, thanks to the quiet beauty of the landscape, its fascinating history and its wealth of artistic treasures - principally Romanesque and Baroque architecture.
The famous italian writer, Piero Chiara, called Orta San Giulio "God's Watercolor". The facade of the houses overlooking the main Orta San Giulio's square reminds what Chiara wrote.
And Augusto Mazzetti, journalist and poet, used to call this square "the living room".
Giardini e Villa Bossi
Villa Bossi, sorta sul luogo di una preesistente costruzione medioevale, della quale si conservano perte del paramento murario e cinque portali, ha subito parecchi rimaneggiamenti ed ampliamenti nel corso dei secoli..
Grazioso è il giardino (aperto al pubblico) costituito da quattro aiuole, un pergolato di glicini con panchine, un cipresso centenario e il cancello con pilastri e ferro battuto che separa la villa dalle acque del lago.
La parrocchiale di Santa Maria Assunta, costruita nel 1485 e ricostruita nella seconda metà del XVIII secolo.
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| La Piazza Motta |
After a delightful lunch we drove up to the Sacro Monte di Orta
We walk through a natural reserve, quiet and mystical, visiting the ancient chapels that describe the life of San Francesco d'Assisi. You descends on the opposite side of the Sacro Monte, through the arch decorated with a statue of Assisi's Saint by Dionigi Bussola.
We descent on the opposite side of the Sacro Monte, through the arch decorated with a statue of Assisi's Saint by Dionigi Bussola.
The next morning, Tuesday 20th August, Loretta and Alessandro drive me to Malpensa airport for my return flight to Brussels.
