Arona with a qualified guide. The statue of Saint Carlo Borromeo, the old town and Gaudenzio Ferrari

- THE TOWN OF ARONA

Arona is a nice town at the southern end of Lake Maggiore. A large promenade along the lakefront and a pedestrian street with shops and cafés running parallel lead to the picturesque Piazza del Popolo where the major building is the Broletto known as Casa del Podestà dating back to the XV century. Quite a number of nice churches were built in the town centre: Santa Maria di Loreto (near the Broletto), the church of Saints Graziano and Felino, patron saints of Arona, and the Collegiate of Santa Maria. This one houses an important work of art: a Polyptych that was painted in 1511 by a notable artist called Gaudenzio Ferrari. In the same church are important paintings by the painter Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli). Just a few minutes' drive from the lake, in the hills behind the town ( in the hamlet of Dagnente), is a colossal statue that features Saint Charles Borromeo, a cardinal and Archbishop of Milan in the 16th century, who was born in Arona. The big statue was made in bronze and copper in the 17th century and it's 23 metres high (if including the pedestal it is 35 metres high).

CLASSIC HALF-DAY ITINERARY

We meet in Arona (or at your hotel) in the morning or in the afternoon. Guided walk around the old town. Then, by car or by coach, we reach the hamlet of Dagnente in the hills and see the statue (known in Italian as "San Carlone") and the nearby church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo.

NOTES

This itinerary can be combined with another half-day guided tour on lake Maggiore or lake Orta