Have you ever heard of Lake Orta? It could be your next vacation destination! Lake Orta is located in northern Italy, near Lake Maggiore, in the Piemonte region. Known for being a very elegant, refined and cosmopolitan area, the Lake Orta region is famous for its elegant urban architecture and wonderful landscapes. It is definitely a great place to visit all year round. This Italian area offers a rich variety of different landscapes, a cuisine with a long tradition and genuine products.

For this reason, thousands of tourists are attracted each year by the Italian dream and plan their vacations in Tuscany to visit one of the most fascinating areas of Italy. Here you can find many natural and cultural itineraries, medieval towns, old towns, wonderful churches and cathedrals, but also a great gastronomic culture. The best accommodation to spend unforgettable relaxing holidays in this area is to rent holiday apartments. In this way, you will have the opportunity to manage your time as you prefer and cook local products in a real and well-equipped kitchen.

Among all the special products that you can find in this part of the region, we suggest the local asparagus, which has a very intense aroma and grows in the surrounding hills. It is considered a true treasure for the local cuisine and a valued product for the local economy as well.

Local inhabitants and chefs working in Tuscan restaurants cook the local asparagus in different ways: simply boiled, baked “parmigiana style”, bathed in extra virgin olive oil, served with melted cheese or with slices of Parma ham. All seasons are perfect for visiting the Lake Orta area, because the hills surrounding the lake and the hidden valleys between them are the ideal place for a revitalizing walk in nature. Among all the cities and towns worth visiting, we suggest Orta San Giulio, the island of San Giulio (right in the middle of the lake waters), Pettenasco and Omegna. In this area finding local truffles is quite easy. The intense smell of the truffle makes it one of the most precious products of the plant kingdom, but it requires special conditions to grow. It does not like dry soils and needs certain salts, it can adapt to a temperate climate and prefers clayey-calcareous soils.

In winter, you cannot miss the famous nougat that has very ancient origins. In fact, historians have discovered a document belonging to Pliny where the novelist describes a “dessert made with honey and dried fruit.” Piedmontese nougat differs from the other popular Cremona nougats in that it contains hazelnuts instead of almonds.

Cheese is another authentic gem of local cuisine. One of the most famous cheeses is Murazzano, a fresh and rich cheese. It is smooth and milky white in color with a delicate aromatic flavor similar to sheep’s milk. Robiola di Roccaverano is another famous fresh cheese with a delicate flavor. These cheeses are extremely rich and go well with local red wines. Among all the most famous wines in the area, we suggest Barolo and Barbaresco which are excellent with strong flavors of the traditional cuisine of the Lake Orta region.