We continue our walk through the streets of the town and we remind you that about 5 minutes by boat there is another pearl of this beautiful lake: the island of San Giulio, which we will present in the next special.

These places are definitely worth a visit.

A bit of history:
The history of the town is closely linked to that of the lake.
The human presence dates back to the Neolithic era.
Celtic populations settled here in the Iron Age.
Like the whole Po Valley, the territory was then Romanized, until the arrival of the Lombards followed by bitter disputes with the Franks.
It was granted in 1219 by the emperor Frederick II of Swabia to the bishop of Novara who assumed the rank of count of the Riviera di San Giulio. The title remained even after the voluntary transfer to the Savoy in 1817.

A sad note:
in 1926 due to industrial discharges by the German company Bemberg s.p.a. (bankrupt in 2009, leaving debts and unresolved problems), the waters of the lake became unlivable for flora and fauna.
This pollution was not the only one, industrial discharges continued, completely ruining the lake waters.
Only in the 1980s the environmental remediation began and it would seem that a gradual improvement is underway.

For more info:
wikipedia: Orta San Giulio
wikipedia: lago d'Orta
www.lagomaggiore.net/orta-san-giulio
www.comune.ortasangiulio.no.it Il-comune-in-breve
Orta San Giulio parte 1^ft