Miasino on Lake Orta: Churches, Villa Nigra and Forest Paths
Accommodation in Miasino
Miasino on Lake Orta
Miasino is a hilltop village on the eastern shore of Lake Orta, surrounded by chestnut forests and green meadows. Easy paths run through beech and chestnut forests as well as extensive meadows around Miasino. Various bird species and deer can be observed. In addition to its buildings, the village therefore offers a landscape where easy walks and nature observation have their own place.
Churches and Religious Art
The Church of San Rocco was built in 1566 on the remains of a Romanesque chapel. In 1627, San Rocco was extended based on a design by the Milanese architect Richini. The church contains Baroque works as well as paintings by Giorgio Bonola, G. C. Procaccini, Giuseppe Zanatta and G. B. Cantalupi. San Rocco is freely accessible during religious celebrations.
The parish church of San Pietro was built in the 17th century based on a design by the architect Andrea Biffi, on the foundations of an earlier Romanesque church. Traces of this earlier church are visible in the foundations of the leaning bell tower and in the semicircular apse of San Pietro. The furnishings include 18th-century frescoes by L. Rossetti and S. Bianchi, an icon by Scaramuzza, and paintings by Luigi Garzi and Giorgio Bonola.
San Gottardo began in the 16th century as a Baroque chapel and was completely remodelled in the following century based on a design by the architect Andrea Biffi. A choir fresco depicting a gallery of saints is attributed to Fermo Stella da Caravaggio. Every 25 years, on the day before the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in September, members of the parish carry the statue of the Crucifix in a procession to the parish church of San Gottardo. The following day, they ceremonially return the statue to the Castello.
The Oratorio di San Carlo was built at the beginning of the 17th century as a single-nave, quadrangular structure with a columned portico and a façade with arches. The Oratorio di Santa Maria in the centre of Miasino was also built at the beginning of the 17th century and features 20th-century decorations by Rinaldi.
Villa Nigra and Cultural Sites
Villa Nigra in the centre of Miasino was built in the 16th century as an elegant country residence. Between 1680 and 1725, Villa Nigra was extended in the Baroque style; a section with a double loggia and a new wing were added. Villa Nigra is used for public art exhibitions, cultural events and concerts. Every edition of the Miasino Jazz Festival took place in the honorary courtyard of Villa Nigra.
Since 2018, the Giardino dei Semplici has featured information panels about the medicinal properties of the plants. Seating allows visitors to stay there and relax. An Iron Age grave was discovered in the Campello locality of Miasino. The finds include a terracotta vessel with a pre-Roman inscription in North Etruscan script and in the language of the Lepontii.
More destinations: Armeno, Massino Visconti, Pettenasco, Orta San Giulio, Pella, Lesa.
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