The best cycling routes around Cavallirio

The Parish Church of San Bernardo in Prato Sesia is an ancient basilica-style building with three naves, located in the Novara area.

Continuing towards Traversagna you cycle through the vineyards of the Monte Fenera Natural Park

Tiny village, but worth "crossing" and from which you can have a beautiful view of the lake

The favorite climb in training of the great Pasquale Fornara from Borgomanero (3rd in the Giro of '53, 4th in the Tour of '55, 2nd in the Vuelta of '58, 10th in the Sanremo of '58, 15th in the Liège of '53, 5th in the Lombardia of '51, 7th in the World Championships of '55, 4-time winner of the Tour of Switzerland), a pretty good athlete...

Strategic point to park if you want to take some tracks in the direction of Montalbano/La Pelosa/San Bernardo

The hamlet of Lortallo was a very pleasant surprise for me. Leaving Ameno, I was attracted by the sight of the mighty tower, which I later discovered was built in the 13th century. It is in excellent condition. Next to the tower, there is the Church of San Grato, which dates back to the 18th century (the bell tower is dated 1758). To the side of the tower and the church (which unfortunately I found closed and which is rarely open), closing the pretty little square, there is one of the entrances to Palazzo Decio, which I could only see from the outside because it is privately owned. However, the palace is used as a location for weddings and other celebrations, so online it is possible to see the interior, which develops around a large garden with a splendid view of Lake Orta. But the surprises offered by Lortallo do not stop there. In fact, I read that archaeological research conducted in Lortallo between 1915 and 1938, brought to light one of the most important necropolises of the early First Iron Age. The necropolis complex features tombs dating from the 9th to the 5th century BC and the findings can be placed within the Golasecca Culture, a common expression of various Celtic tribal groups that lived in the early Iron Age in western Lombardy, the Novara area and the Canton of Ticino. In short, it seems that Lortallo has been inhabited since the dawn of time.

Romagnano Sesia, a town of about 3,500 inhabitants in the province of Novara, is the production site of the DOCG Ghemme wine and boasts several monuments and places of interest. Examples are the Cantina dei Santi, what remains of the ancient Benedictine abbey of San Silano, and the Torre del Pretorio.

The church originally had two naves: a central one and a lateral one. The lateral one on the north side was demolished in 1681. “The interior is divided into three bays by three pointed arches in masonry, resting on rectangular pillars. The arches support a ceiling made of large bricks on which the roof rests directly. The apse is large (the diameter is more than 6 meters) and is covered by a five-part vault. Against the wall, the masonry altar is decorated with stucco in late sixteenth-century style, dating back to 1680. Under the plaster, fragments of the ancient frescoes re-emerge, covered with whitewash carried out during an eighteenth-century restoration; the most notable are the one on the southern wall depicting Saint Peter, from the Romanesque period, and, near the side entrance, a fresco ruined in several places that portrays Saint Francis of Assisi while receiving the stigmata. The Saint is portrayed kneeling with his arms open and slightly raised, with his gaze turned towards Christ, who appeared in the form of a Cherub; further down we can see the figure of a little friar who witnessed the event, with his hands raised to protect his eyes from the brightness of the apparition. Behind the figure of the Saint is depicted the little church of Porziuncola. The expressiveness of the faces, the attention to the folds of the Saint's habit and the architecture of the church in the background date this fresco back to a period before the end of the fifteenth century.” From the municipality website: comune.carpignanosesia. No. It