Hidden quietly in the north of Italy is the small lake of Orta and the lazy town of Omegna. After two trains and a bus ride, we finally arrived at our new short trip destination. We checked into our three star hotel, the Croce Bianci, perhaps the best centrally located one in the town.
Because of its small size and lack of glamour, Lake Orta is often overlooked by most overseas travelers, who are more interested in the high impact tourist destinations to check off their bucket lists. It is visited mostly by Italians from Milan, some of whom own weekend homes here, the French, Germans and the occasional Brit. Since there is really not much to see and do on this side of the lake, a short slideshow is perhaps more in order.
We made plans to visit Omegna just to relax and actually do nothing more than just check the lake out. This is definitely a good place to accomplish nothing. However, there are plenty of activities available, from camping, boating, cycling, swimming, hiking and the odd trek to a neighboring town, if one is so inclined. The area is definitely family friendly, even the town has a large and very well equipped playground for them.
The remainder of our trip will visit other parts of the lake and be continued in another entry, so stay tuned. Ciao for now…
Restaurants
Salera 16
A more hip and trendy place is the Salera 16, which caters to the younger crowd with burgers, fries and other handheld items. A good place to stop for something quick.
Al Centrale Bistrot
This little bistrot has excellent food at great prices, though the menu is limited and changes daily. If you are not fussy and adaptable you definitely find a tasty treat here. Their wines by the glass are very good.
Ristorante Il Cavalieri
The first restaurant we visited when we arrived, it offers traditional Italian fare and pizza. It behaves more like a trattoria and gets a lot of local traffic. So an excellent place for reasonably priced authentic Italian food. I found the Vino Sfuso, or bulk house wine, a bit of a disappointment, but it is still drinkable and reasonably priced.
Ristorante Punti D’Vista
A ten minute walk along the Lungolago Gramsci of Omegna on the west bank will bring you to this hotel and restaurant. Set slightly uphill from the road it has a commanding view of the lake and plenty of outside seating. Reservations are recommended though, as the patio seating fills up quite fast.
