QUIET, SUNNY, STYLISH, WITH WIDE VALLEY VIEW TO SOUTH FROM TERRACE AND BALCONY

The Cannobina Valley (Val Cannobina):: Orasso is the most ancient village in the Cannobina Valley which is pulled through by a narrow and little travelled road having branches to the mountain villages scattered on the slopes. From the holiday house, you can start walking in all directions on well-signed and maintained footpaths. In particular, you can reach a romantically sited and sunny bathing place at the Orasso brook in almost 20 minutes by foot which is a small alternative to the Lake Maggiore. But upside the village, you arrive at a beautiful alpine pasture, where as a special attraction you find a giant swing mediating the feeling of floating in the skies. By foot or short drives, you will reach many other romantic places, villages and footpaths, especially mountain paths to steep rock walls and magnificent peaks. History and traditions of the formerly dense-populated valley can be studied in the Ethnographic Museum of Gurro, on boards along the footpaths, or via several Italian books in the house (with many photos).

The Lake Maggiore:: You reach Lake Maggiore along the small valley road, 15 km from 700 to 200m in height. The road leads to the little and charming town of Cannobio, some kilometres south from the Swiss border. Here in the northwest, the Lake has its best water quality, and on the well-maintained beach you find sunny places with sands, as well as shadowy places on the meadows between trees. The long beach promenade with many restaurants and views is also one of the nicest all along the Lake. With the steamer you can visit all other charming places along the lake (in particular of course, the beautiful Borromeo Islands near Stresa). On Sunday morning it’s worthwhile to visit the large flea-market in Cannobio, but the city invites for shopping and resting all over the day. Surely it is also worthwhile to visit the Swiss towns of Locarno and Ascona. In Locarno there is also the international exhibition of camellia (the time of most intensive blossom of camellia and magnolia is between March and April).

Val Vigezzo and Val Grande:: 10 km in western direction from Orasso via Finero, the highest village of the Cannobina Valley, you arrive at the Val Vigezzo, the “Valley of painters”. It’s a less tourist region compared to the Lake Maggiore but you find nice small towns like Malesco and Santa Maria Maggiore, as well as very comfortable footpaths along the rather broad valley (there is a description of 12 excursions in the holyday home). A special attraction offers the narrow-gauge railway winding itself along the slopes of the Vigezzo valley and the adjacent Swiss Centovalli from Domodossola to Locarno. But if you are searching for complete loneliness, you can start from Finero or Malesco for a several day’s excursion within the Val Grande, the biggest wilderness in Italy and the Alps. For overnight stays you find primitive huts without food supply (“rifugio”). From this area you can also set out for magnificent and partially difficult peak tours.