AM Club | Lake Orta: Rodari, the MOCA, the island of San Giulio and Pella

The day begins in Omegna with a visit to the Rodar Museumwhich tells the writer’s story with a light touch and imagination: texts on digital shelves, images on giant screens, TV interviews, fairy tales told over the phone in various languages, and “fairy-tale-inventing” machines. From Omegna to the world, a surprising journey through his creative universe. Visitors will see Rodari being interviewed on television and hear some famous fairy tales over the telephone, with the chance – by dialling special numbers – to hear them recited in different languages…

You’ll get to know Rodari, his words and his ideas through ‘fairy-tale-inventing’ kits and ‘reverse fairy-tale’ machines.

A stroll through the city centre to explore Rodari Park, which stretches across the city, and a visit to the MOCA, the Museum of Household Goods which tells the story of the homewares district through an innovative exhibition. A digital gallery offering an immersive journey through seven iconic companies and an open archive featuring historical products and documents: a museum that celebrates Omegna’s industrial ingenuity.

This project celebrates the history and innovation of the household goods district, a sector that has made Omegna a global centre of excellence. The museum is spread across two distinct yet complementary spaces. It is not merely a place of remembrance, but a meeting point between the past and the future, which tells the story of ’Made in Italy’ through a contemporary lens.

Lunch break (at your leisure).

In the afternoon, we’ll board a private boat for the a boat trip on the lake to the Island of San Giulio: the small island of is dominated by the Romanesque basilica, the bishop’s palace and the Benedictine abbey.Legend has it that this island, no more than 400 metres from the shore of Orta, was once a rock inhabited by snakes and terrible monsters, until Saint Julius landed there in 390: walking across the waters of the lake on his cloak and guided through the storm by his staff, the saint founded a church – in which he later chose to be buried – and transformed the island into the centre of evangelisation for the entire region.

We will reach Pella on the opposite bank for a visit to the church of San Filiberto.

The Romanesque church faces east towards the landing stage on the lakeshore, from where boat processions still set off today for the Island of San Giulio. It is characterised by its majestic design, whilst a series of 19th-century chapels, depicting the Stations of the Cross, surround it.It is the only church in Italy dedicated to Saint Filiberto, and its bell tower is the oldest on the western shore of Lake Orta, dating from between 1075 and 1110.

• Departure: from Turin at 7.45 am from Piazza Statuto, 15
• Restart: from Orta or Pella at around 5.00 pm, returning to Turin at around 7.00–7.30 pm
• Cost of the trip: € 55,00
• Info and reservations: online

Route in collaboration with Piemonturismo