Cities
Arona (NO)
If in New York, tourists flock together on ferries leaving Battery Park for guided tours of the Statue of liberty, those who arrive at Lago Maggiore, instead, usually pay a visit to Sancarlone, the statue dominating San Carlo’s Sacro Monte at the gates of Arona. Sancarlone measures 23 meters high with another 12 meters of pedestal and was built between 1614 and 1698 to celebrate, as its same-named sanctuary, the memory of San Carlo Bottomeo, archbishop of Milan and a member of the powerful family that long governed the city and many of the lands surrounding Lago Maggiore. “If you have a heart and a shirt, sell the shirt and visit Lago Maggiore”, advised Stendhal. Therefore, not only religious tourists come to Arona; but, for centuries, the city has been the destination for tourists who are interested in ancient noble palazzos and splendid gardens of rhododendrons and azaleas sprouting up around the villas that look over the lake. In the historical center, Villa Ponti rises up, built in the 17th century by a Flemish merchant and supporter of Napoleon, which is used today for important art shows and some of the concert events from the Festival internazionale delle Settimane Musicali di Stresa (The International Festival of Musical weeks in Stresa).
Info
Via San Carlo, 2 - 28041 Arona (No)
Tel.: +39.0322 231111 - Fax: + 39.0322 231210
E-mail: segreteria@comune.arona.no.it
www.comune.arona.no.it
