From a cultural and entertainment point of view, Upper Piedmont offers numerous points of interest.

Lake Maggiore boasts several museums that tell the story and culture of a “living” territory, deeply connected to its traditions.

In Verbania, the Museo del Paesaggio showcases collections of landscape painting, sculpture, popular devotion, and archaeology. In Santa Maria Maggiore, in the Valley of the Painters, the historic Rossetti Valentini Art Gallery houses a collection of works by major local artists. In Ghiffa, the Hat Museum tells the story of Italian glamour, while in Gignese visitors can explore the Umbrella Museum.

On Lake Orta, visitors will find the Museum of Design and the Tap Museum, located in San Maurizio d’Opaglio. In the valleys, the mountains and their traditions take center stage in many museums, such as the Mountain Museum in Macugnaga or the Wood Museum in Val Strona, above Lake Orta.

In addition to permanent exhibitions, all museums host numerous temporary shows ranging from minor arts to sculpture and painting.

For music and performing arts enthusiasts, the area also offers plenty of cultural events, spanning from exhibitions to concerts, theater performances to literature.

The main classical music events take place in Stresa from May to September with the Stresa Festival, and in May and June with ClassicaMente; in June and July, Arona hosts the Sonata Organi festival, while from June to September the shores of Lake Orta come alive with Un paese a sei corde.

On the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, don’t miss the Festival of Theater and Comedy, held every summer in Luino, the Varese Gospel Festival, and the short film festival Cortisonici in Varese. In Novara, every year, the renowned Novara Gospel Festival, the Novara Cine Festival, and the Novara Street Festival take place.

In the photo: a performance at the Stresa Festival