It is a municipality in the province of Verbania, a complex of 15 small villages spread out over the shore of Lake Maggiore protected by the mountains at the behind. A resort that thanks to the climate and the diversity of the settlements and the characteristics of each, attracts a lot of tourists. The area features several extraordinarily beautiful villas with large gardens and along the lake there are paths that create a dense grid in the woods. The village is famous for the cultivation of camellias, which began in 1950, thanks to the mild climate and for the Feast of Mice, which is held once a year in Camogli.
The local economy, originally dedicated to farming, agriculture (famous also for the vines cultivated here) and exploitation of forests, the town is now an important touristic resort.
The territories that surround Lake Maggiore, which has glacial origins, have been inhabited over the centuries by many populations, attracted by the mild climate due to the cool breezes in Summer and protection of hills in Winter. Among these worth of mention are the Celts, the Gauls, the Barbarians and the Romans. In the following years the territory was ruled by the Visconti, the Sforza and the Borromeo. The Christian faith was professed here by Saints Julius and Julian, that, according to the local history, built in the IV century. the Church of St. Agatha. The village of Spasolo, with its port, was for centuries, the center of intense trade and a compulsory transit zone in order to reach Milan.
Not to miss:
- the XV century Chapel of the Nativity of Mary in Cadessino, which features a single nave plan building and inside preserves a polygonal choir. The Bell tower in Romanesque style, dating to the XI-XII century, is decorated with arches and mullioned windows and topped by a spire. Inside an altar of the XVIII century in polychrome marble and a fine wooden statue, kept in a niche, depicting the Immaculate and a cycle of frescoes dating from the XV century;
- the Parish Church of San Pietro in Gonte, cited in a document of the XII century, it features a façade composed of two floors topped by small gable with a porch below. Within three aisles and ceilings decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus, an XVIII century Crucifix of the Frasa. The building is flanked by a Bell tower that it 42 meters tall;
- the Romanesque Church of Sant'Agata in Novalja, that according to the local legends was one of the hundred churches built in the area by the Saints Julius and Julian in the IV century. The original building, erected in pre-Romanesque style, was enlarged in the XIV century and in later centuries an octagonal apse was added. Recently renovated, at present it features its original Romanesque structure embellished with Gothic and Renaissance decorations;
- the Oratory of Saint Anthony in Travallino;
- Villa Anelli, famous for its cultivation of camellias, including some very rare species.