Novara provides an endless feast of experiences for tourists and trails throughout the region, all events, the most impressive sights as well as huts and hotels.

Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from Genoa to Switzerland.

Higlights

Novara lies between the rivers Agogna and Terdoppio in northeastern Piedmont, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Milan and 95 kilometres (59 mi) from Turin.

Novara’s sights can be divided into two groupings. The city’s most important sights lie within its historic centre, the area once enclosed by the city walls. However, several important sights also lie outside the line of the former city walls.

The largest square is Piazza Martiri della Libertà dominated by the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy. Overlooking the Piazza Martiri are the Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco, built by the Milanese dukes Visconti and Sforza, and the Teatro Coccia. The Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco, once much larger than the complex that remains today, is surrounded by the Allea, one of the largest public gardens in Novara.

Other important squares are:

• Largo Cavour, dominated by the statue of the same name, recently restored.
• Piazza Garibaldi, the square facing the Novara Railway Station, also recently restored and featuring the statue of the hero of two worlds and a fountain with the statue of mondina .
• Piazza Gramsci, formerly Piazza del Rosario, location, after the restoration of 2005, of the landmark statue of Icarus.

Festivals and events

• 22 January: Novara celebrates annually the Feast of San Gaudenzio (Saint Gaudentius of Novara), the patron saint of Novara. Throughout the day, it is possible to visit the tomb of the saint and to obtain the typical roasted chestnuts, also known as marroni di Cuneo (” Cuneo chestnuts”).
• 23 March: Re-enactment of the 1849 Battle of Novara, with period uniforms and weapons.
• On 25 April, Liberation Day, as in many other Italian cities, the Novaresi organise numerous initiatives to commemorate the Italian resistance movement, and in particular, the partisans who fought around Novara and in the “Partisan Republic of the Ossola”.
• Since 2001, Giovani Espressioni (“Young Expressions”) has been held in Novara. This is a musical festival for emerging young musicians, organised by Staff Millennium, a performance agency, of which Alessandro Marchetti is the artistic director. The “Espressioni Contest” is of special importance as a showcase for emerging bands that picks a winner every year. Among the noted artists who have participated are Negramaro, Caparezza, Finley, Vallanzaska, Extrema, and Blaze Bailey.
• Since 2005, Novara hosts the “Novara Gospel Festival”, that is composed by workshops, local tours, and obviously gospel concerts in the main theatre of the city. It is probably one of the most important festival of this music in Italy, also because the main event is a concert of the most appreciated gospel’s singers, such as Kirk Franklin, Donnie Mc Clurkin, etc.

Discover Novara

See & Do

Novara is a delightful city in the heart of the Piedmont region of North West Italy. … wonderful place to relax, soak up the sun, and take a break from sight-seeing.

Food & Wine

Discover the cuisine of Province of Novara. Explore local dishes and food products of Province of Novara. Italian quality and authenticity in a suburban setting 

Accomodation

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