Arona and cheese tasting

Arona, Piemonte, Italia

Walk through the most hospitable city on Lake Maggiore - Arona. This is the closest tourist city from Milan on the lake Maggiore with a thousand-year rich history. Located on the southwestern coast of Lake Arona, it has long been the most important transport hub for water and land communications and is not without reason considered the Gates of Verbano - the famous modern tourist area of Lake Maggiore.

The modern, well-maintained Arona embankment stretches for a whole kilometer along the dark blue deep waters of an alpine lake, framed by mountain peaks, with a beautiful panorama of the opposite bank and the medieval castle of Angera.

Walking along the embankment, you will find many nice restaurants, bars, wineries, gelaterias, shops for every taste. Or maybe you will get to the festival of chestnuts, polenta or retro cars. Arona is very fond of holidays and almost every weekend they organize various festivals and sagas. 

But this is not the only thing the city is famous for. Once upon a time, a formidable castle towered here on a rocky mountain spur and fortified high walls descended directly to the water. They protected urban residents and served to oversee the southern part of the large-scale water transport route that linked northern Italy and the southern cantons of Switzerland. The remains of the castle, destroyed in the 18th century by the famous French commander, are carefully preserved by the townspeople and proudly shown to tourists.  

In different historical periods, Arona belonged to such noble families of Italy as Torriani, Visconti and Borromeo. All of them left noticeable traces in the city and around, so the city is full of historical artifacts, sights, places of worship and works of art.  downtown Arona. I will tell you about the history and culture of these places, about the traditions and customs of the locals. You will learn which famous historical figures were born and lived here, who destroyed the castle, why the holy hut was hidden inside the church in the central square, and how the Statue of Liberty in New York is connected with Arona.

And in the second part of our walk we will visit one of the largest Italian producers of gourmet cheeses. At the beginning of our visit, you will find yourself in protected aging cellars, where you will directly touch the history of the appearance of cheese on earth, see rare delicacy varieties and unusual types of cheeses, learn the secrets of production and aging of various forms. And the most delicious is waiting for you at the end - tasting the best examples of Italian cheese making: Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Tom, Caciocavallo with a glass of aromatic wine (the choice of cheeses for tasting depends on the season and availability in the store). You will learn about the secrets of serving and combining cheeses with wine and dishes, about the differences in cheese-making in the northern and southern regions of Italy, and, of course, the undivided love of Italians for cheese!

Additionally, you can visit the statue of St. Charles Borromeo - the highest statue in Europe, inside which you can climb to the observation deck or Rocca Borromeo - a park with the remains of a castle and a panoramic point over the city and the lake.