Oleggio: Romanesque Art, Museums and Local Traditions

Oleggio combines Italian local history, sacred art and regional traditions.

Museums and Romanesque Art

The Museo Civico Etnografico Archeologico C.G. Fanchini documents clothing, everyday life, agricultural work, silkworm farming in Oleggio and the surrounding area, as well as typical crafts. It opened to the public on 10 October 1974.

The Chiesa di San Michele was built around the middle of the 11th century and contains the only surviving example of a Romanesque crypt in the Novara area. The church also contains a monumental, continuous fresco cycle dating from around 1060, which is considered one of the most important Romanesque cycles in northern Italy.

The Museo d'Arte Religiosa di Oleggio “Padre Augusto Mozzetti” preserves religious artefacts from the 14th to the 20th century associated with the churches, confraternities and oratories of Oleggio. Among the works displayed there is a 14th-century fresco depicting the Madonna and Child, which was removed from the Chiesa di Santa Maria Annunciata.

Churches and Architecture

The Chiesa Parrocchiale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo is a neoclassical basilica with three naves and a semicircular apse. Between 1853 and 1858, it was reconstructed according to the design and under the direction of the architect Alessandro Antonelli. Twenty-eight polychrome stained-glass windows and a painting of the Immaculate Conception from the early 17th century complement the interior; the painting is by Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (“Morazzone”). The Oratorio di Santa Maria in Galnago preserves richly decorated sacred representations from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Torre campanaria was completed during the Baroque period with a belfry and a copper-clad onion dome.

Traditions and Events

The Teatro Civico di Oleggio offers an extensive programme of theatrical performances and also hosts conferences and congresses. At the Chiesa di Santa Maria Annunciata, the Processione del Venerdì Santo is a religious tradition with a long history dating back to the 16th century. The Confraternita della Santissima Annunciata remains active and prepares the procession. The masks of the Carnevale di Oleggio, Pirin and Majn, date back to the 14th century.

Nature, Transport and Hiking

The Oasi delle Ginestre features an educational trail with rare wildflowers and typical plants. S.T.N. operates a bus route from Novara via Oleggio to Arona.

The first stage of the Cammino delle Colline Novaresi, La Via della Sesia, runs from Oleggio to Bogogno. The route is 16.4 kilometres long, rated as moderate and takes 4 hours and 18 minutes. Tapit is considered a typical and original sweet speciality in Oleggio.

More destinations

Oleggio Castello, Borgolavezzaro, Suno, Auzate, Fara Novarese, Cameriano, Trecate and Sillavengo

More about Novara.