Belgirate on Lake Maggiore: Lake, Culture and Trails

Belgirate between Lake Maggiore and Motta Rossa

Belgirate lies at the end of the Motta Rossa promontory. Its eastern slope separates the lower basin of Lake Maggiore from the Golfo Borromeo. This location combines a clearly defined lakeside town with trails, churches, museums and activities on the water. If you would like to balance culture and exercise during your trip to Italy, you will find various starting points here for your planning.

Churches, Museum and Historic Architecture

The parish church of Santa Maria della Purificazione e San Carlo is a prominent feature of the townscape. It is a neoclassical church. The Museo della Baita della Libertà complements this cultural impression with a small ethnographic museum in Belgirate. Its main exhibits related to local history include everyday objects, agricultural tools, antique furniture and other artefacts.

The Museo della Baita della Libertà is also connected with an episode of the partisan war. The Georgian resistance figure was involved in this episode. The road below it bears her name. Villa Conelli was built in the second half of the 19th century by the architect Eugenio Linati as a U-shaped urban palace. The villa has an Italian garden, a small woodland, a boat landing stage and a former stable complex.

Inside the Oratorio di San Paolo are frescoes depicting Christ in a mandorla, the Apostles and the cycle of the months. From the SP 125, the oratory can be reached via a footpath with a white signpost. Near the Oratorio di San Paolo, a boulder bears carved cup marks.

Easy Trails Through the Town and Countryside

Two differently described routes are available for gentle exploration. The “Historic center and lakeside ring” circuit is an easy hike for all fitness and experience levels; the paths are easy to walk. The “Anello Belgirate – Lesa” circuit is a simple, level route connecting Belgirate and Lesa. This makes it possible to consider a tour of the town and a connection between two towns separately.

The Chiesa Vecchia di Santa Maria is located in Belgirate just over a ten-minute walk from the town centre, beyond the railway on the hill near the cemetery. The Sentiero dei Castagni leads to this church. Its terrace offers a view over the town’s rooftops.

Beach and Water Sports on the Lake

Belgirate has a public beach. Sailboats and motorboats are also available for hire. Windsurfing is offered by the Associazione Windsurf Belgirate, while the Club Sub Il Sciatt offers diving activities. The waterside offering therefore includes various forms of recreation, from spending time on the beach to activities on and beneath the surface of the lake.

At Polaris Yacht in the Marina di Belgirate, you can hire canoes for one or two hours. Polaris Yacht also offers three-hour sailing trips with a skipper there, during which particularly impressive areas of Lake Maggiore and its islands are explored. Depending on your preferred pace, you can include either a short canoe trip or a longer sailing excursion in your plans.

More Destinations for Orientation

For further orientation, you can also view Gravellona Toce, Druogno, San Bernardino Verbano, Pontegrande, Masera, Mozzio, Premia and Agrano.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.