Piazza Mario Motta

Orta San Giulio


Here's a picture of how life really should be lived: rise early and head for a coffee on Piazza Mario Motta, gazing across at the sun-struck Isola San Giulio in the early-morning quiet. From your vantage point, contemplate the Palazzotto, a squat, fresco-enlivened structure sitting atop pillars like giant stilts at the northern end of the square.

Once the seat of a local council, the Palazzotto now occasionally opens for temporary exhibitions, but climb the stairs anyway for good views. The square burbles with local life on market day (Wednesday).