The surrounding area is a treasure trove of artistic delights and superb food and wine.

There’s Novara, with its old town centre and its Renaissance palazzos, squares and gardens, including the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, the Cathedral and the Broletto, San Nazzaro Sesia with its Abbey, the picturesque castle in Ghemme, and the remains dating back to the Stone Age and the Golasecca culture in the lakes area, to name just a few.

And then there’s our wonderful food and wine. In this land of rice fields, rice is the star ingredient in many local dishes. One of the most notable is paniscia a risotto cooked with a lardo, vegetables and salami. Then there are frogs, fried, stewed or in broth, salami like salam d’la duja, cured in fat, and fidighina, a pork liver mortadella flavoured with spices, cheeses, like Gorgonzola, traditional dishes, like rustida and tapulone, Novara biscuits, and many DOC wines.