Pella · Lake Orta
Boatyard in Pella, across from Orta and Isola San Giulio, that rents licence-free 20 hp and 40 hp boats, an electric boat and kayaks.
Licence-free and electric boats from €160 for 5 h
Languages: ITIsola San Giulio
Isola San Giulio is the only island in Lake Orta: 275 m long and 140 m wide, about 400 m off the shore of Orta San Giulio, the comune it belongs to. Only a few families live there all year, beside the Benedictine nuns of the Mater Ecclesiae abbey.
Tradition has it that Saint Julius built the first church here around 390. The basilica that stands today is Romanesque, from the 12th century. A single lane circles the island, past signs on silence and meditation in several languages.
Getting there
By boat from Orta San Giulio: the crossing takes about five minutes. Navigazione Lago d'Orta, the lake's public line, calls at the island between March and October; its boats also link it with Pella and the other piers. Outside those months, check before you go. You can also rent a boat in Pella or Omegna (below).
What to see
Basilica of San Giulio
A 12th-century Romanesque church, a minor basilica, with a detached Romanesque bell tower beside its apses. Frescoes from the 15th century onwards line the aisles; the oldest dated one, a Saint Anthony Abbot, is from 1461.
The ambo
The pulpit, from the early 12th century, is carved in grey-green serpentine from the Oira quarries on the lake and stands on four columns.
The crypt
Built in 1697, it holds the remains of Saint Julius, with those of Saints Audentius, Elias, Demetrius and Philibert.
The lane round the island
A single pedestrian lane circles the island, whose shore is about 650 m round, with aphorisms on silence and meditation in several languages along the way.
Boats on Lake Orta4
Omegna · Lake Orta
Beach club on Lake Orta at Omegna that rents licence-free open boats, a cabin boat and Whaly RIBs, and delivers boats anywhere on the lake.
Licence-free boats from €130 for 3 h
Season: All year (on reservation)
Languages: EN · ITOmegna · Lake Orta
Rents small licence-free boats from Omegna on Lake Orta, with a web app for GPS tracking, an SOS button and audio guides.
Licence-free boats from €110 for 3 h, fuel included
Languages: ITOrta San Giulio · Lake Orta
Consortium that runs the boat service between Orta and Isola San Giulio and also hires out boats with a driver, on request.
Languages: IT · EN · FR
Questions visitors ask
How do I get to Isola San Giulio?
Only by boat. From Orta San Giulio the crossing takes about five minutes on Navigazione Lago d'Orta's public line, which runs from March to October. Boat rental in Pella and Omegna is another way across.
How big is the island?
275 m long and 140 m wide, about 650 m round.
Who lives on Isola San Giulio?
A few families all year, and the Benedictine nuns of the Mater Ecclesiae abbey, founded in 1973. Most houses are second homes.
More around Lake Orta
Researched from: it.wikipedia.org, navigazionelagodorta.it, OpenStreetMap · checked 2026-10-25.