Sacro Monte di Orta (Sito UNESCO)

Sacro Monte di Orta is part of the group of nine Sacred Alpine Mountains in Piedmont and Lombardy, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is located in the municipality of Orta San Giulio, in the province of Novara, in the middle of the peninsula located on the eastern shore of Lake Orta. It was built on the emulation of Sacred Mountain of Varallo, to contrast Lutheran presence. Unlike the other Sacred Mountains, that of Orta is the only one entirely dedicated to a saint: the 20 chapels that compose it depict episodes of the life and miracles of St. Francis of Assisi. Consistent with the idea, common to all Sacred Mountains, to offer a theatrical representation of the events, inside the chapels there are groups of terracotta statues painted in life size (overall there are 376) and numerous frescoes depicting episodes of the life of the saint. Many illustrious people have visited Sacred Mount of Orta, among them the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.