No George Clooney, but this Italian lakeside village is just as suave

Monte Rosa knifes through the distant clouds like gilded chard, burnished by a salmon-pink sunset. It’s the middle of July, but the second-highest peak in Europe is still dusted with snow.

In the foreground, Lake Orta puddles around a tiny island bearing little more than a basilica. Behind it, tucked into the forested peninsula above the village of Orta San Giulio here in Italy’s northern Piedmont region, sits Sacro Monte di Orta. The complex, recognised by UNESCO, features 20 chapels containing 900 elaborate frescoes and 360 statues, and dates back to the 16th century.

There are no luxe-wooden Riva boats to rent in this suave Italian lake village, and you probably won’t see George Clooney swanning in for a vino. Here, it’s all soul and it’s not selling it any time soon.

“This place is like an Eden,” says Fabrizio Morandi, general manager of luxe retreat La Darbia, where I’m holed up for three nights. “Even Italian people don’t know about it. Lake Como is becoming super crowded. It’s beautiful, but you miss the point of being relaxed,” he says.

Morandi, originally from Lake Maggiore, was a regular at La Darbia before owner-brothers Giancarlo and Matteo Primatesta, both architects, hired him as general manager. Their patch of paradise features 20 reworked family-friendly apartments in traditional stone farmhouse buildings (mostly families with toddlers in tow are staying when I visit), an upscale restaurant and a pool.

The interiors are decorated with unique pieces of reclaimed furniture that local woodworker Flavio Bettio sources from old churches and houses in the area and upcycles in his workshop.

Everything feels hyperlocal, especially the produce. Each morning, a basket of seasonal fruit, local butter, bottled milk, bread and yoghurt arrives at my door. Nebbiolo grapes grow onsite, gorged bees buzz around swaying lavender, and the hotel vegie patches in the sun-drenched courtyard erupt with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, chilli and lemons.

Chef Matteo Monfrinotti is at the helm of the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, and with its lake panoramas and melty sunsets, it’s a popular spot for outside guests. The concept is elevated traditional Piedmontese fare, such as Fassona beef carpaccio with scampi and porcini mushroom risotto in a cheesy foam with sage and green pepper. The kitchen also makes a mean Roman-style pasta all’amatriciana.

If Lake Orta is still unknown among Italian circles, then its well-established gastronomy scene is a remarkable feat. The town, which is made up of a series of small villages and best explored by car, boasts three-Michelin-star Villa Crespi by chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo, whom Fabrizio describes as “the Italian Gordon Ramsay”. Alongside that is one Michelin-star Locanda di Orta in the main village. But any sprinkling of sophistication has not overshadowed Lake Orta’s authenticity.

While wandering Orta San Giulio, I discover rambling alleys hiding pizzerias, tavernas and delis selling wine, cheese and cured meats. Before lunch, I meander past grand villas to Spiaggia di Sassi for a swim in the lake, where couples folded over one another reading books occupy patches of lawn.

In Orta San Giulio’s main piazza, pastel buildings sit opposite a small harbour, where you can pay €5 ($9) for a return boat trip to San Giulio Island. The picturesque island in Lake Orta’s centre is made up of the medieval Basilica di San Giulio and a monastery, and can be circumnavigated on foot in just 15 minutes. The tranquil path is guided by signs inscribed with meditations on silence and along the way, glimpses of the lake appear through stone arches.

You need to book ahead to reserve a lunch of lake fish and chips at the island’s only dining spot, Ristorante San Giulio. But you won’t have to compete with George Clooney for the best table.

THE DETAILS

FLY
Emirates flies from Sydney to Milan via Dubai from $2034 return. See emirates.com

TRAIN OR DRIVE
Take the two-hour train from Milano Centrale to Orta-Miasino, with a change at Novara. Or rent a car in Milan and drive to Lake Orta in roughly 75 minutes. See eurail.com; avis.com.au

STAY
La Darbia offers elegant one and two-bedroom self-contained apartments with room service available from £257 ($530) a night. See ladarbia.com

MORE
visititaly.com

The writer travelled with the assistance of Seabourn Cruises, Eurail and La Darbia.