LUINO BETWEEN VILLAGE AND VILLAS
From the historic center to the banks of the Verbano, Luino tells a centuries-old story that passes through the ancient districts to land on the modern lakeside
The historic center of Luino extends like a fan on the hill overlooking the lake. Its centerpiece is the Porto Vecchio, with the column surmounted by the Madonnina, a point of reference for fishermen. Here you can also find the Caffè Clerici, a historic cultural meeting place frequented by Piero Chiara, who often found inspiration for his stories here.
Not far away is Piazza Libertà, recently redeveloped, once home to the weekly market (which today, every Wednesday, fills the streets of the center with hundreds of stalls) and a landing place for boats of the Navigazione Lago Maggiore since 1826.
Higher up on the hill is Piazza San Francesco, the most intimate center of the medieval nucleus. A few steps from here, among the ancient streets, there is also the parish church, the Prepositurale dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, built between the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth century.
The beating heart of the village is definitely via Felice Cavallotti, an ancient "contrada dei Mercanti" that has kept its ancient charm. This cobbled street overlooked by restaurants and art studios, which connects the port to the parish church, is one of the most loved walks both by Luinesi and tourists.
THE LAKESIDE
The pedestrian lakeside promenade of Luino, redeveloped in recent years, offers visitors a walk of over a kilometre and a half with a wide and accessible path that runs along Viale Dante and passes through some of the most characteristic points of the city.
Among these is certainly Palazzo Verbania, today the seat of cultural events and the Chiara and Sereni Archives. Nearby is also the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the first dedicated to him and built when he was still alive, which commemorates his landing and the battle against the Austrians in 1848.
An ideal green oasis for relaxing and fully enjoying the view of Lake Maggiore, the vast Lakeside Park, with its steps and a suspension bridge over the water, offers spectacular views of Cannero and its castles and the Piedmontese shore of Verbano.
Behind it, across the road, you can visit the fifteenth-century Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine, one of the best-known places of worship in the area and the centre of a strong Marian devotion.
A little further on, the church of San Giuseppe, originally the oratory of the Marliani family palace, also looks out over the lakeside from its portico. From here, continuing to the Porto Vecchio, with its golden Madonnina which is one of the symbols of the city, you can admire Palazzo Serbelloni, the seat of the Town Hall, and you can reach the lakeside named after Carlo Zona, a walk with ample space for children's games and for fitness, and the Serenelle beach.
VERBANIA PALACE
Overlooking the lake, Palazzo Verbania is one of the cultural symbols of Luino. Built in 1905 based on a design by the Luino architect Giuseppe Petrolo, it was initially created as a Kursaal: an elegant Art Nouveau style hall intended to host parties, concerts, conferences and dinners.
The building, inspired by Central European architecture, was one of the first examples of Liberty on the lake, designed to dialogue with the landscape through large panoramic terraces and large windows overlooking the water.
At the end of the 1920s it was transformed into a hotel, changing its name to InnVerbaniaand still maintaining many original details of the Art Nouveau style.
From the very beginning the Kursaal .It became a point of reference for the social and cultural life of the village: a conference on Futurism was held here in 1913 and, according to tradition, Ernest Hemingway himself may have glimpsed its lights during his escape to Switzerland, as told in Farewell to Arms. The palace also inspired great local authors such as Vittorio Sereni and Piero Chiara, who made it the setting for their verses and stories.
After the hotel closed in 1971, Palazzo Verbania took on a new cultural identity. Since 1975, in fact, it has hosted exhibitions, meetings and activities dedicated to the promotion of art and literature.
An important conservative restoration completed in 2019 - carried out as part of the Cultural Enhancement Program between the Municipality of Luino, the Ministry of Culture and the State Property Agency and thanks to the contribution of the City of Luino, Fondazione Cariplo and the Lombardy Region - has further enhanced its spaces, making it home to the Vittorio Sereni and Piero Chiara Archives and the city's tourist Infopoint.
Today Palazzo Verbania is a refined cultural center open to the public: a place where history, art and landscape blend together in a special unicum in the heart of Luino.
LIBERTY VILLAS
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Liberty style also arrived on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, contributing to the renewal and tourist relaunch of the area with houses, villas and kursaal, built by local craftsmen or by the most famous craftsmen on the Italian scene, who created valuable works.
In Luino, there are several examples of the Liberty style that tell of the liveliness of the lakeside city in those years, starting from Palazzo Verbania, originally built as Kursaal. Walking along the lakeside, then, you arrive at what is called "La Rotonda" or "Rondò", where you can still admire the railing built in 1912.
In the city centre, the De Albertis villa (1907) in Corso XXV Aprile, the Luinese Bakery building (1901) in Via Vittorio Veneto and the Bar Centrale - Casa Barozzi - in Piazza Garibaldi also stand out. Leaving the centre, you come across Villa Guerrini-Cerutti (1903) in Via Lugano, Villa Petrolo in Via San Pietro and, going towards Colmegna, the two Solera villas.
Right in Colmegna you come across what is perhaps the most significant Liberty building in the Luino area, Villa Carissimi: built by Vincenzo Morandi in 1907-1909, it overlooks the lake with its façade featuring a central ogival window surmounted by a female head in Jugendstil.
In Laveno, the example of Liberty that can still be admired today is certainly Villa Tarlarini, an elegant and refined residence overlooking the gulf and surrounded by a large park. Built in 1908 by the Milanese architect Francesco Carminati, it also hosted Winston Churchill for a period.
Moving towards the Swiss border, always remaining on the lake, we can mention as further testimonies of the Liberty style the Albergo Moderno di Maccagno, built in 1908, which today houses the town's post office, and the chapel of the Marchelli family in the cemetery of Tronzano Lago Maggiore.
