Novara: Hotels between architectural history and urban greenery

Novara combines a railway station served by high-speed trains with a distinctive landscape setting: the city is surrounded by rice fields and lies between the Sesia and Ticino rivers. This gives you a clear starting point when choosing a hotel in the destination. Consider whether you want to focus your stay primarily on religious architectural history, museums, theatre culture or green spaces. Novara offers specific points of interest in each of these areas, without requiring you to limit your visit to just one theme.

Religious Buildings and Urban History

The Basilica di San Gaudenzio is one of Novara’s oldest religious buildings and the city’s patronal church. Inside, you can admire a polyptych by Gaudenzio Ferrari. The dome is also part of the building’s history: Alessandro Antonelli was commissioned to construct it in 1840. The people of Novara made the Cupola di San Gaudenzio the ideal symbol of their city. The Basilica thus brings together religious significance, art and an important symbol of the city’s identity.

The Battistero del Duomo di Novara represents a different period in the city’s history. It is considered the city’s oldest Christian monument; its earliest structure was built in the 5th century on the foundations of a Roman building. Anyone interested in Novara’s long architectural history will find two clearly distinct periods here: its Roman architectural origins and its early Christian use. During opening hours, access to the Battistero is through the cathedral’s quadriporticus. Be sure to take these opening hours into account when planning your visit.

Museums and Theatre

The Museo della Canonica includes the Museo Lapidario and the Museo del Tesoro della Cattedrale. The museums of the Canonica are open to school classes, groups and individual visitors by reservation. If you want to include these collections in your stay, making a reservation is part of your preparation. The two museum sections offer a specific connection to the cathedral: their names alone make clear that they bring together stone artefacts and the cathedral treasury as distinct themes.

The Teatro Coccia also adds to Novara’s cultural offerings. It was renovated between 1886 and 1888 to a design by architect Giuseppe Oliverio, increasing its capacity to 1,800 people. The Teatro Coccia Foundation is a separate entity: it coordinates, develops, promotes and manages artistic and cultural activities, particularly in music and theatre. This can help guide you if you are interested in the city’s cultural offerings; you can plan specific visits around the available programmes and dates.

Green Spaces as Another Focus

Park Allea covers 42,200 square metres behind and to the left of the Castello Visconteo Sforzesco. Parco dei Bambini has different features: it comprises a fenced area of 20,000 square metres with several play areas connected by tree-lined paths. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between a park whose location by the Castello is precisely specified and a green space with designated play areas. The described areas and features provide specific points of reference if you want to include parks in your interests alongside architectural history and museums.

You can also combine these different themes: a trip to Novara can include religious buildings, museum visits, theatre culture and green spaces. When searching for a hotel, choose the focus that matters to you during your stay, and take the relevant visiting requirements into account—especially the Battistero’s opening hours and the reservation requirement for the museums of the Canonica.

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For the broader travel overview: Novara.