Pettenasco

When looking for a hotel in Pettenasco, it is worth first choosing the focus of your trip. Craft history, religious art, recurring festivals and different routes each offer their own highlights. You can plan the timing of your trip around your particular interest in historic woodturning, the Church of Saints Audenzio and Caterina, or the September and November traditions.

Woodturning and Hydropower

The Museo dell’Arte della Tornitura del Legno is housed in a former woodturning workshop belonging to the Maulini family. It operated from 1886 to 1970. Gears and lathes used by the family for woodworking are preserved in the historic workshop; they still work thanks to a large wooden wheel powered by the Roggia Molinara. The workshop, machinery and power source give the craft tradition a tangible technical dimension. Woodturning was a historic trade in Pettenasco, powered by the Torrente Pescone and the Roggia Molinara. The use of these waterways is therefore as much a part of this history as the work at the lathe.

Church and Religious Art

The Church of Saints Audenzio and Caterina in Pettenasco has a single-nave interior and four side altars. They are dedicated to the Holy Cross, Our Lady of the Rosary, Saints Julius and Audenzio, and Saint Anthony the Abbot and Saint Anthony of Padua. The paintings include the mystical marriage of Saint Caterina, Saint Carlo in a procession with the relic of the Holy Nail, the martyrdom of Saints Quirico and Giulitta, and the Nativity of Jesus. The church’s layout, altar dedications and artistic subjects offer a range of cultural and historical points of interest for your stay.

Festivals in September and November

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary takes place on the second Sunday in September. It includes processions, a floating fire on the lake and a traditional confectionery fair. Pettenasco’s patron saint festival is celebrated on the last Sunday in November with a procession and the sale of “le ruote di Santa Caterina” cookies. The two dates offer different highlights at different times of the travel year. If you would like to plan your trip around one of the festivals, check the exact event date for the year in question.

Routes, Promenade and Shoreline

The “La Riviera di Pettenasco” cycle route begins near the parish church of Santa Caterina and shortly afterwards passes the Museo dell’Arte della Tornitura del Legno. The “Grand Tour del Lago d’Orta” route follows the Pescone to Pettenasco and then heads towards Crabbia along a scenic path with views of the lake. These are two different route descriptions to help you find your way: a cycle route starting near the church and stopping at the museum, and a path along the Pescone continuing towards Crabbia.

At the southern end of the lakeside promenade is the installation “Vers l’autre côté”, also known as “Fionda”. At the mouth of the Pescone, where it flows into Lake Orta, there is a small, free public beach with a sandy bottom and shallow water; it has no facilities. Check local conditions before visiting. A picnic area with facilities is designated in Località Paganetto on Via Per Armeno. As facilities may change, check the situation locally.

Boat Services on Lake Orta

Public boat services on Lake Orta operate daily from March to October. If you plan to include a boat trip in your itinerary, check the current timetable. This information refers to services on the lake and not to a specific stop in Pettenasco.

Discover more destinations: Orta San Giulio, Cureggio, Nebbiuno, Miasino, Marano Ticino, Massino Visconti, Oleggio Castello, Casalino

For the main travel overview: Novara.