The best city hikes and walks around Lake Pistono

On the shores of Lake Pistono stands the Archaeological Park, inaugurated in 2017, which features a life-size reconstruction of part of a Neolithic stilt village. In 2003, an excavation campaign promoted by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte had brought to light in the lake waters the traces of a stilt settlement dating back about 6500 years. The reconstruction includes a dwelling, a storehouse, and an animal shelter with an enclosure, built using the techniques and materials of the time — chestnut and hazel wood for the structure, straw and clay for the walls, lake reeds for the roof — and furnished with reproductions of everyday objects: fish traps, axes made of wood and green stone, baskets made of plant fiber. The park can be reached with a walk of about half an hour from the Exhibition Space housed in the municipal palace of Montalto Dora, where the original findings from the excavations are preserved and where thematic panels reconstruct the daily life, diet, and material culture of the village inhabitants. Lake Pistono is one of the five glacial lakes nestled among the morainic deposits of the Serra di Ivrea.

Nice little town, the small historic center is worth a visit. The only negative note is the excessive traffic.

View of the Dora Baltea and the Naviglio from Corso Re Umberto.

Olivetti Fountain on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The square was opened between 1843 and 1844 after the demolition of the Church of Santa Chiara and the southern part of the convent of the same name. The Convent of Saint Clare was built in 1310, and the nuns remained here until 1802, the year the order was abolished following the Napoleonic decree suppressing religious orders. The approximately 2,200 square meter square was created specifically for the grain market, as the colonnades could serve as shelter for grain during bad weather.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site "20th Century Industrial City of Ivrea" The World Heritage Site covers an area of 71 hectares and encompasses an urban and architectural ensemble that is almost entirely privately owned. It comprises a total of 27 buildings constructed between 1930 and 1960, which served various functions for the former Olivetti factory. The buildings served both production and the social needs of the workers, as well as their housing.

Regardless of whether you reach the Serra di Ivrea or not, even wandering around these lakes, taking advantage of the good signage present, pays off! There is a nice variety of environments and paths, from single track to dirt road, ending on cobblestone sections, never too banal, especially in the wet... the lake environments are beautiful, given that most of these lakes are not very urbanized, the stilt houses rebuilt on the shore of Lake Pistono are very beautiful, they certainly deserve a stop. Places also suitable for children, given that in the lake area the differences in altitude are very modest... just watch out for hikers, because the paths are open to everyone!

Beautiful city that comes alive during the Carnival days