The Statue of San Carlone!

 In Arona, there is a giant protecting the city: the enormous statue of Saint Charles Borromeo.

The town of Arona is situated on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, in the province of Novara, Piedmont. It is a high-level tourist destination, thanks to its stunning location.

Within the municipality lies the Lagoni di Mercurago Nature Park, a protected natural area, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2011.

Arona is crossed by the small stream Vevera and is surrounded by the so-called “motti,” low hillocks of glacial origin, incorporated within the Lagoni Park, where a pile-dwelling settlement was discovered, which is considered one of the "Prehistoric pile-dwelling sites around the Alps," also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In Roman times, Arona was located on the Mediolanum-Verbannus route (“Milano-Verbano Road”), a consular road in the regio XI Transpadana that connected Mediolanum (modern-day Milan) to Verbannus Lacus (Lake Maggiore or Verbano) and, from there, to the Summo Plano (the Simplon Pass), allowing passage across the Alps.

A pile-dwelling settlement dating back to the Bronze Age has been found in its territory; a necropolis of the Golasecca culture from the Iron Age; human remains have also been discovered in the peat bog of Motto San Carlo, along with a Neolithic arrowhead and a Copper Age object.

In the past, there stood the Rocca di Arona, overlooking Lake Maggiore, a fortified construction for defensive purposes, founded before 1000 AD. Today, only a few remnants of the fortress remain, as it was destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1800s. Saint Charles Borromeo was born in the Rocca di Arona on October 2, 1538.

In Roman times, Arona was a passageway to the Simplon Pass, and many funerary inscriptions from that period have been found throughout its territory.

The Collegiate Church of the Nativity of Mary is the parish church of Arona, built over a pre-existing 11th-century church. The exact date of its construction is uncertain, but the church surely dates back to the 15th century and was consecrated on March 12, 1488. Its interior features three naves with vaulted ceilings. One of the most valuable works is the "Nativity Polyptych" by the painter Gaudenzio Ferrari. The altarpiece consists of six panels and three small squares at the base. The side aisles and chapels are adorned with paintings by the artist Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli, known as "Il Morazzone."

In the town, there are many beautiful churches of great spiritual value and remarkable artistic worth.

As for the civic buildings, notable mentions include the Broletto, or Palazzo di Giustizia, built in the 14th century, with its Gothic arches; Villa Cantoni, a historic building designed by engineer Vittorio Cantoni for his family; the Asilo Bottelli, designed by architect Antonio Polli; and Villa Ponti, built in the 18th century on the bastions of the Rocca di Arona by Bartolomeo Pertossi, a wealthy merchant who hosted Napoleon Bonaparte in this very villa. This splendid Baroque residence, however, owes its name to the electronic engineer Gian Giacomo Ponti, who was born in this residence.

The famous Colossus of Saint Charles Borromeo, popularly known as "Sancarlone," is a 35-metre-tall statue made of copper sheets, placed on a granite pedestal 11.70 metres high. It is located as an architectural crowning of the Sacro Monte di Arona. The Colossus was erected between 1624 and 1698 at the behest of Cardinal Federico Borromeo, based on a design by the sculptor Giovan Battista Crespi, known as "Il Cerano."
For two centuries, the monument was considered the tallest in the world, until it was surpassed by the Statue of Liberty in New York.


The size of the statue's details is truly impressive, and its structure was designed to withstand the forces of nature with ease.

As mentioned earlier, Arona's economy is largely based on tourism, thanks to its beautiful historic centre, the splendid lakeside promenade, the Borromeo Rocca, and the enchanting landscape surrounding it.

The famous Arona train offers the opportunity to take a complete tour of the town, extending to the Rocca and the Colle di San Carlo.

Photo: The Statue of Saint Charles in the Context of Lake Maggiore (from statuasancarlo.it)

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