by Marco Leonardi
The first event of the Novara-Laghi Coordination took place on Sunday 29 March 2026, calledor “The 500 to discover the Villas of Lake Orta”. A completely different format than the usual gatherings as we wanted to celebrate our tenth anniversary in this way.
The rally began in Gozzano, where over 95 crews arrived early in the morning in the town's main square. Participants from all over Piedmont, Lombardy, and Switzerland had the opportunity to visit Ardicini Palace and its gardens "dressed up" for the party thanks to the many floral arrangements prepared for the 38th edition of the Camellia Exhibition.
At 10 am two works that the Coordination donated to the Municipality of were inaugurated and discovered for the second time (the first was done on 03/28/2026 in the presence of public institutions in conjunction with the opening of the 38th Camellia exhibition) Gozzano and to the entire community thanks to a splendid collaboration with Graniti Cusio, Paolo Gabanella and Stefano Berardino and obviously the Municipality of Gozzano.
Seeing the many attendees and onlookers gape, busy taking countless photographs with the works was a very moving moment for us.
At around 10:40, the colorful caravan left the square for its tour, greeting the many onlookers who had gathered to see the Fiat 500s and enjoy a “leap back” in time.
The tour is about 30 km long In perfect slow drive style and in extreme safety thanks to the many volunteers, motorcyclists, local police and the AIB group, the caravan passed through Gozzano, Briga Novarese, Invorio, Bolzano Novarese, Ameno, Miasino, Vacciago to finally reach Orta San Giulio.
During the tour, the crews were able to admire the splendid Lake Orta from various angles, first from above and then covering the last few kilometres with the lake and the beautiful island of San Giulio at their side.
The intermediate stage took place in miasino where participants had the unique opportunity to visit Villa Nigra, one of the most unique and beautiful historic villas on the lake. Villa Nigra It is a sixteenth-century villa, immersed in a beautiful park with marvelous frescoes that embellish all the facades.
Participants were able to visit some of the rooms with two exceptional guides (Mayor Stefano Falciola and former Mayor Giorgio Cadei) who offered a comprehensive tour of the villa thanks to the cultural visit they were granted.
Furthermore, inside the Orangerie, the ancient eighteenth-century orangery of the residence, a refreshment was set up by our Coordination where, thanks to Palzola and our volunteers, the participants were able to taste one of the most famous and tasty typical products of the Novara area: the gorgonzola.
After the ritual photos and having gotten to know and appreciated the second villa discovered, the crews returned to their cars to continue with the tourist tour, this time literally alongside the lake until reaching Orta San Giulio where the meeting concluded with lunch.
We're thrilled with the outcome of this event. Seeing the enthusiastic participants was a source of pride and encouragement to continue this way, providing more days filled with smiles and double-headers.
Our 10th anniversary could not have been more appreciated and rewarding.
Thank you all, and we invite you to the next 500NovaraLaghi event, which will be held on July 12, 2026.
