Weekend Guide to Novara: Art, Architecture, and the Parco del Ticino

A weekend itinerary in Novara, Piedmont, highlights the city's layered history from Roman municipium to modern cultural hub. The Castello di Novara, founded in 1272 and later a prison until 1973, now hosts temporary exhibitions and the permanent Expo Risorgimento. The cupola of San Gaudenzio, designed by Alessandro Antonelli and completed in 1878, remains the tallest brick dome in Europe. Antonelli also designed the quadriportico of the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta, whose Baptistery preserves 5th-century paleochristian frescoes and 11th- and 15th-century apocalyptic scenes. The Broletto complex houses the Galleria d'Arte Moderna Alfredo Giannoni, opened in 2011 and reorganized in 2021, featuring works from 1860 to 1940 by Plinio Nomellini and Cesare Vinzio. The Canonica del Duomo museum displays Roman artifacts and medieval codices. Outside the city, the Mulino Vecchio di Bellinzago, a 16th-century water mill still operational, serves as a gateway to the Parco Naturale della Valle del Ticino, Europe's largest river park at 332,000 hectares with 750 km of cycling paths. Dining options include Cannavacciuolo Cafè & Bistrot at Teatro Coccia, Opificio in a former candle factory, and Osteria San Giulio in the ancient Badia di Dulzago.