Sesto Calende - Lake Maggiore & Lake Orta Travel Guide

Sesto Calende (10,000 inhabitants), the Roman Sextum Calendarum, lies where the Ticino flows out at the southern end of Lake Maggiore, already on the northern edge of the northern Italian plain. Of its ancient history and great importance as a crossing point of the Ticino, only a few traces remain in today's industrial town.

Prehistoric settlement is evidenced by finds in the Archaeological Museum (Museo Civico), including objects from the Golasecca culture, above all precious grave goods from the 9th to 6th centuries BC from the village of the same name near Sesto Calende.

The Abbey of San Donato dates back to the 9th century, with the church of San Vincenzo from the early 12th century. Although the interior of the church was given a Baroque makeover, the porch, capitals and crypt still clearly show the Romanesque basic structure. The frescoes in the north apse date from the late Gothic period.

To the south and south-east of Sesto Calende, the Ticino forms a largely unspoilt and intact biotope. The large "Parco Regionale della Valle del Ticino" nature reserve offers, in its floodplains on both sides of the river, a habitat for many animal and especially bird species that have long been threatened with extinction elsewhere. The park and the river bank are ideal for long walks, cycle rides and rollerblading or inline skating.

For rail travellers, Sesto Calende is centrally located:

- To the north, a railway line runs along the east shore of the lake via Laveno and Luino to Bellinzona.
- To the south, one line runs directly to Milan and another to Novara, and
- to the north-west, a railway line runs along the west shore of Lake Maggiore via Arona and Stresa to Domodossola.

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