Mergozzo is one of the prettiest lakeside villages in the Lake Maggiore area. Picturesquely situated on the shore of Lake Mergozzo, separated from Lake Maggiore due to the continual flooding of the River Toce, the village is a favourite holiday destination from the spring on.

The stone houses huddle close together, separated only by narrow lanes. The central square of the village is dominated by an ancient elm tree: historical documents attest that the tree was growing in the square as many as 400 years ago.  Now completely hollow, it has been given the title of a “monumental tree of Piedmont”.

Mergozzo was inhabited in antiquity, as is illustrated by the extensive collections in the Antiquarium museum, which displays finds from the prehistoric and Bronze ages, as well as old tools that were once used to extract and shape the granite from the quarry of Montorfano and the marble of Candoglia.

At Groppole there is an important megalithic complex with two cup marks and a serpentiform gutter. Slightly elliptical in shape, bordered by stone walls and covered by a great serizzo granite boulder, the structure is known as Ca' d'la Norma and is dated to the Copper and Bronze Ages. The careful arrangement of the supporting boulders, the wide forecourt and the petroglyphs on the outer surface of the covering stone suggest a megalithic burial executed by a community which had reached a stage of considerable organisation.

A number of walks in the countryside start from Mergozzo, such as the “Sentiero Azzurro” (Blue Trail) to the hamlet of Montorfano along a track beside the lake. Mergozzo’s beaches are very popular with visitors and local people alike, and provide facilities like beach volleyball, a playground for children and a bar.

Don’t miss a taste of Fugascine, the delectable cakes baked only in Mergozzo and available in all the village bakeries.