Massino Visconti

The Visconti Castle of Massino is a medieval castle located on the Vergante hills in the municipality of Massino Visconti, Province of Novara, Piedmont, northern Italy. Since the 12th century it has been a possession and one of the preferred residences of the Visconti of Milan. At that time it was frequented by the family ancestor of the lords and dukes of Milan. Afterwards its property was transferred to other collateral branches of the lineage, from the initial Visconti di Massino to the current Visconti di San Vito.The vast view that can be seen from the site of the castle, covering the Lake Maggiore and the territory beyond it, is supposed to be the motivation of the initial interest of the Visconti of Milan, leading them to the acquisition of the Massino court from the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1134.

Nebbiuno is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Turin and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Novara. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,709 and an area of 8.2 square kilometres (3.2 sq mi).Nebbiuno borders the following municipalities: Armeno, Lesa, Massino Visconti, Meina, and Pisano. Among the local churches are San Giorgio; Sant'Agata, Fosseno; San Leonardo, Tapigliano; Santi Nazaro e Celso, Corciago; and the Chiesetta della Madonna della Neve, Corciago.

Sant'Agata is a Roman Catholic parish church in the frazione of Fosseno, in the town limits of Nebbiuno, province of Novara, Piedmont, Italy.

The Villa Farragiana a Meina is a 19th-century Neoclassical-style rural palace located on the shores of Lago Maggiore, between the towns of Meina and Arona in the Province of Novara, region of Piedmont, Italy. This villa differs from the Villa Faraggiana at Albissola Marina in the Province of Savona.

Lesa is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Turin and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Novara. Lesa borders the following municipalities: Belgirate, Brovello-Carpugnino, Ispra, Massino Visconti, Meina, Nebbiuno, Ranco, and Stresa.

Ranco is a comune (municipality) on the shore of Lago Maggiore in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Milan and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Varese. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,188 and an area of 6.3 square kilometres (2.4 sq mi).The village has a Guide Michelin acclaimed restaurant (Il sole di Ranco) and a Transport Museum. The municipality of Ranco contains the frazione (subdivision) Uponne. Ranco borders the following municipalities: Angera, Ispra, Lesa, Meina.

Pisano is a small town (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Turin and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Novara. Pisano borders the following municipalities: Armeno, Colazza, Meina, and Nebbiuno.

Colazza is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Turin and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Novara. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 443 and an area of 3.1 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi).Colazza borders the following municipalities: Ameno, Armeno, Invorio, Meina, and Pisano.

The Sacro Monte di Arona, devoted to Charles Borromeo, is part of the Sacri Monti built in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is located in the territory of the town of Arona, province of Novara, region of Piedmont, Italy.

The San Carlone or Sancarlone or the Colossus of San Carlo Borromeo is a massive copper statue by Giovanni Battista Crespi, erected between 1614 and 1698, near Arona, Italy. It represents Charles Borromeo, a Catholic saint and former archbishop of Milan. According to sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi "The statue of St. Charles Borromeo is the first known example of a statue of repousse copper, worked with the hammer inside and outside, and freely supported on iron beams". Today, the complex is maintained by Milan's Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

Gignese is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Turin and about 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Verbania. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 913 and an area of 14.9 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi).The municipality of Gignese contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Alpino Cignese, Nocco, and Vezzo. Gignese borders the following municipalities: Armeno, Brovello-Carpugnino, Omegna, Stresa.

The Rocca Borromeo di Angera, or Rocca d'Angera, also called Borromeo Castle, is a rocca on a hilltop above the town of Angera in the Province of Varese on the southern shores of Lago Maggiore. It has medieval origins and initially belonged to the Milanese archbishop. It passed then to the Visconti of Milan and later to the Borromeos, who are still the owners.It is visible across the lake from Arona, where the remains of another castle with the same property history, the Rocca di Arona, stand. The fortress comprises four parts, built in different periods, that enclose an internal courtyard. On the northeastern side, a wall with corner turrets extends outside the building and bends towards the lake until the edge of the cliff enclosing a garden.