Arona
Arona Lago Maggiore
Arona is a town in the Italian region of Piedmont, in the province of Novara. The city is located on the western shore and in the extreme south of Lake Maggiore Archaeological finds have shown that in this place 3500 years ago stood a village in the lake on stilts. After the fall of the Napoleonic Empire Arona is transferred to the government of Savoy. According to some sources Arona received city status in 1744 by the government of Savoy under Carlo Emanuele III. Other documents contradict this and say that city status was received in 1838 under Carlo Alberto. In 1439 Filippo Maria Visconti has donated Arona to Vitaliano Borromeo. This fiefdom remained in the family until the eighteenth century. The current Arona has emerged around the eleventh century.
Arona – San Carlone
The city is known for a bronze statue of 24 meters high. The image is located on a hill with a height of 193 meters, a few kilometers north of the city center. The statue is known as the Colosso of Arona. It represents San Carlone Borromeo whi is speaking to the people. This statue was erected in 1697 in honor of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) and has a total height of 35 meters including pedestal. In this colossal statue stands a spiral staircase that takes you to the top of the image and boasts views over the city. At the summit of the Rocca d'Arona can be found the remains of the fort Borromeo. It is the birthplace of San Carlo Borromeo. This fort was destroyed in 1801 by Napoleon. Arona La Rocca was one of the greatest Italian castles. Arona you can find two churches. One of the holy martyrs San Graziano Collegiate and the other is a Romanesque church of Santa Maria di Loreto. From Piazza del Popolo you have a beautiful view on the castle of Rocca di Angera, which is across the lake
Economy
The development of the city and the country experienced economic progress by building the first railway line in 1855. This new connection from Arona to Novara reulted in a connection of Lake Maggiore with the rest of Italy and Central Europe. The expansion of the commercial sector stimulated the economy of the city. The of origin traditional market dates back to 1173, and is nowadays a thriving tourist industry.