Discover Baveno: Lakeside Promenades and Granite Culture

Holiday apartment in Baveno between the lakeside and the town centre

The Lungolago di Baveno is more than 1.4 kilometres long and offers views across the Golfo Borromeo as far as Laveno. From the lakeside promenade, you can head inland to the park of Villa Fedora; the town’s streets lead you to the historic centre and the Chiesa dei Santi Gervaso e Protaso. Baveno also has a railway station on the international Milan–Domodossola line, served by regional and interregional trains.

Experience granite and art history at first hand

The Museo GranUM is a multimedia information centre dedicated to Baveno’s pink granite and its historical and economic importance to the Baveno area. The Municipality of Baveno lists seasonal opening hours for the Museo GranUM: from 1 April to 30 September, daily from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; from 1 October to 31 March, Monday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and additionally on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The historic centre is home to the Battistero di Baveno, which has a square floor plan on the outside and an octagonal floor plan inside. Its 17th-century porch features granite columns. According to more recent studies, the baptistery’s origins date back to the 5th century; the drum and vault feature frescoes from the early years of the 16th century. The Chiesa dei Santi Gervaso e Protaso complements this art-historical tour with 15th-century frescoes and works from the 16th century attributed to Defendente Ferrari and Camillo Procaccini. Its façade bears a Roman inscription dedicated to Emperor Claudius, dating from AD 41–54.

Historic trails and active experiences

The Passeggiata Storico-Archeologica runs through the area of the monumental complex of the Chiesa dei Santi Gervaso e Protaso and offers insights into Baveno as it was around 2,000 years ago. The Sentiero dei Picasass in Oltrefiume di Baveno is an open-air extension of the Museo GranUM. A landscape installation created in 2018 tells the story of the life and work of the “Picasass”—granite quarry workers and stonemasons—and reveals traces of former extraction activities in disused quarries.

The Via Ferrata dei Picasass is rated EEA PD, takes around 2 hours and has 320 metres of elevation gain. Another way to enjoy the outdoors is the cycle route from Baveno via Feriolo to the Fondotoce nature reserve, which passes through Feriolo. You can explore the villa route on foot along Baveno’s lakeside or by boat along the shores. Along the way, you will see 19th- and 20th-century villas with English parks and richly varied exotic gardens.

Villa Fedora and Baveno’s regional cuisine

Villa Fedora is a residence built in the first half of the 19th century. Traditional Baveno cuisine includes lake fish dishes and rice, including whitefish, perch and trout, as well as deep-fried bleak. Other specialities include products from the mountainous hinterland, such as mushrooms, chestnuts and traditionally produced cheeses. Two multisensory panels about the monumental complex and the Romanesque Chiesa dei Santi Gervaso e Protaso are intended to make Baveno’s historical and art-historical evidence more accessible to people with visual impairments and blind people. The cultural events series “La pietra racconta”, in which the Museo GranUM di Baveno participates, has reached its tenth edition.

More places to consider when planning your trip

For further options, you can also consider Cresseglio, Pontegrande, Ornavasso, Domodossola, Gignese, Ghiffa, Belgirate and Cadarese.

For the higher-level travel overview: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.