The cathedral of Santa Maria was built in the second half of the 19th century on the remains of the cathedral from the Romanesque period, including a large fragment of the mosaic floor and the baptismal font.

Next to the sacristy is the San Siro chapel from the second half of the 17th century, built as a private oratory of the bishop. Scenes from the life of San Siro are depicted on three walls.

Corso Cavour is one of the most important inner-city streets, named after the marble monument of Count Camillo Cavour, which is located at the end of the street.

If you follow the opposite direction, you will reach the pedestrian zone. In addition to elegant houses and shops, Corso Cavour has the Monserrato church with its baroque interior.

Officially, the square with its cozy arcades and street cafes is called Piazza Cesare Battisti, but for the residents, the heart of the city remains its Piazza delle Erbe.

Also worth seeing in Novara are the Church of San Marco, the Broletto (former Palace of Tarhaus and Justice) opposite the cathedral, the Baptistery, the defensive castle of Sforza, Palazzo Cabrino at the beginning of Via Fratelli Rosselli (municipal offices), and Palazzo Natta (prefecture ).

It all started in a small bar in Novara: the coffee of friendship. Gaspare Campari bought the bar in 1860 and developed new recipes for a bitter liqueur. In 1862 Gaspare Campari moved to Milan with the company. After years of ups and downs between Turin and Novara, he opened the “Caffè Campari”, first under the “Coperto dei Figini” (now the right side of the cathedral square), then in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, which was newly inaugurated in 1867.

Gaspare Campari makes his own bitter liqueur and prepares it in a small distillery under his coffee. The caffè closed in 1920 and the family concentrated on the production of liqueur. Today you can still try a real Campari in the bar Camparino in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

Novara and Vercelli are the centers of the largest rice-growing areas in Italy. Risotto is a regional specialty and you can try it in all its variations. “Risotto con Asparagi” (risotto with fresh asparagus) or “Risotto al Barolo” (risotto with Barolo) are particularly tasty.

Another specialty is Gorgonzola cheese, a popular blue cheese that is not inferior to the French Roquefort in its piquant note. The curious thing: Not in Gorgonzola near Milan, but in Novara there is a consortium of Gorgonzola cheese.

Novara is surrounded by flat land. It is the Padana, the largest plain in Europe. It is also called Po Valley. It has a rich soil for agriculture and hosts a number of nature reserves especially alongt the rivers. Just outside Novara is the Parco Naturale Valle del Ticino. It is nice for afternoon walks in this UNESCO listed Biosphere Reserve.