Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Piemonte

The Basilica della Natività di Maria Santissima (Basilica of the Nativity of Maria Santissima), commonly called “Sanctuary of Vicoforte” is one of the most important churches in Piedmont. The huge complex has its origins in a medieval sanctuary. The story tells that an errant shot by a hunter in the year of 1592 hit a pillar of the Virgin Mary in a shrine that happened to be very important to pilgrims, and he was so repentant that he put down his gun and raised money for the repair of the pillar. In a few years the place became a destination for increasingly frequent pilgrimages. In 1596 Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy who, in 1596, commissioned the construction of a large sanctuary, but was never finished. It was not until 1728 when construction was resumed by architect and engineer Filippo Juvarra. Above the Mannerist sandstone base, the drum was quickly built, and the dome, which was finished in 1732. The basilica has - with more than 6.000 square meters - the largest elliptical cupola in the world, which has major and minor diameters of 36 and 25 meters. The fresco decorations were completed in 1752. During our visit to Vicoforte, the basilica was closed. Unfortunately, we could only see (and photograph) the dome through a gate.

In the 19th century Lake Maggiore was discovered by English travelers, who built beautiful summer residences along the lake; among others also the well-known Villa Taranto with 16 hectares of gardens. The botanical gardens surrounding the Villa Taranto were created between 1931 and 1940 by the Scottish captain Neil McEacharn. He bought an existing villa and its neighboring estates, cut down more than 2.000 trees, and undertook substantial changes to the landscape, including the addition of major water features. Today the gardens contain nearly 20.000 plant varieties, representing more than 3.000 species, set among 7 km of paths. With some 150.000 visitors yearly it is the biggest tourist attraction in the area.