Things to see in Novara

Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It had 104,000 residents in 2019, and is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin.

Novara is not a city of particular attraction to tourists, nor can it be defined as a "city of art", nevertheless it preserves interesting artistic and architectural treasures such as the bold dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, the symbol of the city, and the early Christian baptistery. Its duomo is one of the oldest religious buildings in Piedmont.

The old urban core makes up the Historic Centre. Novara once had an encircling wall, which was demolished to permit urban development. Of the old wall there remains only the Barriera Albertina, a complex of two neo-classical buildings that constituted the gate of entry to the city, the required passageway for those who traveled from Turin to Milan. After their removal, the walls were replaced by the present-day baluardi, the broad, tree-lined boulevards that surround the Historic Centre.

Basilica of San Gaudenzio, Via Gaudenzio Ferrari. It was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi and was built on the highest point of the city starting in 1590. Among the artistic works preserved, the most significant is the large two-storey polyptych by Gaudenzio Ferrari, made in 1516. On the side of the church stands the 18th-century bell tower designed by Benedetto Alfieri, 92 m high. The most interesting element, however, is the neoclassical dome designed by Alessandro Antonelli, which has become the symbol of the city of Novara. It was built between 1844 and 1878 and masterfully grafted onto a church of 300 years earlier. The dome is 126 m high, weighs over 5500 tons and is built entirely of brick.