The medieval village of Orta San Giulio (population just 1150), often referred to simply as Orta, is the focal point of Lago d’Orta and is the lake's main village. At its heart the central square, Piazza Motta, is framed by cream-coloured houses and roofed with thick slate tiles. It’s overlooked by the Palazotto, a frescoed 16th-century building borne up by stilts above a small loggia.
