When you're driving to Orta, before parking the car in the large parking lots near the historic city center, or once you leave, take a very quick detour and go to see the interesting little village of Legro, just a couple of minutes outside of the town of Orta.
Since 1998 Legro has been a part of a rather special group of 127 Italian towns, the L'Associazione Italiana Paesi Dipinti, the Association of Italian Towns. Many walls of the tiny village are painted with colorful frescoes. The subjects of the murals painted on the walls of the village were mostly inspired by the work of the local poet and writer Gianni Rodari, and by films made in the Lake Orta area. I've posted a few photos I took on a recent drive through the town; I'll leave you to discover the rest on your own!
Legro is a frazione of Orta (a small town, part of the larger town), and is where the Orta-Miasino train station is. The map with the arrow shows the location. There's some parking around the station, and a fun birreria as well, if you want to walk around. If you only have a few minutes, a drive slowly around the narrow, pretty streets of the village will take you past many of the paintings.
