There is no sea but there are lakes where you can swim in Piedmont, and what lakes! After all, it is not difficult to imagine it: Piedmont is surrounded to the north and west by the Alps, indeed by some of the most beautiful peaks of the Alps, from which streams descend that form lakes, from the large and better known ones to many mountain lakes , give her waters generally clear, clean and suitable for swimming. Monitoring of water quality and bathing conditions is constantly updated by Arpa Piemonte, and it is always a good idea to check before leaving (click on the link for the Arpa Piemonte bathing water bulletin) but in short, due to the orogeographical condition of the region, these are always lakes and ponds where you can swim, cool off, swim in open water and also do various water sportsfrom those of sail to those of board and oar.
The 10 lakes where you can swim in Piedmont
So much so that in recent years numerous equipment rental services, equipped beaches, campsites and everything that can make a day or a holiday on the lake in Piedmont more comfortable and practical. In particular, the lakes where you can swim in Piedmont are these 10:
- Lake Maggiore
- Lake of Orta
- Lake Mergozzo
- Viverone lake
- Great Lake of Avigliana
- Candia lake
- Syrian Lake
- Garavot Gorges (Valchiusella)
- Ravine of Sant’Anna
- Goja del Pis in Almese
1. Lake Maggiore
We have seen it for the Lombard shore of Varese (here) but there are also many beaches on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, free or equipped, in which to sunbathe and swim. Many are the private ones of hotels, campsites and villas, but there are also public ones or in any case accessible even just for a day. Starting from the bottom, a Castelletto Ticino there is the Cicognola with shower and toilets, a Little sleeper in the locality of La Rotta there is one equipped under concession and a free one (locality Pirolino), ad Aaron there are at least a couple with bars, services and deck chair rental (at the Lido and Rocchette), a Mean there is the lido (also with swimming pools…) and that of Scivolo Galli, with a kiosk bar and toilets, at Belgium there is the Spiaggetta ea Read three (that of the Madonna di Campagna, the Castellaccio and that of the Foce Erno). TO Stress you are spoiled for choice, and it’s not even worth listing them since you just need to walk along the lakefront and choose the one you prefer, between the equipped ones and the public ones, which are numerous. The same goes for Baveno, where many equipped beaches are owned by the hotels (but often also accessible to outsiders, for a fee of course) and for families there is the large, sandy beach with shallow waters of Feriolo. Also to Verbania you are spoiled for choice, with equipped lidos, campsite beaches and free beaches, and it may be worth going as far as the highest area of the lake, to Ghiffa (there are at least 3 very nice ones along the state road), Cannobiowhich is perhaps the most beautiful beach on the lake and therefore very popular, especially by those who practice sailing sports such as kite, windsurf and sailing, given that the wind always blows constantly and there are several equipment rental businesses, and Cannerowhich is not far away but has the advantage of being sheltered from the wind.
2. Lake of Orta
Not far from the Maggiore is the Lago d’Orta, a small but enchanting lake very, very popular in the summer, so much so that the problem is not so much finding a beach as finding a place on the beach. However if you are looking for a beach with slow rising water you have to go to Orta San Giuliowhere there is the famous Miami beach, very busy, or the smaller Bagnera and Ortello, with more suggestive panoramas.
A Pettenasco there are some beautiful sand and pebble beaches with free access, while for a beach with grass and trees that provide shade, it is better to go to Omegna, to the beach of Lido di Bagnella. Always grassy and with a pier, there are also beautiful beaches at the Lido di Gozzano it’s at San Maurizio d’Opagliobut for a large beach of sand (and pebbles) there is nothing to go to Pella and look for the Rialaccio beach, in the hamlet of Roncallo on the lake, right in front of the San Giulio Island.
3. Lake of Mergozzo
We at Mergozzo lake we did the Swimrun (here the story of how it went) and the lake and the towns on its banks are enchanting. The water is spotless, also because motor boats are prohibited, and the best thing is to wander around until you find the beach that most fascinates you. However, the most “popular” are undoubtedly the free and sand ones of La Quiete and Continental on the Verbania side, the grass and equipped one of the Piccolo Lago, and in the municipality of Mergozzo the free one of Lido Pilastri and that of Portaiolo – La Rustic, always budding.
4. Viverone lake
Il Viverone lake is a fairly recent (re)discovery: from the early 1990s until 2008 its waters were considered unsuitable for bathing, but now the situation is excellent (with values at the 95th percentile according to the standards of Arpa Piemonte) and therefore its waters and beaches are once again popular. Some even go so far as to say that it looks like the sea, and in any case 6 of its beaches are considered among the best in Europe by the European Environment Agency: in reality you are spoiled for choice, but if you are looking for a beach “with a sticker” there are the Beppe baths, the municipal baths and La Marinella, the Lac et Soleil bath , the Masseria baths, the Ghigliotta baths and the Haway campsite.
5. Great Lake of Avigliana
Actually there are two lakes in Avigliana, the Small one and the Big one. That small is a naturalistic oasisand therefore off limits to bathing of any kind, while the good news is that the Big one is back for swimming for some years, with clean waters again, and it is a beautiful resource a short distance from Turin. The waters are essentially monitored in two locations, Grignetto – Chalet del Lago and Baia Grande, which is the most famous beach of the Lago Grande. A good way to look for a corner where to sit is to take the cycle/pedestrian path that runs along the lake.
6. Candia lake
Still not far from Turin, in Canavese, there is Lake Candia, which however is not always suitable for swimming (it was in 2018, but in 2019 the situation got worse), so the advice is to check the Arpa Piemonte bulletin before setting off on the road. In any case, the bathing areas are those of Canottieri, Lido and Barcaccia.
7. Syrian Lake
Il Syrian Lake is the only powered by a source of Five Lakes of the Serra di Ivreaall of glacial origin, and there is also a free beach in the Marina di Ivrea area, which however is often very crowded, especially on very hot days because it is close to most of the accommodation and tourist facilities.
The other bathing lakes in Piedmont
There are then other bathing lakes in Piedmont, often little known, but which may be worth going to find out. For example the Garavot Gorgesin Valchiusella, which can be reached along a path that starts from Traverse: they are two communicating bodies of water, dug by the Chiusella river which gives its name to the valley, surrounded by suggestive rock walls and with some access from which to dive (not exactly beaches, but for a truly natural swim it is an idyllic place). Not far from Turin there is then the Goja del Pisalso here a series of lakes and pools dug by the Messa river, surrounded by rocky walls and a waterfall of about fifteen meters: the lake is not deep, the water is crystal clear (and obviously chilly) but here too for a refreshing bath and natural is really excellent (the Goja can be reached from Borgata Malatrait in the municipality of Almese: once there was a path from the square of Almese but it is not practicable due to the flood events of 2016). Finally in the municipality of Cannobio (where in fact there are the most beautiful beaches of Lake Maggiore) there is also theRavine of Sant’Annaan inlet carved out by the Cannobino stream in a wonderful naturalistic setting, with crystal clear (but also chilly) green waters and some green areas for picnics or relaxation.
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