A tour in the rice-fields
The visit of Novara and of the abbey S. Nazzaro Sesia in Spring offers you the opportunity to admire one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the Valley of the river Po, when the rice-fields are flooded and build a "Checkered sea", a paradise for birds like little egrets, herons and ibises. On a clear day you can see the chain of the Alps with Mount Rosa standing out among the other mountains and all is mirrored in the calm water of the "camere di risaia" (rice-fields). A guided tour allows you to learn about the history of rice, to know the route it took to reach Italy, as well as curiosities about this plant, which is vital for one third of the world population. It would be interesting to visit a rice-mill, both to see the working stages and to buy the different varieties of rice. Why not taking advantage of being among the rice-fields to taste a "risotto", the famous paniscia, the typical dish of Novara, or to taste the black rice, the rice meant for the emperor?