Meina
Meina: a town on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore
Hello everyone! Today we will talk about Meina, a delightful Piedmontese town on Lake Maggiore, and we will tell you its history and curiosities.
Meina is a town in the province of Novara, located on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore at the mouth of the Tiasca stream. The village has a population of about 2371 inhabitants and has been a holiday destination for nobles and bourgeoisie since the nineteenth century.
History
The history of Meina began during the Roman era. From here passed the Severiana Augusta road, a Roman road that connected Milan with Lake Maggiore and the Sempione pass. In the Middle Ages, Meina was part of the Vergante and signed the Vergante Statutes together with the town of Lesa in 1389.
Throughout history, the town followed the fortunes of the Duchy of Milan, the Borromeo family, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, before becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 onwards. In the sixteenth century, the noble Aronese family of Luatti settled in Meina, owners of an ancient palace in via Fabbriche.
During the nineteenth century, Meina became a holiday destination for the nobles and bourgeoisie, including the noble Novarese families of Cacciapiatti, Fossati de Regibus and Raffaele Faraggiana. Other important names, related to the possession of palaces, villas, and historical buildings in Meina, are: Bedone, Bonomi, de Savoiroux, Faraone, Sessa, Galli, Gatti, Lorenzini, Luoni, Arnoldo Mondadori and Pernot.
Meina also became an important industrial center thanks to the use of the waters of the Tiasca stream. Among the factories present in the area, there were three important paper mills, a cotton spinning factory, and a large factory producing lubricants and greases for machinery, inaugurated by the entrepreneur Emilio Foltzer. Many small factories also settled in the town.
The massacre and the Vittoria Hotel
Unfortunately, the history of Meina is also marked by a sad event. Between September 15 and 23, 1943, the town was the scene of the massacre of sixteen Italian Jews from Greece carried out by the Nazi Schutzstaffel in the Vittoria Hotel owned by Alberto Behar, a Turkish citizen of Jewish origin. In memory of the massacre, in 2015 the Stolpersteine (Stones of Remembrance) were laid in Piedmont at the landing stage near the location where the Meina hotel once stood.
The Lido di Meina
The Lido di Meina, built in 1954, was the first beach in Italy to become a sandy beach. In 1994, the Lido was transformed into a municipal park, creating a large green area that extends from Lake Maggiore to the hill behind. In the park, there are playgrounds for children, picnic tables, sports facilities, and a stage for shows.
Recently, the history of the Lido and the history of the town after the Unification of Italy were told in Maurizio Cotti Piccinelli's book, entitled "Meina, its beach and history".
Conclusions
Here is a brief summary of the history of Meina, a Piedmontese town on Lake Maggiore that guards numerous treasures and a great history. We hope that this article has aroused your curiosity and that you have enjoyed discovering something new about this delightful Italian town. If you are in the area, do not hesitate to visit it and discover its secrets. See you soon!
