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is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 104.000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin and it is the second urban area of the Region Piedmont with 190,000 inhabitants. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from Genoa to Switzerland.
It originated as the Roman colony of Novaria, which was founded by Julius Caesar and destroyed in the 5th century; a new commune, established in the 6th century, was burned by the Holy Roman
emperor Henry V in 1110. It recovered to become a member of the Lombard League (an alliance of northern Italian towns) in 1167. Novara was dominated by Milan until it passed to Austria in 1714 and to Savoy in 1738. It was the scene of Austrian victories in 1821 and 1849; in the last battle, the Austrians, under Joseph Radetzky, defeated Piedmontese forces led by Charles Albert, king of Sardinia, leading to the latter's abdication..
Main sights
Novara's sights can be divided into two groupings. The city's most important sights lie within its historic centre, the area once enclosed by the city walls. However, several important sights also lie outside the line of the former city walls.
Historic centre
* The old urban core makes up the "Historic centre", situated in the district of the same name. Novara once had an encircling wall, which was demolished to permit urban development
* Outside of the Baluardi
* Places of interest situated outside of the belt of the baluardi include the Church of San Nazzaro della Costa, with its attached abbey, restored in the 15th century by Bernardino of Siena, and the Ossuary of Bicocca, in pyramidal form, which stands in the neighbourhood of Bicocca, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the historic battle of 23 March 1849, between the Piedmontese (Sardinia) and Austrians. Worthy of note are the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Saints Martino and Gaudenzio), built beginning in 1477 by the Augustinians, whose interior consists of a single nave with lateral chapels and paintings attributed to artists of the 15th century, among them Daniele de Bosis.
* Festivals and events
* On 22 January of every year, Novara celebrates the Feast of San Gaudenzio (Saint Gaudentius of Novara), the patron saint of Novara. Throughout the day, it is possible to visit the tomb of the saint and to obtain the typical roasted chestnuts, also known as marroni di Cuneo (" Cuneo chestnuts").
* 23 March: Re-enactment of the 1849 Battle of Novara, with period uniforms and weapons.
* On 25 April, Liberation Day, as in many other Italian cities, the Novaresi organise numerous initiatives to commemorate the Italian resistance movement, and in particular, the partisans who fought around Novara and in the "Partisan Republic of the Ossola".
* Since 2001, Giovani Espressioni ("Young Expressions") has been held in Novara. This is a musical festival for emerging young musicians, organised by Staff Millennium, a performance agency, of which Alessandro Marchetti is the artistic director. The "Espressioni Contest" is of special importance as a showcase for emerging bands that picks a winner every year. Among the noted artists who have participated are Negramaro, Caparezza, Finley, Vallanzaska, Extrema, and Blaze Bailey.
* Economy
* Novara is an important commercial centre of the Padan plain and is the seat of the Centro Intermodale Merci (CIM: Goods Intermodal Centre). Economically, it is affected by the proximity of Milan, and in fact many Milanese firms have offices in Novara.
* The main economic products and services are
* agriculture: rice and maize (American English: corn)
* metallurgical production
* chemicals and petrochemicals
* pharmaceuticals
* food products
* intermodal commerce and logistics
* banking and insurance services
* rice products exchange
* The city of Novara is a member of the TOP-IX (Torino-Piemonte Exchange Point) internet exchange consortium, a consortium to create an Internet Exchange Point for northwestern Italy

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