Legend has it that a group of thirteen people, called the Thirteen Orcs (Trözz 'Orchi in dialect form), returning from a pilgrimage to the shrine on the nearby island of San Giulio (Lake Orta), founded the first nucleus of the city, on the banks of the Agogna. The same legend also tells the origin of Tapulon, the local traditional dish, created with the poor ingredients that the group had at its disposal: the meat of the only donkey who carried their luggage, wine and little else.
