Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands
The Borromean Islands On Lake Maggiore, Held By The Borromeo Family Since The Sixteenth Century, With The Baroque Palace And Terraced Garden On Isola Bella Begun In 1632 · Stresa, Piedmont
Lake Maggiore is the quieter of the three big Italian lakes, and the thing that makes it different is sitting a few hundred metres off Stresa: a cluster of small islands that one family turned into stage sets in the seventeenth century. On the first, a baroque palace occupies almost the entire island and the garden behind it is built as ten stone terraces rising out of the water, with white peacocks walking about on them. On the second, the gardens are botanical rather than architectural, full of things that should not survive this far north and do because the lake holds the heat. The third is a fishermen's village of narrow lanes with no grand house on it at all, and it is the one most people end up liking best. Boats run between all three continuously. Behind Stresa a cable car climbs a mountain for a view over seven lakes at once, and the far end of the water is in Switzerland. Come in spring, because the gardens are camellia gardens and they do nothing in August.
Piazza Marconi, Stresa, Piedmont, 28838, Italy
ALL TIMES UNVERIFIED FOR THIS ROW. Broadly: the palace and gardens on Isola Bella and Isola Madre open daily from late March to late October and CLOSE FOR THE WINTER, with last admission an hour before closing. Isola dei Pescatori is a village and has no hours. Villa Taranto keeps a similar seasonal pattern. Public ferries run frequently through the day with a much reduced winter timetable and stop in the early evening. The Mottarone cable car runs seasonally when in service. Stresa's promenade never closes. Confirm the season and the last boat before travelling.
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