Lago Maggiore Things to Do

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There are so many things to do and see around the Lake Maggiore you could easily spend a week or two here if you were really keen!

There are good roads right around the entire lake but there are also ferries that provide transportation criss crossing up and down the lake.

I drove up to Lugano and back to Lake Como enjoying the sights along the way and did my best to get tips from guide books to see a few things.
There are great views from the hills above and you will see many villages way up high that you can drive to - for example when I was trying to find the waterfall and gorge of Orrido di Sant Anna near Cannobio - many places are signposted but it is better to have a good road map for Italy such as the Michelin series that show viewpoint routes and points of interest.

There are numerous stopping places as you drive around the lakeside to enhance your journey - villages with cafes and promenades to walk or take a seat and admire the view and people watch. Stunning sunsets also to take opportunities of and many beautiful homes and huge villas to impress you.

Up on the western coast is the popular resort town of Stresa with villas and gardens and a cable car up to Monte Mottarone for panoramic views - and being the terminus for trips to the islands that are here in Lake Maggiore:

The Borromean islands include Isola Bella home to 17th century Palazzo Borromeo, Isola Madre mainly being botanic gardens and San giovanni which has a villa once home to conductor Toscanini

Isola Bella is a beautiful small rocky island in Lake Maggiore wholly occupied by the Borromeo villa and its garden extravaganza.
Already in the 18th century it was seen as one of the world marvels.

Following the baroque taste for placing a villa at the centre of a layout and allowing avenues to draw the scenery into a garden, Isola Bella employs the lake and mountains as garden features. Local legend relates that the ladies of Borromeo’s household asked the Count to build on the island so that they would not have to listen to prisoners screaming in the dungeons of his mainland castle.

Villa Taranto

Beautiful Botanic Gardens at Lago Maggiore. These gardens were originally made by a Scotsman named Neil Boyd McEacharn.
There are several different gardens each with an own athmosphere.

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The only house on this island is the Palazzo, built by the Borromeo family of course. Its architect was Pellegrino Tibaldi, and the work started in 1585.
The palace has two main entrances, the one I show in my second picture is called Kashmir entrance, because of the big tree in front of it. It is a Kashmir cypress (Cupressus Cashmeriana) from the Himalaya. Now this tree is not as strong and beautiful as it used to be, because it was seriously damaged by a whirlwind in the summer of 2006.

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Among the birds you will meet here, the ones that will get more noticed are certainly the peacocks. After all, their mission in life is being beautiful, and making sure that everybody notices. You will find normal peacocks and also white ones. If you want to take pictures, you can rely on the collaboration of these birds: they will be happy to pose.

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Those who created this garden had a taste for the exhotic not only with regard to plants, but also with birds. For me "The Little Blue Bird" was the title of a play, because I had never seen a blue bird before coming here. In this island I have also met for the first time a Chinese pheasant.

If you have a cold, I recommend to postpone a visit to this island to when you feel better, because if your sense of smell is impaired you will miss part of the pleasure. The colours and the scents you will find will depend of course from the time of the year. If you visit the park in springtime, you will be able to enjoy the wisterias: follow the directions to these steps to find them.

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The island is a private property and visitors must pay a fee. It is possible to buy a combined ticket that includes visits to the park and the palace of the Isola Bella as well as the visit to the park and palace of Isola Madre. Travellers who do not want to visit the island, and just make a stop here to take a few pictures of the lake, will find that the only place which is accessible without a ticket is a short lane leading to a cafe. Even this, however, is worthwhile, because the view is stunning.