STRESA

Founded by the Romans, the small town on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore became one of the best lakeside resorts in Europe in the late 18th Century. Luxury Art Nouveau hotels of the Belle Époque followed and made Stresa a popular meeting place for artists and poets. Stendahl, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Ernest Hemingway helped the little town to international fame and prestige. The villas in their beautiful gardens are, unfortunately, mostly privately owned and thus escape the eyes of the curious visitor who may, however, enjoy the romantic waterfront sunset. Inland from Stresa is the nature reserve Mottarone and the 1491 m high mountain of the same name. In summer it is an excellent walking area and in winter an extensive ski area. From its summit there is a splendid view over the whole area of Lake Maggiore, towards the Lago d’Orta and the glaciers of the Alps, the Valais and Ticino.

THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS

The four islands are located in the Borromean Gulf between Verbania and Stresa, from where they are easily accessible by boat. The Isola Madre is 330 m long and 220 m wide and the largest island in Lake Maggiore and historical sources already mention it in the 9th Century. At the beginning of the 15th Century the cultivation of citrus fruit – especially brought in from Liguria for the purpose - started on the island. Around the same time Lancilotto Borromeo ordered the construction of a mansion which became the core of the Renaissance-style palace enlarged by Renato I. Borromeo. In the years 1823-1825, the cultivated parts of the island were transformed into an English style landscape garden. The forest in the northwest of the island remained. The only slightly smaller Isola Bella is about 320 m long and 180 m wide. In the northwest of the island is the Palazzo Borromeo, also adjoined by an English style garden. Before Carlo III Borromeo began to level the island in 1631 and build his wife a palace this was nothing more than a rocky outcrop. The palace now houses a museum where you can admire the magnificent interiors and visit the shell grotto. Also belonging to the group of islands are the Isola dei Pescatori, the only one of the four islands that has been inhabited continuously since the 14th century, and the Isola di San Giovanni, which is a private property and cannot be visited by tourists.

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