Lake Maggiore
The Borromean Gulf forms Lake Maggiore's most beautiful corner, sheltering the Borromean Islands and their spectacular, privately owned palaces. Closest…
Must-see attractions in Lake Maggiore & Around
Lake Maggiore
In the unassuming town of Casalzuigno, about 9km east of Laveno, generations of nobles have swanned about the magnificent gardens of Villa della Porta…
Parco Archeologico di Castelseprio
Lake Maggiore & Around
Spread out in peaceful woods about 1.5km outside the village of Castelseprio, around 20km south of Varese, is the ancient archaeological site of Sibrium,…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
Presiding over 10 tiers of spectacular terraced gardens roamed by peacocks, this baroque palace is arguably Lake Maggiore's finest building. Wandering the…
Lake Maggiore
One of northern Italy's most spectacularly sited monasteries, Santa Caterina del Sasso clings to the high rocky face of Lago Maggiore's southeast shore…
Orta San Giulio
Anchored barely 500m in front of Piazza Mario Motta is Isola San Giulio. The island is dominated by the 12th-century Basilica di San Giulio, full of…
Lake Maggiore
A highlight of Laveno is the Funivia, which whisks passengers up to a panoramic spot 949m above sea level, in the shadow of the Sasso del Ferro peak …
Lake Maggiore & Around
Up on Santa Maria del Monte, this beautiful villa and its surrounding gardens house a small but dazzling repository of artworks, with paintings,…
Lake Maggiore
The chunky medieval Rocca di Angera fortress lords it over the town of Angera in no uncertain terms. From a distance, it is the first thing one sees…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
The closest of the three islands to Verbania, Isola Madre is entirely taken up by the Palazzo Madre and the lovely gardens that surround it. The 16th- to…
Verbania
At Villa Taranto it's all about the gardens (the house itself is not open to the public). The grounds of this late-19th-century villa are one of Lake…
Lake Maggiore & Around
On a rise north of Varese’s centre, where the high walls of private residences enclose narrow, winding lanes, Villa Panza enjoys beautiful views of the…
Lake Maggiore & Around
The nondescript modern town of Castiglione Olona, 8km south of Varese off the SP42 road, contains a quite extraordinary gem. The old centre was largely…
Lake Orta
Overlooking the forest-lined banks of the shimmering Lake Orta, this shore-hugging village has abundant allure. It occupies a kidney-shaped peninsula with…
Lake Maggiore
One of the last remaining wooded wetlands in Lombardy, this 400-hectare site has several trails including a lakeside path with fine views across the reed…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
A wooded wilderness set amid a little-visited stretch of the Italian Alps, the Parco Nazionale Val Grande is far removed from the more domesticated beauty…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
The cable-car trip up Monte Mottarone (1492m) from the northwestern end of Stresa offers pretty views over Lake Maggiore, including Isola Bella and Isola…
Lake Maggiore & Around
From the 17th century, nobles and the rich, many from Milan, began to build second residences around Varese's historic centre. Of these, the most…
Lake Orta
This picturesque region northwest of Lake Orta makes for a splendid day's drive. West out of Omegna, 14km of winding valley road follows a deep river…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
When Milan's superstar bishop San Carlo Borromeo (1538–84) was declared a saint in 1610, his cousin Federico ordered the creation of a sacro monte in his…
Orta San Giulio
Beyond the lush gardens and residences that mark the hill rising behind Orta is a kind of parallel ‘town’ – the sacro monte, where 20 small chapels…
Lake Maggiore & Around
Set in the lush grounds of the Toeplitz estate, the Museo Castiglioni houses a surprising collection of ethnographic works. The Castiglioni brothers…
Chiesa di Santa Maria Foris Portas
Lake Maggiore & Around
Just outside the archaeological site of Sibrium, the small pre-Romanesque Chiesa di Santa Maria Foris Portas was built around the 7th century. Inside in…
Museo dell’Ombrello e del Parasole
Lake Maggiore West Bank
Those driving to Mottarone or Orta San Giulio (for Lake Orta) from Stresa could stop in Gignese (8km from Stresa) for the intriguing Museo dell’Ombrello e…
Sacro Monte della Santissima Trinità
Lake Maggiore West Bank
The main (some would say, only) reason for stopping in Ghiffa, a blip of a village 4km northeast of Verbania, is to make a pilgrimage 3km inland and…
Verbania
Set in a stately 17th-century palazzo tucked down one of Pallanza's back lanes, this museum houses an exquisite collection of works by sculptor Paolo…
Lake Maggiore & Around
This hilltop north of Varese had long been a pilgrimage site for the faithful. But at the beginning of the 17th century, the Church and Lombardy’s Spanish…
Stresa
For the best passeggiata (afternoon stroll) on Lake Maggiore head for Stresa, where a 2km-long lakeside promenade meanders through florid gardens and past…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
This tiny church on equally tiny Isola Superiore generally gets more tourists than congregation, except on 14 August when its saintly figurine – the…
Orta San Giulio
Here's a picture of how life really should be lived: rise early and head for a coffee on Piazza Mario Motta, gazing across at the sun-struck Isola San…
Lake Maggiore & Around
North off Piazza Monte Grappa, the delightful pedestrianised Corso Matteotti signals the western boundary of Varese's tiny old centre, at whose heart…
Orta San Giulio
This atmospheric church is the main attraction on the tiny Isola San Giulio and was built over various periods dating back to the 9th century. Its bell…
Stresa
More than 1000 alpine and subalpine species flourish in this 4-hectare botanical garden set partway up Monte Mottarone. It was founded in 1934 and…
Lake Maggiore
The otherwise sleepy town of Luino becomes a consumer madhouse on market day. This is no ordinary local flea market but rather an enormous bazaar that was…
Lake Maggiore & Around
Piazza Monte Grappa, on the cusp of Varese's old town, is fascinating for history and architecture buffs. The square was completely remade in grand…
Lake Maggiore & Around
Dating back to the 5th century, the Monastero di Torba started life as a forward watchtower for the Lombard castrum (fortified settlement) of Sibrium; and…
Verbania
Theatrical Villa Giulia, with its towering lemon-yellow facade and colonnaded balconies, has a photogenic setting on the lakeside. Originally the home of…
Lake Maggiore & Around
Set on a hillside just south of Varese's old centre, these picturesque gardens make a pleasant setting for a stroll. A large circular fountain, a pretty…
Museo Civico Archeologico di Villa Mirabello
Lake Maggiore & Around
Villa Mirabello houses Varese’s main museum, which has a wide-ranging collection covering prehistoric times, the Roman era, the Lombards and the Middle…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
A narrow steep-sided gorge located 3km from Cannobio. You can drive here, though the best way to come is by taking an easy, partially wooded walking path…
