It’s been a while since our last visit to Italy, so we decided the Easter weekend would be the perfect opportunity to go. We decided upon Lago Maggiore, one of the famous lakes north of Milan. We started having second thoughts the night before departure, since the weather forecast was positively grim – we briefly considered changing plans and going for a city break instead. But in the end, we decided to take a chance and stick to our original plan… Which turned out to be a wise decision!
So bright ‘n early, Friday morning, we jumped into the BMW, and set off. We made very good progress on the roads – there wasn’t a lot of traffic, much to our surprise. So we actually arrived at our destination – Baveno – at about 1 o’clock (just in time for lunch!). Baveno seemed like a nice enough little town, located on the shores of the lake, with nice views towards the Borromeo islands (Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre). Not much to see in Baveno, really, but it’s a prosperous little town, with a few hotels and restaurants. Our hotel was nice enough, clean, with friendly staff – and most importantly, we had a view over the lake. After a quick lunch at the port in a small bistro, we headed down to the ferry “station” to figure out where to go in the afternoon. Luckily for us, a nice Italian lady gave us a daily ferry ticket for two – which gave access to the islands and the nearby towns!
We decided to start by visiting Villa Taranto, near the town of Palanzza – which was as far as we could go with our ticket. So after a brief stop at Isola Madre, we carried on past Palanzza to the villa. Actually it’s only possible to visit the gardens – the villa itself is used by the municipality. Well, the gardens were rather impressive, I have to admit – a pity the sun wasn’t out (but at least it didn’t rain). Apparently these gardens cover 16 hectares and contain more than 100000 plants and flowers! Anyway, having spent a pleasant and peaceful afternoon there (together with a few busloads of German pensioners – we felt rather old….) during which I learnt (and subsequently forgot) the names of quite a few plants and flowers, we walked back to Palanzza, taking in a rather large number of impressive villas during our 20 minute walk. After a quick visit of Palanzza, we jumped on the ferry back to Baveno (unfortunately it was too late to visit any of the islands…). After a well-deserved rest at the hotel, we went restaurant-hunting. Turns out there weren’t that many choices – but we had a nice enough meal at a local pizzeria.
The next day, we got up bright ‘n early again, fresh and ready to explore the Borromeo islands. After a quick breakfast Italian style (a coffee and a croissant, taken standing at the bar – something I really like about Italy – a nice and “sociable” way to start the day), we bought 2 all-day tickets including entry for the island attractions for the somewhat hefty price tag of ~25 euros each. Our first destination was Isola dei Pescatori – which roughly translates as “fishermen’s island”. It’s perhaps the most “normal” of the islands, since there’s no tourist attraction as such to visit, so the place is almost like a small village. There are plenty of restaurants, tourist shops and hotels, mind you… (we were wondering how people get off the island after dinner, since the last ferry leaves at 19:30 – I guess they use boat taxis or something). After about half an hour exploring the island (there isn’t that much to see in the end), we jumped on the next ferry and carried on to Isola Bella.
Isola Bella is without doubt the most famous of the islands on Lago Maggiore – and justly so. It is mostly known for its monumental Baroque palace, built in 1670 by Count Borromeo, and its splendid gardens. So after a quick walk around the island with its typically Italian windy and narrow streets and pretty houses, we headed into the palace. The beginning of the visit was your typical “baroque over-the-top palace with room after room of fancy furniture” (which I usually find a bit saturating after about 5 or 6 rooms…), but things got more interesting on the lower floors – where the place took a “dungeonesque” appearance (the rooms, although still elaborate, were covered with small rocks, giving this part of the palace an almost grotto-like appearance. A bit hard to explain). We finished the visit with the gardens – which I have to admit were VERY impressive. Again, it was all very baroque and show-off– which is not really my sort of thing, but we couldn’t help but feel impressed by the baroque splendour of the place. The plants and flowers were complimented by some fantastic constructions with statues, fountains and stairways. And there were also a couple of peacocks – somehow very appropriate birds for this kind of garden.
We then rushed on to catch the ferry to Stresa, which is one of the main touristy towns on Lago Maggiore. Its seafront is covered by old hotels dating back to the 19th and early 20th century – which gives the place quite an aristocratic and olde-world feel. We quite liked the place; it’s touristy, but not ruined by it. There’s nothing much to see there as such, so after a nice and filling lunch (especially for me – I took the “Papagallo double pizza special”), we headed on to explore the last of the islands – Isola Madre. Isola Madre is the biggest of the islands, and the most peaceful one of the lot. Mainly this is due to the fact that the island is dominated by its 16th century palace and its gardens - the island is pretty much uninhabited, and there is only one restaurant there. The gardens were once more very impressive, and even house the biggest Kashmir Cyprus tree in Europe – which was unfortunately badly damaged during a storm a few years ago. On the whole we very much enjoyed Isola Madre – especially since the sun finally came out from behind the clouds (although by now Italian garden fatigue was setting in)! After a nice coffee at the restaurant, we headed back to Baveno. We decided to have dinner at the hotel this time – not a bad decision – especially since they had a eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet for the antipasti and deserts. Always works for me ;-).
On Sunday, we decided upon a quick visit to Switzerland (the northern part of Lago Maggiore lies in Switzerland) – so jumped into the car and drove towards Locarno. The drive was a very scenic one - especially since the cloudy, misty weather gave the lake quite an eerily atmospheric appearance. About 1 hour’s drive later, we arrived in Locarno. Neither of us really had any expectations about Locarno – but were a bit disappointed by it, actually. There isn’t all that much to see, and even the old town was kind of boring. It’s quite pretty in its own way, and is very orderly in a Swiss way, but it just lacks that Italian charm, I suppose… But anyway, we spent a couple of pleasant hours wandering around, taking in the views (the main square, a couple of churches, and a castle). After a Swiss-priced (=over-priced) lunch, we headed back to Italy. We decided to head for Lago Orta in the afternoon. It is much smaller, and less famous than Lago Maggiore, but just as interesting, and what’s most important, much less touristy. That is not to say it’s not touristy – but at least the tourists are Italian families, rather than German pensioners (at this point I want to make clear I have nothing against German pensioners!).
After stops at Omegna at the northern shore of the lake, and Pettanasco, we headed for the town which takes its name from the lake, Orta. We started by visiting the Sacro Monte; or sacred mountain; of Lago Orta. The sacred mountain (one of three around Lago Maggiore) is actually a collection of chapels (21 in total) dedicated to the life of St. Francis. Each temple describes an important event/miracle in the life of the good Saint – using frescos or statues. The three holy mountains have all been declared UNESCO world heritage sites. There were also some very nice views over the lake and Isola di San Giuloio from the mountaintop. And the sun made an appearance as well, finally!
From there we headed to the town itself. Having parked our car at the town entrance, it was a good 10 minute walk down to the town itself. Orta is actually built on a slope, with the town centre being right at the shore of the lake – so getting down there from the car park, which is higher up, does require a bit of exercise. It’s an absolutely delightful little town, typically Italian with its narrow streets and cosy little houses. The absence of cars adds to its charm – as do the great views towards the lake and Isola di San Giulio. It is definitely touristy, and has its fair share of restaurants – but the fact that most visitors were local families does make a difference. After a walk around town, we jumped on the ferry to Isola di San Giulio. We really loved this little island – I would definitely say it’s more atmospheric than the Lago Maggiore islands – the lack of tourist shops and restaurants is probably part of the reason for that. After a leisurely walk around the island (quickly done – there is only one street), we visited the beautiful church, and then took the ferry back to Orta. During a drink at the main square, with great views over the lake, we decided to stay in Orta for dinner. We chose a cosy looking wine bar – and what an excellent choice it was. For food we were treated to a plate of delicious local charcuterie and cheese, and for drinks we tried some equally delicious Piedmontaise red wines (including a glass of one of my favourites – Barolo). A real shame I had to drive back… We even decided to by a bottle of local red wine – for which we were given a discount for! So all in all, a great experience!
So Monday was sadly our last day in Italy – so time to head back home. But we were in no hurry, so decided to enjoy Lago Maggiore for a bit longer – especially since we were finally treated to a clear blue sky! After another Italian brekkie, we jumped in the car and drove down to Arona, one of the major towns on the lake. The main attraction at Arona is the colossus of San Carlo Borreome (a big name at Lago Maggiore)… It’s basically 23.4 meters high copper and bronze statue, sitting on top of an 11.7 meter pedestal, with great views over the lake. What makes the statue special is the fact that you can actually climb inside the statue all the way up to the head, and view the surrounding landscapes through San Carlo’s eyes, literally! It was quite an adventure, climbing up the narrow ladder (not something I would recommend for people suffering from claustrophobia…), wearing a crash helmet. Anyway, it was all good fun, and the views were good!
After a quick visit in Arona, we decided to head for a nearby natural reserve, situated around a lagoon/lake. After all the eating and drinking we’d done over the weekend, we figured it’d be a good idea to get some exercise – so wanted to do brisk two hours of so of walking. We stupidly assumed the walks would be well signposted in the park, so didn’t really prepare for the walk. The park was so small we figured even the longest walk couldn’t be more than a couple of hours at most. We were naturally wrong – we obviously picked the walk which zigzags across the entire park – so we ended up walking about 10 kilometres in total, with no end in sight. At that point we decided we should perhaps ask somebody for the way back to the parking lot… Which we did – and half an hour later we found the parking. Only – it was the wrong one! Thankfully we found somebody rather helpful who explained how to get to the correct parking lot – so about half an hour later we finally arrived at the car… Well, we certainly got enough exercise to burn off all that pasta and pizza we had during the weekend, that’s for sure!
Well, time to head back home finally… We did make a stop at Vercelli, which was conveniently on the way. Vercelli is the rice capital of Europe (so this is where all that risotto comes from) – surrounded as it is by vast paddy fields. The town itself is quite interesting and prosperous also, housing 2 great religious edifices, which we both visited. We started by checking out the impressive 16th century Duomo, and then headed down to the main attraction of the city – the 13th century Basilica di Sant’Andrea. And a magnificent piece of work it is – an interesting mixture of Romanesque and gothic architectures. It’s austere, peace-inspiring interior was a contrast to the baroque splendours of the Duomo and the churches we’d seen at Lago Maggiore. Truly impressive. Having done the touristy must-see bits, we had a quick walk around town, which was strangely quiet, nearly deserted in fact – I guess since it was Easter Monday. After a quick drink near the main square, we hit the road again. Thankfully, there was hardly any traffic on the way back home, so we made it back just before it got dark….
All in all, a great, long weekend, then! The more I go to Italy, the more I like it. And I even managed to stumble by quite OK in Italian during the weekend (although having said that, my vocabulary was limited to expressions like “Grazie mille”, “Un cappuccino”, “un pizza” and the like….)
So bright ‘n early, Friday morning, we jumped into the BMW, and set off. We made very good progress on the roads – there wasn’t a lot of traffic, much to our surprise. So we actually arrived at our destination – Baveno – at about 1 o’clock (just in time for lunch!). Baveno seemed like a nice enough little town, located on the shores of the lake, with nice views towards the Borromeo islands (Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre). Not much to see in Baveno, really, but it’s a prosperous little town, with a few hotels and restaurants. Our hotel was nice enough, clean, with friendly staff – and most importantly, we had a view over the lake. After a quick lunch at the port in a small bistro, we headed down to the ferry “station” to figure out where to go in the afternoon. Luckily for us, a nice Italian lady gave us a daily ferry ticket for two – which gave access to the islands and the nearby towns! 
We decided to start by visiting Villa Taranto, near the town of Palanzza – which was as far as we could go with our ticket. So after a brief stop at Isola Madre, we carried on past Palanzza to the villa. Actually it’s only possible to visit the gardens – the villa itself is used by the municipality. Well, the gardens were rather impressive, I have to admit – a pity the sun wasn’t out (but at least it didn’t rain). Apparently these gardens cover 16 hectares and contain more than 100000 plants and flowers! Anyway, having spent a pleasant and peaceful afternoon there (together with a few busloads of German pensioners – we felt rather old….) during which I learnt (and subsequently forgot) the names of quite a few plants and flowers, we walked back to Palanzza, taking in a rather large number of impressive villas during our 20 minute walk. After a quick visit of Palanzza, we jumped on the ferry back to Baveno (unfortunately it was too late to visit any of the islands…). After a well-deserved rest at the hotel, we went restaurant-hunting. Turns out there weren’t that many choices – but we had a nice enough meal at a local pizzeria. 
The next day, we got up bright ‘n early again, fresh and ready to explore the Borromeo islands. After a quick breakfast Italian style (a coffee and a croissant, taken standing at the bar – something I really like about Italy – a nice and “sociable” way to start the day), we bought 2 all-day tickets including entry for the island attractions for the somewhat hefty price tag of ~25 euros each. Our first destination was Isola dei Pescatori – which roughly translates as “fishermen’s island”. It’s perhaps the most “normal” of the islands, since there’s no tourist attraction as such to visit, so the place is almost like a small village. There are plenty of restaurants, tourist shops and hotels, mind you… (we were wondering how people get off the island after dinner, since the last ferry leaves at 19:30 – I guess they use boat taxis or something). After about half an hour exploring the island (there isn’t that much to see in the end), we jumped on the next ferry and carried on to Isola Bella.
Isola Bella is without doubt the most famous of the islands on Lago Maggiore – and justly so. It is mostly known for its monumental Baroque palace, built in 1670 by Count Borromeo, and its splendid gardens. So after a quick walk around the island with its typically Italian windy and narrow streets and pretty houses, we headed into the palace. The beginning of the visit was your typical “baroque over-the-top palace with room after room of fancy furniture” (which I usually find a bit saturating after about 5 or 6 rooms…), but things got more interesting on the lower floors – where the place took a “dungeonesque” appearance (the rooms, although still elaborate, were covered with small rocks, giving this part of the palace an almost grotto-like appearance. A bit hard to explain). We finished the visit with the gardens – which I have to admit were VERY impressive. Again, it was all very baroque and show-off– which is not really my sort of thing, but we couldn’t help but feel impressed by the baroque splendour of the place. The plants and flowers were complimented by some fantastic constructions with statues, fountains and stairways. And there were also a couple of peacocks – somehow very appropriate birds for this kind of garden.
We then rushed on to catch the ferry to Stresa, which is one of the main touristy towns on Lago Maggiore. Its seafront is covered by old hotels dating back to the 19th and early 20th century – which gives the place quite an aristocratic and olde-world feel. We quite liked the place; it’s touristy, but not ruined by it. There’s nothing much to see there as such, so after a nice and filling lunch (especially for me – I took the “Papagallo double pizza special”), we headed on to explore the last of the islands – Isola Madre. Isola Madre is the biggest of the islands, and the most peaceful one of the lot. Mainly this is due to the fact that the island is dominated by its 16th century palace and its gardens - the island is pretty much uninhabited, and there is only one restaurant there. The gardens were once more very impressive, and even house the biggest Kashmir Cyprus tree in Europe – which was unfortunately badly damaged during a storm a few years ago. On the whole we very much enjoyed Isola Madre – especially since the sun finally came out from behind the clouds (although by now Italian garden fatigue was setting in)! After a nice coffee at the restaurant, we headed back to Baveno. We decided to have dinner at the hotel this time – not a bad decision – especially since they had a eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet for the antipasti and deserts. Always works for me ;-).
On Sunday, we decided upon a quick visit to Switzerland (the northern part of Lago Maggiore lies in Switzerland) – so jumped into the car and drove towards Locarno. The drive was a very scenic one - especially since the cloudy, misty weather gave the lake quite an eerily atmospheric appearance. About 1 hour’s drive later, we arrived in Locarno. Neither of us really had any expectations about Locarno – but were a bit disappointed by it, actually. There isn’t all that much to see, and even the old town was kind of boring. It’s quite pretty in its own way, and is very orderly in a Swiss way, but it just lacks that Italian charm, I suppose… But anyway, we spent a couple of pleasant hours wandering around, taking in the views (the main square, a couple of churches, and a castle). After a Swiss-priced (=over-priced) lunch, we headed back to Italy. We decided to head for Lago Orta in the afternoon. It is much smaller, and less famous than Lago Maggiore, but just as interesting, and what’s most important, much less touristy. That is not to say it’s not touristy – but at least the tourists are Italian families, rather than German pensioners (at this point I want to make clear I have nothing against German pensioners!).
After stops at Omegna at the northern shore of the lake, and Pettanasco, we headed for the town which takes its name from the lake, Orta. We started by visiting the Sacro Monte; or sacred mountain; of Lago Orta. The sacred mountain (one of three around Lago Maggiore) is actually a collection of chapels (21 in total) dedicated to the life of St. Francis. Each temple describes an important event/miracle in the life of the good Saint – using frescos or statues. The three holy mountains have all been declared UNESCO world heritage sites. There were also some very nice views over the lake and Isola di San Giuloio from the mountaintop. And the sun made an appearance as well, finally!
From there we headed to the town itself. Having parked our car at the town entrance, it was a good 10 minute walk down to the town itself. Orta is actually built on a slope, with the town centre being right at the shore of the lake – so getting down there from the car park, which is higher up, does require a bit of exercise. It’s an absolutely delightful little town, typically Italian with its narrow streets and cosy little houses. The absence of cars adds to its charm – as do the great views towards the lake and Isola di San Giulio. It is definitely touristy, and has its fair share of restaurants – but the fact that most visitors were local families does make a difference. After a walk around town, we jumped on the ferry to Isola di San Giulio. We really loved this little island – I would definitely say it’s more atmospheric than the Lago Maggiore islands – the lack of tourist shops and restaurants is probably part of the reason for that. After a leisurely walk around the island (quickly done – there is only one street), we visited the beautiful church, and then took the ferry back to Orta. During a drink at the main square, with great views over the lake, we decided to stay in Orta for dinner. We chose a cosy looking wine bar – and what an excellent choice it was. For food we were treated to a plate of delicious local charcuterie and cheese, and for drinks we tried some equally delicious Piedmontaise red wines (including a glass of one of my favourites – Barolo). A real shame I had to drive back… We even decided to by a bottle of local red wine – for which we were given a discount for! So all in all, a great experience!
So Monday was sadly our last day in Italy – so time to head back home. But we were in no hurry, so decided to enjoy Lago Maggiore for a bit longer – especially since we were finally treated to a clear blue sky! After another Italian brekkie, we jumped in the car and drove down to Arona, one of the major towns on the lake. The main attraction at Arona is the colossus of San Carlo Borreome (a big name at Lago Maggiore)… It’s basically 23.4 meters high copper and bronze statue, sitting on top of an 11.7 meter pedestal, with great views over the lake. What makes the statue special is the fact that you can actually climb inside the statue all the way up to the head, and view the surrounding landscapes through San Carlo’s eyes, literally! It was quite an adventure, climbing up the narrow ladder (not something I would recommend for people suffering from claustrophobia…), wearing a crash helmet. Anyway, it was all good fun, and the views were good!
After a quick visit in Arona, we decided to head for a nearby natural reserve, situated around a lagoon/lake. After all the eating and drinking we’d done over the weekend, we figured it’d be a good idea to get some exercise – so wanted to do brisk two hours of so of walking. We stupidly assumed the walks would be well signposted in the park, so didn’t really prepare for the walk. The park was so small we figured even the longest walk couldn’t be more than a couple of hours at most. We were naturally wrong – we obviously picked the walk which zigzags across the entire park – so we ended up walking about 10 kilometres in total, with no end in sight. At that point we decided we should perhaps ask somebody for the way back to the parking lot… Which we did – and half an hour later we found the parking. Only – it was the wrong one! Thankfully we found somebody rather helpful who explained how to get to the correct parking lot – so about half an hour later we finally arrived at the car… Well, we certainly got enough exercise to burn off all that pasta and pizza we had during the weekend, that’s for sure! 
Well, time to head back home finally… We did make a stop at Vercelli, which was conveniently on the way. Vercelli is the rice capital of Europe (so this is where all that risotto comes from) – surrounded as it is by vast paddy fields. The town itself is quite interesting and prosperous also, housing 2 great religious edifices, which we both visited. We started by checking out the impressive 16th century Duomo, and then headed down to the main attraction of the city – the 13th century Basilica di Sant’Andrea. And a magnificent piece of work it is – an interesting mixture of Romanesque and gothic architectures. It’s austere, peace-inspiring interior was a contrast to the baroque splendours of the Duomo and the churches we’d seen at Lago Maggiore. Truly impressive. Having done the touristy must-see bits, we had a quick walk around town, which was strangely quiet, nearly deserted in fact – I guess since it was Easter Monday. After a quick drink near the main square, we hit the road again. Thankfully, there was hardly any traffic on the way back home, so we made it back just before it got dark….All in all, a great, long weekend, then! The more I go to Italy, the more I like it. And I even managed to stumble by quite OK in Italian during the weekend (although having said that, my vocabulary was limited to expressions like “Grazie mille”, “Un cappuccino”, “un pizza” and the like….)
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