Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE LAKES
Writers from Goethe and Stendhal to DH Lawrence and Hemingway have all lavished
praise on the Italian lakes, which are dramatically ringed by snow-powdered mountains.
The westernmost of the main lakes, Lago d'Orta, is entirely within Piedmont. The three
big ones are, west to east, Lago Maggiore, with its spectacular Borromean Islands; Lago di
Como, closed in by densely wooded mountains; and Lago di Garda, the biggest and the
busiest. Its southeast corner (in the Veneto region) has Disney-style family amusement
parks, including Italy's largest, Gardaland. The northern reaches of Lago di Garda extend
into the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Lago Maggiore
By train or by road, travellers traversing the Alps from Switzerland at the Sempione Pass
wind down from the mountains and sidle up to the western shore of Lago Maggiore. The
star attractions are the Borromean Islands, which, like a fleet of fine vessels, lie at anchor
in the Borromean Gulf. More than Como and Garda, Lago Maggiore retains the belle
époque air of its 19th-century heyday when the European
haute bourgeoisie
flocked to buy
and build grand lakeside villas and establish a series of extraordinarily rich gardens.
The northern end of the lake, where it narrows between the mountains and enters
Switzerland, is the prettier, more secluded end. And it's well worth taking the delightful
drive south along the SS34 and SS33.
Getting There & Around
BOAT
Car Ferries
Connect Verbania Intra and Laveno. Ferries run every 20 minutes; one-way
transport costs from €6.90 to €11.50 for a car and driver or €4.30 for a bicycle and cyclist
Navigazione Lago Maggiore
( 800 551801;
www.navigazionelaghi.it
)
Operates ferries and hydro-
foils. There are ticket booths in each town next to the embarkation quay; the main office is
in Arona. Day passes cost from €15.50/8.80 to €21.50/11.80 per adult/child, depending on
the departure port, and include the Swiss town of Locarno as a stop
