Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Boats connect Arona with both Stresa and Verbania Pallanza (each one way adult/child
€6.50/3.10, 40 minutes) from where there are connections to elsewhere on the lake.
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Borromean Islands
Forming Lake Maggiore's most beautiful corner, the Borromean Islands (Isole Borromee)
can be reached from various points around the lake, but Stresa and Verbania offer the best
access. Three of the four islands - Bella, Madre and Superiore (aka dei Pescatori) - can
all be visited, but tiny San Giovanni is off limits. The Borromeo family, a noble family
from Milan, has owned these islands (they own six of the lake's nine islands) since the
17th century.
Isola Bella
The grandest and busiest of the islands - the crowds can get a little overwhelming on
weekends - Isola Bella is the centrepiece of the Borromeo Lake Maggiore empire. The is-
land took the name of Carlo III's wife, the bella Isabella, in the 17th century, when its
centrepiece, Palazzo Borromeo, was built for the Borromeo family.
It's difficult to imagine that prior to its construction the island was little more than a
chunk of rock inhabited by a handful of hardy fishing families. To this day, only 16 people
live year-round on the island, but in summer the place looks like a scene from the Nor-
mandy landings of 1944, with countless vessels ferrying battalions of visitors to and fro.
Construction of the villa and gardens was thought out in such a way that the island would
have the vague appearance of a vessel, with the villa at the prow and the gardens at the
rear.
Sights
Palazzo Borromeo
( 0323 3 05 56; www.isoleborromee.it ; adult/child €13/5.50, combined ticket with Isola Madre €18/8, Galleria dei
Quadri €3; 9am-5.30pm Apr-mid-Oct) Presiding over 10 tiers of terraced gardens, the baroque
palace is arguably the finest structure anywhere around Lake Maggiore. In summer, the
PALACE
 
 
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