Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
family who owns it moves in and occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors (which are off limits to
visitors), totalling a mere 50-odd rooms. Visitors can see the ground and 1st floors, the lat-
ter also known as the 'noble' floor.
As was typical in such mansions, the noble floor was largely one of representation, in-
cluding guestrooms, ballrooms, studies and reception halls. Beneath a 23m-high ceiling in
the Salone Grande (part of the ballroom) is a 200-year-old wooden model of the palace
and island.
A separate ticket gains access to the Galleria dei Quadri (Picture Gallery), a hall in
which the walls are covered from top to bottom with 130 paintings of the Borromeo col-
lection. It includes pieces by several Old Masters, including Rubens, Titian, Paolo Ver-
onese, Andrea Mantegna, Van Dyck and José Ribera (Spagnoletto). Works of art are also
scattered elsewhere in the building, as well as Flemish tapestries and sculptures by Anto-
nio Canova.
In the grotto below the ground floor, a 3000-year-old fossilised boat is displayed behind
glass. The grottoes are studded with pink marble, lava stone, and pebbles from the
lakebed. White peacocks, whose fanned feathers resemble bridal gowns, strut about the
gardens, which is considered one of the finest examples of a baroque Italian garden
design.
Eating
ITALIAN
€€
Elvezia
( 0323 3 00 43; Isola Bella; meals €30-35; noon-2pm & 6.30-9pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, Fri-Sun Nov-Feb)
With
its rambling rooms, fish-themed portico and upstairs pergola and balcony dining area, this
is the best spot on the island for home cooking. It serves pastas including ricotta-stuffed
ravioli, various risottos and a hearty lasagne, as well as lake fish such as
coregone alle
mandorle
(lake whitefish in almonds). Booking ahead is essential for winter dinners.
Isola Madre
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.
