Borromean Islands

Stresa is the main tourist resort on Lake Maggiore, known the world over as the "Pearl of Lake Maggiore", and a summer destination of the first order. The lakeside promenade is a succession of boutiques, cafés, restaurants, villas and luxury hotels – a walk that visitors will not easily forget.

Stresa’s islands – Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola Pescatori – attract thousands of visitors to the Borromean Gulf every year, to enjoy the absolutely unique atmosphere of these beautiful spots.

E-mail: info@isoleborromee.it
Web site: www.isoleborromee.it

ISOLA BELLA

Isola Bella is dominated by its magnificent Baroque palazzo, which is accompanied by a luxuriant Italian-style garden laid out over ten terraces, 37 metres high. The garden displays exotic plants of great rarity and many strikingly lovely flowers, alongside statues, fountains and the Unicorn, depicted in the coat-of-arms of the aristocratic Borromeo family. There are also beautiful white peacocks, free to roam the gardens, which with their regal bearing contribute to giving Isola Bella the flavour of past times.

In 1670 Count Vitaliano Borromeo began work on the monumental Baroque palace and the spectacularly scenic gardens which were to make the island famous, and which still today encapsulate the splendours of past times. The Borromeo residence contains many valuable works of art. The gardens, displaying a wealth of varieties of trees and rare flowers, are laid out over a series of superimposed ornamental terraces, and are a classic example of an Italian-style garden of the time.

ISOLA MADRE

This is the biggest of the Borromean islands and perhaps the most intriguing, with its delightfully tranquil, intimate atmosphere. The garden is full of rare plants and exotic flowers, where white peacocks, parrots and various kinds of pheasants roam freely, giving the place something of the flavour of a tropical environment. Isola Madre is especially famous for its azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias, stunning when in bloom. In 1978 the 16th century palazzo was opened to the public; it displays interesting period rooms and collections of liveries, china, and dolls. There is a superb exhibition of 18th-19th century puppet theatres.

ISOLA SUPERIORE

Isola Superiore – generally known as Isola Pescatori, Fishermen’s Island – is the smallest and quaintest of the three islands, and the only one with permanent residents. The restaurants on the island offer menus based on the typical cuisine of the lake.

Isola Pescatori owes its name to the traditional activity of its inhabitants. The island’s charm lies in its picturesque, old white houses and the narrow lanes winding between them. There are some excellent restaurants where you can sample the fish caught in the lake.

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Borromean Islands

ISOLA BELLA

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