The Modern Nomads

Wedged between mountains, located on the south side of the Alps, is where you will find Lake Maggiore. Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy and its northern shore extends all the way to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland in the Swiss Ticino canton.

I knew immediately upon decent into the small lakeside town of Stresa, that this was going to be one of my favorite stops in Northern Italy. And if you wanted to make this area a day or weekend trip from Milan you can reach Stresa directly by a short train ride.

Stresa is the perfect place to stay while visiting Lake Maggiore because not only do you have the beautiful panoramic view of the lake and the Borromean Islands but you also see the Alps rising high in the distance. Out of the three lakes we have visited (Lake Garda, Lake Como and now Lake Maggiore) this ranks top on our list!

And Ernest Hemingway agreed! In a letter to his parents in 1918, Ernest Hemingway wrote, “I’m up here in Stresa, a little resort on Lake Maggiore. One of the most beautiful Italian lakes.” The beauty of Lake Maggiore is also said to have inspired his novel ‘A Farewell to Arms’.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the beautiful Regina Palace Hotel. The Regina Palace overlooks the shore of Lake Maggiore, facing the Borromean Islands. This hotel was drenched in old-world charm and sophistication. Filled with luxurious furnishings, crystal chandeliers, beautiful fabrics, Persian carpets and ancient frescoes, this place makes you feel like you are actually staying in a palace! Hidden behind the hotel is an amazing garden lounge and lovely pool area.

From our hotel room we had some of the most beautiful views of the lake.

We found Stresa to be a more laid back lake city and with a promenade that runs along there lakes edge it was the perfect place to spend a few days exploring Lake Maggiore and just enjoying the beautiful backdrop of the Italian Alps.

We had a couple of guided tours during our visit, one to the botanical garden Villa Taranto and the other was a tour of the Borromeo Islands. We also learned a little about the surrounding area and found that there are some fantastic hiking treks but we didn’t have time to check those out on this trip but plan on returning and will add those to our next agenda!

The Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto

Located in Verbania, on Lake Maggiore, and only a 15 minute drive by car from Stresa, you will find the Gardens of Villa Taranto.

The gardens were established 1931-1940 by Scotsman Neil Boyd McEacharn. Many years were spent creating the English style gardens until it was open to the public in 1952. There are collections of plants from all over the world and you could easily spend a couple hours enjoying its beauty.

One of my favorite landscape features is the “Valletta”, which is a valley that was created by large scale excavations and proudly showcases this stone arched bridge.

Honestly there is so much to this small botanical garden. Every plant and tree is marked with the origin. From the Terraced Gardens with waterfalls, water lily and lotus pools; the Winter Garden and the Bog Garden; ornamental fountains and water sprays; to the relax area that overlooks the Terraced Gardens where you can sit and read or just enjoy the view with a backdrop of the Pennine Alps.

And we had a private tour guide for the garden and she was fantastic! She knew just about every plant we saw and could tell us so much about each one as well as the history of the gardens. I would definitely recommend her as well as her husband who was our driver for the day!

The so-called “Eden of Italy” – The Borromean Islands

The beautiful Borromean Islands are located in the middle of Lake Maggiore and a must see if you are visiting the small town of Stresa.

These islands, known for their unique architecture and stunning gardens, have been called the “Eden of Italy”. There are three Islands: Isola Bella, Isola Pescatori (also called Isola Superiore) and Isola Madre; All owned by the Borromeo family, who first acquired them all the way back in the 16th century.

The most prominent feature when visiting Isola Bella is the Palazzo Borromeo. Now, if you try and google Palazzo Borromeo you will see that there are many Palazzo Borromeos all over Italy which tells you how well off this family was (and still is for that matter)! And the tour of the Palazzo on Isola Bella was very impressive. It is massive and the rooms that are open to the pubic are still furnished as they were in the past. This property began construction in 1632 and would take more than two centuries to complete. The other interesting tidbit is that the family still occupies this fairy tail summer home during certain parts of the year (of course that part is still private and I can only imagine that it is even more spectacular than the parts we visited)!

The coolest part of the palace itself, besides its sheer massive size, was the Grotto. It was both cool and “cool”! It is covered from floor to ceiling from pebbles and shells from the surrounding river beds and was the perfect place for the family to escape from the heat during the warmer months.

And of course we can’t continue without mentioning the glorious gardens. As you arrive by boat you get your first glimpse at the terraced garden but it is really more impressive to walk through them.

You may also get to see the beautiful white peacocks while you are there!

The second stop was Isola Superiore is a small fishing village where people still live today. We had a private boat reserved for our tour so we took some time just walking around the small village before heading back to Stresa.

If you are a nature lover, or if hiking is your thing, the lake is surrounded by hills and mountain peaks of the Italian and Swiss Alps that offer a spectacular panorama of the lake and the region. We didn’t have enough time to check out the hiking during this visit but we will definitely be back.

So if you want a break away from the bustling city life or if it is simply peace and tranquillity that you are after, then Lake Maggiore is where you should be, especially in September as the busy season is coming to an end.

TRAVEL TIP – Booking a table at a restaurant

There were 2 restaurants that we wanted to try in Stresa and both showed no availability online. One was listed on the Michelin Guide (which is a great app if you haven’t used it) and the other was a top spot on Wanderlog (another travel app we use). We have found that if you call the restaurant directly or walk in if you are nearby (which is what we did) you can easily book a table in many cases, even when they show booked online.