Apparently, the ultimate luxury is “time” and here at The Italian Concierge we make the time to ensure we arrange your perfect “luxury trip to Italy”. Here in Italy lakes are generally considered as a destination for summer trips, but really and truly an actual “luxurious experience” begins only when everything slows down, and yet you can still breath and feel the vibe of this unique destination. For instance, Lake Maggiore (major as it is the largest lake in Italy) offers a variety of opportunities which are available all year round. You can start with a visit to the famous Hotel Regina Palace in Stresa. The budling itself is beautiful and a cup of tea or coffee at its cafe will give you a chance to see the Italian Liberty Deco style in its best expression: it opened its doors for the first time in 1908, right at the height of the “belle Epoque”. Of course, it is not the only one worth a visit for a coffee; ask your travel designer to also include the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees (opened in 1863) in your next trip to Italy.
Lago Maggiore is also a natural boundary between two regions in Italy (Lombardy and Piedmont) and between Italy and Switzerland. Your visit in the area cannot be considered complete without a private boat tour. The view from the boat will make you feel immersed in the lake’s unique atmosphere. Public boats which connect the various villages and Switzerland are also available, however some of the private personalized tours can include also a visit to the “Borromee” islands. Don’t miss Isola Bella. In Italian “bella” means beautiful, just to give you a hint… The gardens and terrace are perfectly maintained, and give way to a spectacular structure, surrounded by statues, called “Teatro Massimo” (great theater), a magnificent spot where the owner’s family enjoyed their time, and of course their mansion, “Palazzo Borromeo”. The landscape and building we see today is the Borromeo family’s final shape and project, yet the transformation of the originally bare rock in the middle of the lake to Isola Bella started over 400 years ago. The gardens and the Palace, which is actually a Museum, are a beautiful representation of the Baroque Period.
If you like gardens and parks, ask your advisor to also include a visit to Isola Madre, an island originally dedicated to agricultural plots and then transformed into a Botanic Garden. Here also there is a Palace worth a visit: once a home for the Borromeo Family, now a Museum. Not to be missed: “Teatro delle Marionette” a puppet show collection, used to entertain the guests of the Palace during their stay.
Another Island that you should not miss is “Isola dei Pescatori” (fishermen island), the only Island on the lake where there is still a resident community to this day.
Back on the mainland, overlooking the lake, you can reach “Eremo di Santa Caterina”, a religious retreat, and also a FAI attraction. The location of the building itself is worth the visit, so make some time for it.
Apparently, it was originally founded by an avid merchant who was almost killed in a storm while he was trying to cross the lake by boat, he made it safe and sound back on land and decided to completely change his life style and went on to become a hermit. The fist Chapel was built here around 1100. The building housed a Domenicani Community until 2018.
If you enjoy hiking there are great opportunities here: the area near Mergozzo Lake offers several options and at the end of the hike, as a reward, how about a cheese tasting in the village? If you have some spare time, Villa Taranto with its botanic gardens is not far from Mergozzo.
In this area you can visit a Medieval Castle which is still in good conditions, “Castello di Angera”: this was part of a complex defensive system against Switzerland and the Empire Troupes. You can visit both the museum, the gardens and the original rooms of the castle.
Just above at almost 5000ft, the Mottarone Park overlooks 7 lakes in the area…and in the winter you can even ski up there.
And if a boat ride, a visit to the islands or a medieval castle seems like too much… you can spend some hours at a restaurant table enjoying local fish (lake water fish), polenta and local wine; and keep in mind that Milano is just a 1h30m drive for some shopping on Via Montenapoleoone or on Corso Buenos Aires, about 1 mile long with over 300 shops.