Lake Maggiore Trips & Tours

Stretching across Piedmont, Lombardy and even into Switzerland, Lake Maggiore is all about the quiet life (and definitely no celebrity spotting). It’s characterised by glacial mountain peaks and cold, deep, blue water, yet the camellias, azaleas and palms that spill from the terraces are a reminder of the surprisingly mild Mediterranean microclimate. Along the banks are grand villas and Belle Epoque hotels, charming towns and simple trattorias, and at the centre are the Borromean Islands, owned for centuries by one aristocratic family and still fabulously theatrical. Take a ferry from Stresa and hop between them; Isola Bella and the 17th century Palazzo Borromeo with its 10-tiered, peacock-filled gardens is Italy at its extravagant best, whilst Isola Madre is bountiful and botanical, and Isola dei Pescatori remains delightfully lived-in.