IT - Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore (from the Latin Lacus Maximus), or Lake Verbano (name composed of the two Celtic lepontic words Ver “grande” and Benn “container” and then Latinized by the Romans in Lacus Verbanus); is an alpine lake in northwestern Italy located on the border between Italy and Switzerland.

To know:
The enchanting territory nestled in the mountains amazes with gardens populated also by exotic plants of rare species that manage to live here thanks to the mild climate in summer and winter.

When to go:
Of course, in summer, from Easter to the end of September, private boats sail and moor all over the lake, making it even more enchanting, but even winter, thanks to the mild climate, allows mild climatic stays.

Territories and tourist destinations.

Urban centers:
Of the coastal resorts, the city of Verbania is the largest, followed by Locarno.

Italy – Piedmont

Arona (NO) (Arùna in Piedmontese and Lombard) – It has an orderly historical center, beautiful panoramas, an ancient vocation as a center of trade between Piedmont and Ticino.
Baveno (VB) (“Bavèn” in Piedmontese and Lombard) – From its lakefront you can enjoy a spacious and amazing view up to Laveno. Its stately villas hosted great personalities of the European nobility, most notably Queen Victoria.
Belgirate (VB) (Belgirà in Piedmontese and Lombard) – It has beautiful architecture in the upper part of the country, with houses with characteristic arcades and loggias. Rosmini, Benedetto and Giovanni Cairoli, Guido Gozzano, Alessandro Manzoni stayed here.
Cannero Riviera (VB) (Càner in the local western Lombard dialect) – Immersed in a luxuriant vegetation, it sees Luino on its horizon on the opposite bank.
Cannobio (VB) (Canöbi in the local western Lombard dialect) – In its architectural heritage it also preserves medieval elements. The Cannobina valley behind it connects it with the high mountains of Ossola.
Lesa (NO) – Its ancient core is climbed on the hill; the part on the lake shore is the expansion due to tourism; Manzoni is also among its patrons.
Stresa (VB) – on the shore of Lake Maggiore, with its elegant lakefront full of villas and hotels testifies to its ancient tourist vocation that has its roots in the distant eighteenth century. It is certainly the most refined and best known resort on Lake Maggiore.
Verbania (VB) – on the shore of Lake Maggiore is the capital of the province. Together with the other Intra and Pallanza are the two historical nuclei that have been united, to form the city of Verbania. However, two parts with a different nature remain: more suggestive, with medieval atmospheres, Pallanza; more modern, with an industrial past, an important stopover on the lake, Intra.
Italy – Lombardy

Angera (VA) – Ancient Roman port, it was later a stronghold for the control of Verbano; the Rocca stands out above the town, on a cliff overlooking the lake.
Ispra (VA) – Since the 1960s it has hosted the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. Go down to its lakefront via a scenic staircase that starts near the parish church, or through the public park.
Laveno-Mombello (VA) (Lavén Mumbèl in Varese dialect) – Its lakefront was equipped in the nineteenth century. Tradition makes its name descend from the famous Labieno, Julius Caesar’s lieutenant who had entrusted him with the government of Cisalpine Gaul. Worth visiting Poggio Sant’Elsa reached by the “Sasso del ferro” cable car, a mountain in front of Lake Maggiore, with a panoramic view of the lake.
Luino (VA) (Lüin in the Varese dialect) – It has a typically Lombard historical center; it is the center of climatic stays and lively commerce fueled by its proximity to Switzerland, from which there is a large influx of buyers to its weekly Wednesday market which was established with a special edict by Charles V of Habsburg in 1541 and which is considered the oldest market in Europe. Luino is then literally known for being the theater of the literary narratives of the writer Piero Chiara.
Maccagno (VA) (Maccàgn in Varese dialect) – From here you can see almost all the Verbano. It has very ancient origins and is urbanistically formed by a lower village with houses grouped around narrow alleys and by a more modern expansion in the upper village.
Ranco (VA) (Rànsh in Varese dialect) – It was part of the fief of Angera, then passed to the Borromeo. Its Museum of Transport, set up in part outdoors, collects locomotives and other means of vintage transport and attracts a considerable influx of tourists.
Sesto Calende (VA) (Sèst in the Varese dialect) – It is located on the Ticino where it ceases to be a lake and returns to a river; even the last reliefs of the lake here fade and become plain.
Switzerland – Ticino

Ascona (TI) (Scona in Lombard language) – The mild climate and the lakeside promenade populated by outdoor cafes liven up this Swiss city which in addition to natural beauty offers a valuable historic center.
Brissago (TI) (Brissagh in Lombard language) – The gardens with lemons, oranges and cedars, the beautiful villas which unfortunately van more and more disappearing where they build modern reinforced concrete block houses, the narrow alleys of the old town that come down from the reliefs up to the lakefront they offer beautiful atmospheres in this small town, with a famous botanical park on the larger of the two islands of the same name.
Locarno (TI) (Locarn in Lombard language, Ticino variant, Luggarus in obsolete German) – Third city in the Canton of Ticino by number of inhabitants, which increase more than double in summer, it is famous for the Piazza Grande, the old town, the remains of the Visconti castle, the sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso.
Magadino (TI) (Magadìn or Magadign in Lombard language, Ticino variant) – The floodplain area of ​​the Bolle di Magadino is of international scientific importance for ornithology. It also offers scenic spots of particular beauty on the Gulf of Locarno. It is home to the International Organ Music Festival.
Tenero (TI) – Located where Lake Maggiore takes shape, Tenero is the resort with the largest number of camping facilities in all of Switzerland, which during the summer season bring the number of its inhabitants from around three thousand to over thirteen thousand.
Other destinations
Adjacent lakes
1 Lake of Comabbio. modification
2 Lake of Mergozzo. modification
3 Lake of Monate. modification
4 Lake Orta. modification
5 Varese Lake. modification
The islands
On Lake Maggiore there are a total of 11 islands; eight islands in Piedmont, two in Ticino, and one in Lombardy.

Italy – Lombardy
6 Isolino Partegora. Located in the center of the small bay of Angera, it is the only islet of the lake that is part of the Lombard territory. In 1776 Alessandro Volta, during his stay on the islet, collected vapors which were then classified as methane and discovered its flammable nature with his experiments. modification
Italy – Piedmont

Location in the Gulf of the Borromean Islands
Borromean islands. It is an archipelago of islands in the Borromeo Gulf in front of Stresa, jewels of art and nature, reachable with the connections of lake navigation. [1]. modification
7 Isola Bella. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in northern Italy. The monumental Borromeo palace, started in 1670, constitutes an imposing setting with its Italian Baroque Gardens. The palace preserves works of art of inestimable value; the gardens count infinite varieties of rare plants and flowers, distributed in terraces on the slope towards the shore. The island has a unique boat profile, of which the building seems to be the cockpit. modification
8 Mother Island. White peacocks, parrots and pheasants of all varieties live freely in the gardens of this island, the largest of the Borromean islands. The Palace that stands there dates back to the 16th century and is surrounded by gardens offering an extraordinary flowering of azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. It shows collections of liveries, dolls, porcelain and an exhibition of puppet theaters from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. modification
9 Isola dei Pescatori (Upper Island). The charm of the island lies in the houses of ancient simplicity of the typical fishing village with the narrow streets overlooking the lake and the church of S. Vittore. Isola dei Pescatori owes its name to the peculiar activity of its inhabitants. From this small inhabited center the small island 300 meters by 100) takes its name. There are restaurants where naturally the fish from the lake is the master. modification
10 Isolino di San Giovanni. It is known for having hosted the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini for a long time in his Palazzo Borromeo. modification
11 Malghera islet (Scoglio della Malghera). Between Isola Bella and Isola Superiore or dei Pescatori, it is uninhabited and half covered with vegetation. It has a small beach and is the kingdom of seagulls. modification
12 Castles of Cannero. Despite the name, the three rocky islets on the Upper Verbano shore are located in the municipality of Cannobio and not in that of Cannero Riviera. The two larger ones preserve the remains of fortifications and a ruin of the castle which make them picturesque and particularly suggestive views of the lake. The islets are now owned by the Borromeo family. modification
Switzerland – Ticino
13 Brissago islands. Off Porto Ronco, one is known for its botanical park, the other for its unspoiled nature. Only the Island of San Pancrazio can be reached with the public navigation service of the lake. Edit
14 San Pancrazio Island (Big Island). Its two and a half hectare botanical park gathers around 1,700 species of plants, favored by the mild climate which is unique for Switzerland. modification
15 Island of Sant’Apollinare (Isolino – Island of the Rabbits). It is left in its natural state and is covered with spontaneous vegetation. modification
The mountains
16 Cimetta (from Cardada with the chair lift.). In front there is the Monte di Cardada. Mountains of the home of Brione, Locarno, Minusio, Muralto and Orselina. modification
17 Mottarone (mountain of the two lakes) (accessible by cable car from Stresa Lido). From the cable car you have a panoramic view of the Gulf and the Borromean Islands. From the top you have a view of a large part of the lake and the Lepontine Alps.