BORROMEO ISLANDS

Guided visit of the palaces and the gardens of Isola Bella and Isola Madre, which are still properties of the Borromeo family, with a break in the joyful narrow streets of the Pescatori (fishermen) Island.

 

          STRESA

A walk along the most beautiful shore of lago Maggiore, lined with the historical Grand Hotels and the celebrated Villa Ducale. With us you can also visit the botanical and zoological gardens of Villa Pallavicino.

 

          BAVENO

The wonderful Romanesque buildings of the church, the baptistry and the belltower of Baveno and a stroll along the shore to see the Islands, the Stone Cutter monument and the imposing Villa Branca, following the steps of Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill.

 

          MOTTARONE

With the cableway it takes you 20 minutes from the lake level to the top of Mottarone ( 1491m), to enjoy a breathtaking 360° panorama over 7 lakes, the Monte Rosa and the chain of the Alps. It is possible to stop at 800m, to visit the mountain garden called Alpinia.

 

          CANNOBIO

The last Italian village before the Swiss border has a balcony on the lake and a well preserved Old Town, where the stone streets will lead you to the stone wash-house, the ancient Town Hall and the prison.

 

          VILLA TARANTO BOTANICAL GARDENS

It is a beautiful garden of 16 acres, a successful mix of English and Italian style, reborn after the small tornado of August 2012.

 

          ARONA

A must see is the lovely town of Arona, with its marina, the Piazza del Popolo, the parish church and the polyptych of the local artist Gaudenzio Ferrari. Last but not least, the so called ” sancarlone”: the copper monument dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo is 35 m high!!

 

           CASTLE OF ANGERA

On the eastern side of Lake Maggiore, at the top of the hill lies the castle of Angera. It was the first property of the Borromeo family in the Lake Maggiore area and today it houses the most important Doll Museum in Europe.

 

          BORROMEO BAY NIGHT CRUISE

A romantic cruise in the Borromeo Bay with the night lights making the Islands, the villas and the coast villages even more charming.

 

          LAGO MAGGIORE EXPRESS TOUR

This is a charming full day excursion: first of all by boat from Stresa to Locarno, then with the narrow-panoramic train across the “Centovalli” and the Vigezzo Valley. From the terminus in Domodossola we will follow the river “Toce” back to Lake Maggiore.

 

          LOCARNO

The famous Piazza Grande that shows the film festival in August, elegant arcades and luxurious palaces. The typical lanes of the old suburb, the baroque Church “Santa Maria Assunta”and the medieval castle Visconteo.

 

          ASCONA

The pearl of lake Maggiore in Switzerland.
Jewel at the foot of the strange Monte Verità: Artists’ place of the past and present.
Its lakeside overlooks the islands of Brissago with a magical Mediterranean atmosphere.

 

          VALLEY VERZASCA
An authentic swiss valley where the time seems to have stopped.
From Vogorno to Sonogno accompanied by the emerald green color of the river Verzasca, the typical stone houses and the typical restaurants “grotti ticinesi” .