Le isole Borromeo
Immersed in the wonders of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Islands have always enchanted their visitors. Loved by Ernest Hemingway and a favorite destination of the royals of England, the archipelago is made up of the majestic Isola Bella with houses from the seventeenth-century, the Borromeo palace with its spectacular gardens, the suggestive Isola dei Pescatori, the Isola Madre – known for its botanical garden rich in rare plants.
Villa Taranto
One of the most important botanical gardens in the world, located in Verbania, between Intra and Pallanza, they are known throughout the world for their beauty and the richness of floral species they host. Result of the laborious development undertaken by Captain Mc Eacharn in 1931, these gardens with a thousand shades of color and a thousand inebriating scents offer wonderful floral scenes to visitors from March to November.
Eremo di Santa Caterina del Sasso
According to tradition, the construction of the Hermitage appears to have originated in 1170, when Alberto Besozzi of Arolo, a merchant and usurer of the time, having escaped a shipwreck during a crossing of the lake, vowed to St. Catherine of Alexandria to retire for the rest of his life in prayer and solitude in a cave on that stretch of coast.
Mercato storico di Luino
One of the main attractions in Luino is its weekly market, which takes place every Wednesday from morning until late afternoon and attracts visitors from all over Europe.
However, the official start of the Market took place on 5 September 1541 with the concession of Emperor Charles V.
Laveno Mombello
It is one of the largest ports of call on the lake: in addition to the tourist port, there is a landing stage from which ferries carrying cars leave all year round for Verbania-Intra.
Right above the town, there is the imposing mountain Sasso del Ferro from whose top you can enjoy a panorama that sweeps over the lake and the Pre-Alps, up to Milan.
Via a system of comfortable cable cars you can reach the top of the mountain
Lago d’Orta isola di San Giulio
The center of Orta, completely pedestrianized, is characterized by narrow streets, the main one runs parallel to the lake shore intersecting with some steep streets, from which you can reach the Sacro Monte.
(UNESCO World Heritage Site)
In the center of the town is Piazza Motta, a real living room overlooking the lake, from which boats depart for the island of San Giulio.
Orrido di Sant’Anna
Here the Cannobino creek, over the millennia, has deeply dug the rock, creating a narrow, scary gap at the bottom of which the waters, very green and up to twenty-five meters deep, flow impetuously…. The ravine is crossed by two bridges, one of which medieval called “dell’agostana” and allows only pedestrian passage. At the bottom of the ravine, the swirling sections alternate with quiet lakes where you can bathe, but pay attention to the legend…
Monteviasco (Altitude – 950 m )
On the Varesine Prealps, in the immediate hinterland of Lake Maggiore, it can only be reached via the stepped mule track or with the more recent cable car.
Entirely built in local stone, from the streets to the roofs of the houses, it is a magical place where time has stopped, surrounded by the silence of nature in its uncontaminated beauty.
From Monteviasco you can admire the lake in all its beauty from the Borromean Islands to Switzerland.
Pavia “La Certosa”
The Certosa of Pavia – Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie – is a historic monumental complex that includes a monastery and a sanctuary. It is located in the homonymous municipality of Certosa di Pavia.
Lugano
In Italian Switzerland it is the largest city in the Canton of Ticino, as well as being the third financial center and an important conference, banking and business centre, it is also the city of parks and flower gardens, with its typically Mediterranean atmosphere , Lugano offers all the advantages of a cosmopolitan city while maintaining its spirit of a town on a human scale.
Milano
World capital of fashion and design, it is the capital of Lombardy.
Home to the Italian Stock Exchange, it is a financial hub also famous for its exclusive restaurants and shops.
The Gothic-style Cathedral and the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses the fresco “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, bear witness to the artistic and cultural heritage of the city.
Not to be missed:
- The Dome
- The sforzesco castle
- The gallery
- Leonardo da Vinci “The Last supper”
- The Teatro alla Scala
- The Brera art gallery
- And so much more