Stresa, Italy

08/11/23 Stresa, Italy

We drove two hours North to the edge of the Italian and Swiss Alps and the town of Stresa. Here are found The Borromean Islands - Enchanting Islands Madre, Bella and Pescatori - on the beautiful Lake Maggiore.

No hotspot connections for almost two days! Catching up with my posts.

Lake Maggiore is a place where relaxation and tranquility find the deepest expression of nature. The Barromean Islands are full of beauty.

Looking South across beautiful Lake Maggiore

Each island has its own history and peculiarities and together they form the true jewels of the lake, both for the uncontaminated nature that can be admired and for an incomparable history. Next to the three main islands we point out the islet of S. Giovanni, where Arturo Toscanini spent the summer period, a strip of land owned by the Borromeo family which contributes to making the archipelago of Lake Maggiore unique with plants of rare beauty and a very varied from all over the world.

Island Bella was formerly called Isla Isabella, as a tribute to Isabella d'Adda, wife of Count Carlo Borromeo III. The island was completely abandoned, and it took more than 40 years to make this small islet wonderful. With 10 terraces that descend sheer to the lake, Isola Bella today has the most beautiful Baroque-style garden in Europe and a walking tour is provided with descriptions of the exotic plantings.

Isla Pescatori, with fishing nets drying in the alley

Thanks to the navigation providers of Lake Maggiore there are numerous departure points and times from Stresa and the main lake towns. Once you arrive at the pier located at the tip of isla Bella it’s just a short walk to the Royal Palace. The palace is a surprising example of how Baroque art, luxury, and good taste can remain eternally alive in the memory of the beholder.

Finally, Isla Madre is the one that stands out towards the southern part of the lake. Formerly called island San Vittore isla Renata, today the island is a true tribute to the Borromeo family for the palaces and gardens that recall the splendor of the whole family. The most important nobles of past centuries spent their holidays on Isola Madre and even today it is a blaze of beauty thanks to the unique colors and the animals that, placidly, walk in the gardens like the white peacock, an oddity of royal air.

On the opposite shore of Lake Maggiore is the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso. This small, handmade monastery is perched on an out crop of rock overlooking the Borromeo Gulf. Founded in the 12th century by a merchant who had become shipwrecked and discovered a cave and vowed his devotion to St Caterine. And thus, work began on this inhospitable spot.

The hermitage comprised of three buildings was home to a series of dedicated monks over several centuries and is now managed by Oblate Benedictines. The two small "convents" are decorated with frescos and the inner courtyard is formed by four arches in the Renaissance style.

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