Lake
Maggiore
is
one of the most important touristic attractions in Piedmont,
italian region rich of natural and historical important sites.
In the
19th century many of the crowned heads of Europe holidayed here. Many
writers have described the beauties of Lake Maggiore: among them
Stendhal, Dickens, Flaubert and Hemingway. Lake Maggiore (or Lake
Verbano), is located on the borders between Piedmont, Lombardy
and
Switzerland (Ticino), is surrounded by the hills of the province of
Verbano
Cusio and Ossola, a province which is small in size but famed for its
hauntingly beautiful landscapes. Thanks to the extremely mild climate
the vegetation is a vivid green and an amazing variety of plants and
trees create the setting for the wonderful old palaces, like Villa
Taranto and Villa Pallavicino.
Verbania
"Verbania,
a garden on the lake" is the
way the city presents itself to visitors; a natural window to the Gulf
of Borromeo.
Verbania was created merging the cities of Intra and
Pallanza. Since 1992 it has been the capital of the province of
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.
Together with Baveno
and Stresa,
Verbania guards the lake with their magnificent palaces and old
hotels
commanding views
over the jewel like Borromeo islands: Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori
and Isola Madre.
Verbania - conference location
These
three islands, with their splendid historic
palaces and stately Italian gardens, have been the property of the
noble Borromeo family since the 16th century.
Sight
of Santa Caterina del Sasso
Islands
and gardens
Discovering
villas and gardens surrounding Lake Maggiore
gives access to an extraordinary botanical and architectural heritage.
This is a unique part of the world to admire several
varieties of azalea, camellia, rhododendrons, secular trees.
On Isola
Bella and Isola
Madre
rise two palaces full of works of
art of inestimable value and spectacular Italian-style gardens with
countless species of plants and flowers. Strolling
around its breathtaking gardens, the visitor
can admire countless botanical species as well as extremely rare
collections, all framed by an exceptional view over the lake. Some
other outstanding gardens are open to visitors. The Villa
Taranto
Botanical Garderns
cover an area of 16 hectares and boast around 20,000 species of plants
from all over the world. Villa San Remigio located close to Villa
Taranto, is surrounded by a park of 8 hectares, a marvellous example of
an eclectic garden.
The garden of Villa Giulia, directly on the lake shore, is a public
park.
This
intense interest in the landscape is reflected not only in
the very many parks and gardens of the area, but also in the Museo
del
Paesaggio (literarily Landscape Museum) founded in 1909.
The Landscape Museum is an
expression of the art and the priceless inheritance in terms of
landscape of Verbania.
Italian-style
garden of Villa Taranto and Isola Bella
Lake
Maggiore is located at feet of the Alps and provides the access to many
naturalistic promenades and parks such as the Val
Grande National Park.
Lakes,
islands, mountains, typical towns and
villages, wonders created by nature and by man are waiting to be
explored and let you enjoy their truly special flavours and
tastes.
