Whenever I like to recommend Lake Maggiore as a day journey or an in a single day getaway from Milan, I’m all the time met with the identical query: Why isn’t Lake Maggiore as standard as Lake Como?
Honestly, it’s one thing I’ve puzzled greater than as soon as. Both are roughly an hour’s drive from Milan, however whereas Como has come to epitomise lakeside glitz and glamour, Maggiore stays comparatively unsung. But that does not essentially imply it is undiscovered. Italians have long-since vacationed there, as have the Swiss, Germans, Austrians and the French. But Lake Maggiore has nonetheless escaped the worldwide highlight. Some would possibly desire to preserve it that approach to keep away from the tourism frenzy that has befallen Lake Como. But I don’t suppose it’s truthful to promote Lake Maggiore quick.
The surroundings could also be much less dramatic than Lake Como’s steep, fjord-like cliffs, but it surely’s no much less elegant. Its sapphire waters, which even seem silver in sure gentle, shimmer beneath Alpine peaks, whereas its palm timber, camellias and subtropical gardens give the shoreline an nearly Mediterranean air. The lake can be inextricably tied to the aristocratic House of Borromeo, whose centuries-long legacy is most evident on the Borromean Islands, nonetheless owned by the household at present.
Italy’s second-largest lake, Maggiore borders Piedmont to the west and Lombardy to the east, earlier than dipping into Switzerland’s canton of Ticino, the place cities akin to Ascona and Locarno make for simple day journeys. Ferries hyperlink the Italian and Swiss shores, and the Lago Maggiore Express combines a scenic cruise from Stresa with the Centovalli Railway by means of Alpine valleys and mountain villages.
Stresa, on the Piedmont shore – the setting for a part of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms – is just not solely considered one of my favorite cities but in addition my favorite base. It’s the lake’s grandest resort city, the place Belle Époque hotels, elegant villas and lakeside gardens recall the golden age of journey. As the lake’s ferry hub, Stresa is a pure gateway to the Borromean Islands and past.
Further south, vigorous Arona has extra of a local vitality, with a bustling lakefront and unbiased boutiques. Plus, there’s a sizeable Loro Piana outlet in Romagnano Sesia, lower than a half-hour drive inland. North of Stresa lies Verbania, dwelling to the majestic Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto, whereas the medieval lanes and postcard-perfect promenade of Cannobio, close to the Swiss border, are unforgivably enchanting.
The Lombardy shore is a bit extra low-key, however there’s nonetheless lots to see and do, just like the Rocca di Angera, a fairy-tale-like medieval fortress. The colors of Laveno-Mombello’s harbour are as vibrant as a Ligurian seaside village, and the aerial cableway climbs practically 950 metres to Monte Sasso del Ferro. The vehicles, inaugurated in 1963, are open-air and carry two folks at a time. Be warned: they’re formed like deep buckets and dangle like Christmas tree ornaments, so it’s not suited to agoraphobes. I’ve actually by no means braved the experience as a result of the vehicles sort of terrify me, however I do know a number of individuals who have loved it. Near the Swiss border, Luino comes alive each Wednesday, when practically 400 market stalls fill the waterfront with every part from knitwear and leather-based items to local cheeses and seasonal produce.