Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A view of Lake Maggiore from Isola Bella, one of the famous Borromean Islands. Lake Maggiore is ..
. [+] Italy's second-largest lake. It reaches into Switzerland, and spans two regions, Piedmont and Lombardy.
Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images With Lake Como dealing with the effects of overtourism (the Mayor of Como recently told the Times of London that up to 300,000 visitors can descend upon the area in one summer day), the attractions of another exquisite Italian lake, nearby Lago Maggiore, have come into sharper focus, as travelers cast a wider net to experience sublime settings without some of the tourist commotion. The visitor numbers for Lake Maggiore (as part of the Distretto Turistico dei Laghi ) were up 10.2% in 2023 over the previous year, and while destinations like Stresa can be busy in summer (there’s a famous music festival), it’s a big lake (the country’s second-largest) with many quieter towns and villages along the shore (some in Switzerland), as well as in the nearby countryside.
In addition to the lower visitor density, Maggiore tends to be easier to drive around with wider roads than you often find in Como. An aerial view of Stresa and the lake. getty Lake Maggiore is also seeing new interest from the luxury sector.
Louis Vuitton staged a major fashion show (Cruise 2024) on Isola Bella, the most famous of the Borromeo Islands, drawing names like Emma Stone and Cate Blanchett. In June, a new high-end estate brokerage opened in Stresa in response to increasing interest in the area among affluent vacation-home buyers. Lake attractions, autumn favorites An autumn view of an embankment in Baveno, a lakeside town where Winston Churchill honeymooned.
getty Unlike many resorts that close up shop when the temperature drops, Maggiore is a popular autumn destination, thanks to the numerous culinary festivals and fall foliage routes, The food fetes and sagras, celebrating everything from chocolate and polenta to apples and honey, begin in early September and continue through November. Villa Taranto in autumn. getty function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.
cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.
cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.
display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.
document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.
elements.video/player.js' + '?cid=' + '62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.
setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.
appendChild(script); }; document.head.appendChild(iframe); const preloadResourcesEndpoint = 'https://cds.
elements.video/a/preload-resources-ovp.json'; fetch(preloadResourcesEndpoint, { priority: 'low' }) .
then(response => { if (!response.ok) { throw new Error('Network response was not ok', preloadResourcesEndpoint); } return response.json(); }) .
then(data => { const cssUrl = data.css; const cssUrlLink = document.createElement('link'); cssUrlLink.
rel = 'stylesheet'; cssUrlLink.href = cssUrl; cssUrlLink.as = 'style'; cssUrlLink.
media = 'print'; cssUrlLink.onload = function() { this.media = 'all'; }; document.
head.appendChild(cssUrlLink); const hls = data.hls; const hlsScript = document.
createElement('script'); hlsScript.src = hls; hlsScript.setAttribute('defer', '1'); hlsScript.
setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); document.head.appendChild(hlsScript); }).
catch(error => { console.error('There was a problem with the fetch operation:', error); }); } } loadConnatixScript(document); (function() { function createUniqueId() { return 'xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx'.replace(/[xy]/g, function(c) { var r = Math.
random() * 16 | 0, v = c == 'x' ? r : (r & 0x3 | 0x8); return v.toString(16); }); } const randId = createUniqueId(); document.getElementsByClassName('fbs-cnx')[0].
setAttribute('id', randId); document.getElementById(randId).removeAttribute('class'); (new Image()).
src = 'https://capi.elements.video/tr/si?token=' + '44f947fb-a5ce-41f1-a4fc-78dcf31c262a' + '&cid=' + '62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; cnxel.
cmd.push(function () { cnxel({ playerId: '44f947fb-a5ce-41f1-a4fc-78dcf31c262a', playlistId: 'cce06289-75b9-40f5-8676-50e517ab7eb5', }).render(randId); }); })(); For autumn color experiences there’s the Fall Foliage Train running from mid-October to mid-November between Domodossola and Locarno in Switzerland.
(Make reservations well in advance.) The Villa Taranto Gardens in Verbania, among the most admired botanical settings in the world, is also an autumn favorite. Villa Taranto, created by a Scottish captain, Neil McEacharn, in the 1930s, has a bounty of 20,000 plant varieties.
A Fall Foliage Day is scheduled for October 5. There are vibrant seasonal landscapes in the Vegla Devero Nature Park in the Ossola Valley, northwest of Maggiore, and in nearby Lake Orta, where you can visit the Isola San Giulio and Orta San Giulio, one of I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia. MORE FOR YOU ‘Don’t Get Left Behind’—Crypto Suddenly Braced For A ‘Game-Changing’ Trump Bombshell After Wild Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana And XRP Price Swings Taylor Swift's Austria Shows Canceled Over Terror Plot — Here's What We Know ‘Inside Out 2’ Gets Digital Streaming Premiere Date Villa Interest New to the lake’s fall home-buying season this year is Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Palazzo Estate, part of the international brokerage franchise network.
Marina Rizzotto, CEO of the company (with offices also in Como, Milan, Versilia and Lake Lugano) said she decided to consolidate efforts on Maggiore as market indicators were pointing to robust interest in luxury homes in the Italian area of the lake. “We have observed a steady increase in demand from European, Italian and international buyers,” she says, noting that in addition to the lake’s scenic setting, its user-friendly location—close to Milan, Switzerland, and cities and towns in Piedmont—has added to its desirability. As her firm is now part of the BHHS network, she hopes more North American buyers will have a look as well.
A Liberty-style villa in Stresa, currently on the market with BHHS Palazzo Estate. Courtest of BHHS Palazzo Estate Another reason for interest in Maggiore: the more attractive pricing. “Como has traditionally commanded higher property prices due to its notable celebrity appeal,” says Rizzotto.
“Maggiore can present more opportunities for good deals.” Rizzotto says buyers can find a range of property types—classic Italianate structures, late 19th-century Swiss-style dwellings, as well as minimalist modern design. The towns seeing the most interest are Stresa (“particularly sought after for its Liberty villas and cultural scene”), Verbania, Baveno, and the Cannero Riviera, she says.
On the eastern side of the lake, Luino, Laveno Mombello (for the transportation options) and Angera are in demand. The Borromeo Islands The Palazzo Borromeo's elaborate baroque gardens on Isola Bella. getty A model during a rehearsal for the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2024 fashion show on Isola Bella.
(Photo by ...
[+] GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The Borromeo islands, named for the aristocratic Milanese family that has owned them since the 1500s, are a star attraction for Lake Maggiore. Beyond the news of the Vuitton show, Isola Bella saw the debut of stylish vacation apartments close to the famed 150-room Baroque palazzo and gardens, an initiative of Terre Borromeo, the brand concerned with the family properties in the area. It also opened the Delfino Restaurant located in the palace’s former guest quarters.
The menu offers sophisticated dishes that include fresh catch from the lake. Visitors can now stay in vacation apartments on Isola Bella. Courtesy of Terre Borromeo Another Borromeo standout is Isola Made, a short boat ride from Isola Bella.
The 20 acres of English-style botanical gardens are home to a wide range of exotic species, including extensive palm tree, magnolia and camellia collections. There’s a palazzo to visit here, too, dating from the 16th-century, with ancestral paintings and furniture from various Borromeo dwellings. Isola Madre.
getty The third island in the archipelago (although not owned by the Borromeos), is Isola Pescatori, a rustic fishing village perched on the water with many outdoor restaurants and artisan shops. (Most visitors travel to the islands either by water taxi or ferry. The local ferry company, Navigazioni Lagh i, also active on Lakes Como and Garda, schedules frequent trips to the islands and other towns along the lake, like the popular resort town of Cannobio, near the Swiss border.
) Isola Pescatori. getty Stresa Lakeside in Stresa. getty Many people who come to Lake Maggiore, whether as travelers or potential home buyers, choose to stay in Stresa, noted for its long waterside promenade, easy access to ferries, lively restaurant scene, and tradition of stately hotels.
Luxury lodging choices include the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, a place that famously hosted Ernest Hemingway (who used the hotel’s setting in A Farewell to Arms ), and the Villa and Palazzo Aminta, formerly a private dwelling that Liz Taylor and Richard Burton visited. The Milan Speranza au Lac and the Regina Palace Hotel with a park and swimming pool are four-star options directly opposite the lake. Lake food A restaurant overlooing Lake Maggiore.
getty Piedmont has always been a lure for food lovers, especially in the fall with its many harvests and the start of truffle season. The lake adds a seafood dimension (perch, rainbow trout, char and common roach) to the regional menu, and the nearby mountain pastures contribute a wide selection of cheeses. Piccolo Lago in Verbania, helmed by chef Marco Sacco, has two Michelin stars.
For more informal dining, also in Verbania, La Casera Bistrot and gourmet shop is renowned for its cheese and charcuterie selection. Stresa’s dining scene is a lively one with many restaurants and cafes in the main square, Piazza Cadorna, or located in nearby streets. Among the places cited by Gambero Rosso, the influential Italian food and wine publisher, are Il Clandestino, a smart seafood restaurant, and Osteria Mercato, run by Alessandro Clerici and Martina Rigoli.
The Osteria is known for inventive takes on dishes not only from the lake, but from other regions and countries, with seasonal Italian recipes used as a base. A local favorite is Luca Piccioni’s Trattoria Due Picconi, specializing in authentic “cucina di casa,” or home-style cooking, and “non-tourist” menus. Everything is sourced in the area, especially from nearby valleys, and made in-house.
For more information about the region and its food and wine: Italia.it ; Distretto dei Laghi ..
