Lake Maggiore - Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori, Stresa and Arona

I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter or Passover holiday. Ours was somewhat subdued, as we recently lost another family member to cancer, my husband's nephew's wife who was only in her 40's, to melanoma. The melanoma our niece-in-law had begun as a rare internal one that went undetected until she already was, unfortunately, stage 4 before becoming symptomatic. She braved immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments but passed away very quickly. We attended her funeral in the state Maryland, where she lived, a few days before Easter. Her last words to us over the phone the day before she passed were that she would "see us someday in heaven'" and I truly believe we will meet again one day! We treasure all the times we had together, including their visit to see us in Colorado last year. Treasure life, treasure all the times with the ones you love!

If you have been following my recent posts, you know that my husband and I visited Italy last summer to see his many relatives that live there. We spent 11 days in Nothern Italy, in Genoa, where quite a few of his Aunts, Uncles, and cousins live. One day two of his cousins, husband, and wife, drove us even further north towards the Alps, to visit the Lake (Lago) Maggiore region. Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake shoreline divides the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy and the Swiss canton of Ticino. (All photos will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

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We had a lot of fun driving north--the roads were good, the rest stops had interesting informational signs in both Italian and English and included gift and souvenir shops, and we passed beautiful scenery including field upon field of arborio rice, which was destined to be used in delicious risotto recipes one day.

Another northern Italian feature we saw often were chestnut trees! The fuzzy green balls on the trees had chestnuts in their core. Chestnuts are also a favorite staple of Northern Italian recipes.

I was excited to see Stresa again, and Isola Bella--the island seen above in the lake. In the 1970's I traveled to Italy and visited both places with my classmates! In fact, we stayed at the hotel seen on the left. We traveled to 11 cities in 16 days during that trip, including a visit to Lugano, Switzerland. It was such a wonderful experience! Italy was not quite the international tourist destination back then as it is today, and I saw many places in a less crowded and more serene atmosphere. I'm happy to have those memories!

A highlight of that 70's trip was visiting Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) which is one of the Borromean Islands of Lake Maggiore. In 1632 Carlo III of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of a palazzo dedicated to his wife, Isabella D'Adda, from whom the island takes its name. Plague and other events interrupted the completion of the palazzo and gardens and work was passed onto his sons and a nephew until completed in 1671.  The island achieved its highest level of social success during the period of Giberto V Borromeo (1751–1837) when guests included Edward Gibbon, Napoleon and his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais, and Caroline of Brunswick, the Princess of Wales. It is said that Caroline, having fallen in love with the place, did her best to convince the Borromeo family to sell her Isola Madre or the Castelli di Cannero islands; her request being turned down, she established herself on the banks of Lake Como at Cernobbio in the Villa d’Este.  I remember seeing the bed that Napoleon slept in, and marveling at the small size of the bed!

Vintage photo of me--1970's

Although the Palazzo was highly decorated and opulent, I most remember the lush and beautiful terraced gardens and statuary outside.  

We bought tickets to take the ferry to two islands--Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori. 

We walked around Isola Bella to enjoy the beautiful views, but we did not opt to re-visit the palazzo as we knew we did not have the time to see it all leisurely.

Instead, we took the ferry to Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman's Island). 

It was an equally scenic island and full of shops and restaurants

We had lunch al fresco and dined on delicious fresh lake fish.

After lunch, we enjoyed walking around the island...

...it was so picturesque!

We returned to the town of Stresa. Stresa is the lakes leading resort, full of four-star hotels and a charming town.  It has magnificent views of the lake and over to the Borromean Islands, plus has galleries, restaurants, cafes, piazzas and an abundance of cultural and musical events year-round. We stopped for a cold and refreshing lemon flavored beer in one of the cafes and rested before returning to drive to one more town along the coastline of Lake Maggiore.

We drove to the southern border of Lake Maggiore and to the town of Arona. There we visited the enormous statue of San Carlone (Saint Charles Borromeo). Built in the 17th century from bronze and copper sheets, the entire structure is 115 feet (35 meters) high. At one time this colossal statue was the largest in the world and is only surpassed by the Statue of Liberty in New York. In fact, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the French artist who designed the Statue of Liberty, visited Arona in 1869 on his way back from Egypt to study the statue’s structure. The colossus of Arona is mentioned on the plaque located at the feet of the Statue of Liberty.

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The interior of the statue can be accessed by narrow stairs and ladders, allowing visitors to peer through the eyes and ears.My husband and cousin climbed up the steps while I and other cousin stayed behind on the statue base. The guys had a lot of fun looking out the eyes and taking photos of the scenery and sights inside the statue.  

It was soon time to drive back to Genoa, where we had a late dinner.  I really enjoyed seeing Lake Maggiore, Stresa, and Isola Bella again after so many years and having such a nice time on Isola Pescatori and Arona. More memories that I'll always cherish!

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