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Visiting the Romantic Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore

Isolla Bella, views from the shoreline

We dedicated an entire day of our trip on Lake Maggiore to visit its most famous attractions - the Borromean Islands. We started the day with a stroll on Stresa's shoreline and after admiring the magnificent views of the mountains and the lake from land, we decided to take the boat and explore the islands. The boat service between the three islands runs every half an hour or so and the ride is not long by any means, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.

We started our tour on Isola Madre, the biggest of the three islands that can be visited. The Borromean Islands got their name from the Borromeo family who acquired them in the 16th century. Isola Madre and Isola Bella are still privately owned today by the same family.

Isola Madre is a bird enthusiast's dream came true. And the flower lovers can find themselves quite at home here as well. The gardens are large, and we could have spent the whole day wondering around. I had tremendous fun taking photos of the birds, and I have to admit I spent most of the time doing just that. These were probably the most challenging photos I've taken so far. Moving subjects and wildlife photography is not something I tapped in often, but I usually don't give up easily before reaching the desired results.

On the other hand, the palace is packed with 16th to 19th Italian masterpieces, huge paintings hanging on its walls. There is an impressive number of objects and furniture pieces decorating its rooms, and though from the outside it looks decadent, visiting its interiors it's a must. And since the greatest attraction of Isola Madre seem to be the birds, the palace is not crowded at all.

Isola Madre hosts many interesting bird spieces

Camellias bloom all over Isola Madre during the month of May

Next we visited Isola Pescatori. Nowadays this is the only inhabited island and it has an amazing atmosphere. Plus it is totally different from Isola Madre and Isola Bella. Isola Pescatori is this tiny fishing village with three rows of houses and hips of restaurants. Since it was lunch time, we also grabbed something to eat here. And though many tourists might be tempted to skip it, a stop here is an absolute must. Being tiny it gets crowded easily, but in spite of that, it is incredibly charming.

Isola Pescatori

We saved the best for last. We allocated the rest of the day to explore Isola Bella, the most popular and beautiful of the three Borromean Islands, which in reality wasn't that much time at all, as they close at 6PM. The visit started with the out-of-this-world palace, with its lavishly decorated interiors that need at least half an hour if not an entire hour to visit in order to allow all the beauty to sink in. The shell grotto is one of the most creative decorating ideas ever. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside.

After seeing the palace, we went to the gardens where we were welcomed by an incredible number of white peacocks. The birds are one of the most outstanding feature of the two gardens, an element that lacks from other gardens we visited in this trip - like the gardens of Villa Taranto, Villa Balbianello, Villa Carlotta or Villa Melzi. Also the astonishing landscaped terraces of Isola Bella, decorated with beautiful classical statues, inevitably call the attention.

Isola Bella gardens

White peacock on Isola Bella

At the end of the day, we were glad we visited the three islands in exactly this particular order. Somehow, it was the most natural way. It was a pity the weather didn't cooperate the whole duration of our visit, but this didn't impend us from having an amazing time. However, as the Borromean Islands are extremely popular, anyone who intends to visit them should start early and arm themselves with a lot of patience. They are certainly worth it!

We visited the gardens of Villa Taranto in collaboration with VisitStresa.com. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience.

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