These 3 Islands are just offshore the village of STRESA which is amongst the most renowed resort area of Lake Maggiore. In the days when tourism was only for the elite, this was a favourite place of the King of Wüttemburg, the sovreigns of England, Elisabeth of Saxony,the Duchess of Genova, and gained the praises of Dickens, Flaubert and Stendhal.

ISOLA BELLA: The Prince Borromeo's Palace was build in 1632 and can be visited together with its stunning italian style gardens overviewing the gulf of Stresa.

ISOLA PESCATORI: This fishermen island is very simple and romantic and it is in an extraordinary contrast with the magnificence of Isola Bella. Many small typical italian restaurants are ready to serve you.

ISOLA MADRE: This is the largest of the three islands and is almost entirely occupied by the botanical garden of exceptional beauty with rare plants and flowers from remote parts of the world.

You can reach this 14th. century sanctuary by boat, admiring its stunning architecture in full and then climb up a steep flight of steps to reach the sanctuary and the small church.

The perfect flowering garden, flourishing with rare botanical examples, a common sight on the shores of Lake Maggiore, reaches the height of its perfection in the grounds of Villa Taranto. The 200.000 sq. mt. big property result in the dedicatd work of the Scotsman Captain McEachern, who bought the property in 1930 intending tio create a traditionl English-style garden where he could grow plants from all over the world.

Captain McEachern is buried in the grounds, in a chapel-mausoleum. Today the gardens are a reminder of his dedication, continual work and great love for nature.

The castle, also called "Rocca", is an ancient Roman castle rebuild in the 16th. century. It belongs to the Borromean family and is now the site of an interesting museum of their private collection of dolls, toys and miniature furniture.

This statue is situated in the village of ARONA . This statue, a collosal work in copper standing on a granite pedestal representing the Saint Borromeo, is completely empty inside and thanks to a difficult but safe staircase it is possible to climb to the top from which one can look the lake's panorama.