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| Spotlight On ... |
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The Lakes of Italy
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Lake Maggiore - Isola Bella
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| Lake Maggiore |
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Lake Maggiore (or Verbano) is at a height
of 193 m and covers an area of 212 square km. Its western shore is in Piedmont, its eastern shore in Lombardy and
in the north it enters the Swiss canton of Ticino. The mild climate in every season favors the growth of Mediterranean
and exotic plants, which fill the gardens on its shores. The western shore is undoubtedly more lively and offers
a greater quantity and variety of leisure activities. The eastern shore, with various important towns, is more
subdued, but equally welcoming.
Cannobio is a small town overlooking
the lake, with various pleasant architectural styles. By the lake-side there is the late 16th century Santuario della Pietà, and the Palazzo della Ragione, of the 12th to the 13th centuries.
Cannero Riviera is the departure
point for a pleasing excursion to the Castles of Cannero and the ancient stone village of Carmine Superiore. |
| Verbania is divided into two parts, called
Pallanza and Intra, and is a holiday town in a magnificent medieval setting.
It was one of the favorite summer haunts of the great orchestra director Arturo
Toscanini. The 18th century Palazzo
Dugnani and the 19th century Villa
Taranto, famous for its gardens (with 7 km of pathways and more than 2000
plant species) are well worth visiting. |
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| Baveno was host to various important figures
in the 19th century, including Queen Victoria. The lake-side roadway is very picturesque. There is a parrocchiale,
or parish church and a Renaissance baptistery, with interesting 15th and 16th century frescoes. |
| Stresa was built up in the late 18th and
early 19th century and is a town full of villas and gardens. It has a very attractive lake-side promenade, lined
by elegant villas, with the splendid Borromean Islands in the distance. These islands can he reached from the jetty in piazza Marconi, overlooked by the
neoclassical Parish church of Sant'Ambrogio.
Near Stresa there is the Villa Pallavicino,
with its vast zoo-park where animals roam free, and in the town there is an important Palazzo dei Congressi, where exhibitions and events take
place. |
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The Borromean Islands
On the Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) the Palazzo Borromeo should not be missed, with its splendid decorated rooms, rich art collections and famous
Italianate gardens on a series of exceptionally attractive sloping terraces. On Isola
Madre (Mother Island) there is another Palazzo
Borromeo (XVIII century) whose fine rooms and stupendous botanical garden
full of exotic flowers and rare vegetable species may be visited. The picturesque Isola
dei Pescatori (Fishermen's island) is also very attractive. |
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Arona is the most important commercial
center on Lake Maggiore and a well-known health resort. Important events are held here and it has interesting monuments
as well as an interesting archeological and natural history museum. Walks and excursions can be made from here
and it is possible to enter the so-called San Carlone, a gigantic statue of Saint Charles Borromeo, and climb to the top to enjoy the exceptional view.
And so we arrive in Lombardy |
| Laveno is situated in a large bay on the
east coast of the lake. It is famous for the underwater illuminated Nativity scene which is prepared every Christmas.
The nearby Sasso di Ferro mountain,
from which there is a marvelous panoramic view, can be visited by cable-car, and the Sanctuary of Santa Caterina del Sasso, of the 13th century is
worth seeing. |
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| At Cerro,
a centre of ceramic production, 3 km from Laveno, there is an interesting ceramics museum, the Civica Raccolta di Terraglia. |
Luino still has, at least in its historical
town center, the appearance of an ancient Lombard town. Here we can find the 15th century Church of the Madonna del Carmine and the Church of San Pietro with a Romanesque bell-tower. Near the
town there is the picturesque Val Veddasca
where old houses built in the typical local style can be found. At the entrance to the valley there is the attractive
holiday village of Maccagno.
Angera and the nearby Ranco dominate the southern part of the Lombard shore of the lake. At the former there is the
famous Rocca Borromea castle, and
there are various interesting museums. |
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