Isola Bella is the place where Count Vitaliano Borromeo had terraces and a splendid summer palace built in the period between 1650 and 1671. The most impressive part of Isola Bella is the Italian-style garden, which includes ten terraces that reach a height of 32 meters and are covered with luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation. Rows of lemon and orange trees, cherry-laurels, tall cedars, magnolias, cork-oaks, sago-palms, carob-trees, camellias, and oleanders frame beautiful lake and mountain views, while parterres of brilliantly-coloured flowers cover the stone terraces.

Photo: Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0

Like Isola Bella, Isola Madre belongs to the Borromeo family. The island has beautiful English-style terraces, which is the place where Count Vitaliano Borromeo had terraces and a splendid summer palace built in the period between 1650 and 1671. The most impressive part of Isola Bella is the Italian-style garden, which includes ten terraces that reach a height of 32 meters and are covered with luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation. Rows of lemon and orange trees, cherry laurels, tall cedars, magnolias, cork-oaks, sago-palms, carob-trees, camellias, and oleanders frame beautiful lake and mountain views, while parterres of brilliantly-coloured flowers cover the stone terraces.

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

It is a fishing village whose houses are built away from the coast and have doorways that face inward, along narrow streets, to prevent flooding in spring and autumn when there are high tides. It's a pleasant and atmospheric place to wander around. The few restaurants on the island specialize in lake fish dishes.

Photo: Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0