Palazzo Borromeo, Lake Maggiore: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Palazzo Borromeo occupies Isola Bella, a small island in Lake Maggiore about 400 meters off the shore of Stresa in Piedmont. The Borromeo family began building the palazzo and its terraced Italianate gardens in 1632, transforming what was a bare rocky islet into a ten-tier pyramid of fountains, statuary, white peacocks, and exotic plants rising about 37 meters above the lake surface. The interior rooms include a Baroque throne room, a tapestry gallery with 16th-century Flemish work, and six artificial grottoes encrusted with shells and volcanic stone. Ferries from Stresa reach the island in about 5 minutes. In addition to , Lake Maggiore offers a few other main attractions worth considering. Check out Gardens of Villa Taranto (Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto), Colossus of San Carlo Borromeo (Sancarlone), Lake Orta (Lago di Orta).