Isola Bella, Prima

The Borromeo family, whose 13th century patriarch was a Ghibelline and was decapitated by the Guelphs (think: Ned Stark), have owned the Borromeo Islands since the 15th century. After the Guelph/Ghibelline thing and their removal to Milan, they got into banking, international banking, and, of course, affairs of the Church. Over the centuries, the Borromeos have included seven cardinals, a saint, numerous bishops, an archbishop, and probably scores of counts, princes, dukes, and what have you.  The current Borromeos still own the islands (and more) and show up now and then for  visits. Just FYI. Isola Bella is the larger of the two isles, with the larger palace and the more formal Italianate gardens. Alas, I took lots of pix, but have whittled them down to just two short (for me) posts.

Someone else's photo; Isola Bella is supposed to look like a ship in the lake, the
palace at the bow, the gardens extending from amidships to the stern; so to speak;
Avast! 

Entry hall

The place is studded with art, though no titanic biggies; lots of "workshop of ..."
which is what you call it when you discover you've been had

This said to be a Quentin Massys St. Jerome; no kitty!

Nice furnishings throughout; "Jeez I've got a headache"

Throne Room; throne; when I was a teenager, these terms always drew hysterical
laughter

His/her bedrooms

German tour bus group admiring nice blue glass collection

Now in the tall formal hall

With a helpful model

Music room

Napoleon slept here; in this bed; en route to conquering
Italy he and a small party dropped in for a visit; allegedly
trashed the place, even went hunting peacocks on Isola
Madre; never ever got along real well with nobility

View south down the lake

More nice art, furnishings

Another big hall

Now we're downstairs looking at marionettes and such; these people were really
into puppetry

Watteau's Pierrot (look it up)

Daenrys Targaryen rides again

Isola Pescatori

30-some families live on Isola Pescatori, it is said. Some may be fisher-persons. More likely, most work at the island's collection of trinket shoppes and restaurants.  As far as I could tell, Pescatori is simply a holding pen for tourists, a place to dump them between Isola Madre and Isola Bella, satisfying their needs without putting extra pressure on the two destination islands. The only pic I took was of Isola Pescatori in the rear-view mirror, so to speak.

Isola Madre

So, unless you want to just sit and sun and commune with the waterfowl, the thing to do at Lake Maggiore is to tour the Borromeo islands, those owned and developed by the Borromeo family (Milan) over the centuries. Isola Madre is known as a botanical garden with mother-in-law palace. Isola Pescadori is where the little people live. Isola Bella is the grand palace. We did all three. In one swell foop, consisting of 4 voyages.

Independent travelers get from mainland to island and island and mainland via
water buses like this

The big mountains peek through just barely, despite their having been visible
throughout most of the drive from Milan; and even in Milan they're pretty
spectacular

Thus (somebody else's picture)

Approaching Isla Madre

Welcome to Isla Madre, or maybe Kuckenhof...tulips all over...

This and the next to demonstrate that pretty much anything grows here

Some haka music, please

Other shore of the lake

More tulips

And then an island-wide profusion of azaleas, rhododendrons, etc.; are we in
Kent?!

And a profusion of peacocks, including the Chinese white

Ancient willow, felled by a tornado (!) in 2001, righted and
saved and now thriving

Rain gutter wisteria

The palace contains the usual 19th century rich people stuff,
including the legitimizing family tree portrait

But, more interestingly, also a huge collection of marionettes, theaters, and
puppet paraphrenalia

Obviously, the Borromeos can afford the nicest Murano

Top of a descending wisteria arch

Quite a show

And a final burst of color

Lago Maggiore

We had not been to the Italian lake country in a long time, and, with the lakes relatively close to Milan, we thought we'd spend a few leisurely days at Lake Maggiore.

So there we are, on the shore of Lago Maggiore, at Camping Solcio

Closer up

Curious neighbor

On an administrative day, a walk to nearby Lesa, on the lake; the lake climate
renders the whole place a botanical garden, where pretty much anything can
grow; the azaleas, the bougainvilleas, the camellias, the rhodos, the hydrangeas,
the wisteria...everything was going strong

More walking around in Stresa, 5 miles up the lake, next day

Classic old resort town

With a fixer-upper here and there

Reminder of Italy's grim role in WWI

One of several beautiful 19th century hotels

Set up for the day's wedding