Lake Maggiore

 5-9 September

Oh, Island in the Sun ....

We travelled down the eastern side of Lake Como where there is a better road, the downside being that it continually pops in and out of tunnels, so you don't get to see much of the surroundings. It was somewhat of a surprise to find that Camping Parisi at Baveno on Lake Maggiore was almost full. We had a choice of just two pitches at the back of the site! But at least we got in – a sign appeared later to say there was no more room for motorcaravans.

Baveno is one of the many places that the ferries stop on their routes across the lake and to the Borromeo Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Superiore (also known as Isola Pescatori) and Isola Madre. Our first tourist trip was to Stresa then up Mount Mottarone (1490 m) by cable car where you get wonderful views over the surrounding lakes and mountains.

View from Mount Mottarone

Isola Bella

Isola Bella dominates the middle of Lake Maggiore, with its palace and Italian-style gardens.

This is where the Borromeo family did their entertaining. However, we chose to visit the island where they lived, Isola Madre, which, over the centuries has been transformed into an English-style botanical garden.

In 2006 a tornado ravaged the northern part of the island, causing untold damage, and knocked down the great Cypress of Kashmir, which had been grown from seed in 1862. An engineering and botanical rescue was instigated to “replant” the 70 ton tree which, remarkably, seems to have survived.

From Baveno you can take the Lake Maggiore Express, travelling in the first instance by boat to Locarno in Switzerland . This takes two and a half hours and there is the option of having lunch on board. This, however, takes up the whole journey leaving no time to enjoy the views from the boat, so we felt it had not been the best thing to do. In Locarno you join the Centovalli Railway which winds through the many valleys that gave it its name. It rises steeply to 830 m above sea level at Santa Maria Maggiore, clinging to the cliffs high above rocky gorges and rivers, before descending to Domodossala. The final leg of the journey is from Domadossola back to Baveno by “normal” train. A total of about 150 km!

We had a leisurely final day on Lake Maggiore, exploring the narrow streets of Stresa where it was market day, before meeting up for lunch with friends John and Sylvia, who coincidentally were in Stresa on a Great Railway Journeys holiday.