Travels in Italy--Lago Maggiore (Part 1 of 2)

Lago Maggiore, one of Italy's largest lakes, is located north of Milan and crosses into Switzerland, running through the Alps.  The lake is alpine, which means it is both very cold and very deep--more than 1,200 feet in some places.  

While visiting the town of Stresa in northern Italy, we toured the part of Lago Maggiore where Stresa is located, on the Bay of Borromeo.

Lago Maggiore:  the arrow marks the Bay of Borromeo

Boat Tour of Borromeo Bay:  We boated around the bay on a clear, sunny day, allowing us to see the distant Alps and distant towns along the shore. 

A view of the Alps from Lago Maggiore. 

A view of Isola Bella from above

Isola Bella, with an uninhabited small island in the left foreground.  The small island is known as the Isolino dei Innamorati, the Little Island of the Lovers.  It has a small beach for romantic interludes.  

A view of the other side of Isola Bella.

A view of Isola Madre, home to a large villa and gardens.

Borromeo Palace:  After boating around the bay and its islands, we landed on Isola Bella to tour the Borromeo Palace.  The palace on Isola Bella has been a Summer residence of the Borromeo family for more than 350 years.  The family still uses the 50 rooms on the upper floors of the palace. 

The palace has been restored and is beautifully decorated in both the Baroque style and the Neo-Classical style..  We enjoyed touring the palace. 

A model of the Borromeo Place on Isola Bella

A view of the Baroque main hall in the palace

A doorway n the Baroque style

The music room with a 17th century harpsichord.  Most of the furnishings in place are original. 

The dining room

A very old Murano chandelier.  The chandelier is identifiably old because the glass is fairly opaque and creamy white instead of the clear glass produced later in time. 

Take a look at the next two photos of the same Flemish tapestry and see whether you notice anything interesting. 

While the photos are taken from opposite angles, the river depicted in tapestry appears to flow directly toward the viewer--an ingenious use of perspective. 

Napoleon slept here. Really.

Around the palace are many symbols of the Borromeo family, including a camel which signifies obedience, patience and fidelity and a unicorn which signifies honor, value and devotion. 

 

The beautifully decorated table pictured below was a gift from Pope Leo XII.  The image might look painted.  However, if you look closely (next photo), you will see that it is a mosaic.

Parts of the palace are built n the edge of the island.  A careless guest might stumble and fall into the lake.  Thank goodness for railings. 

A view of Isola Madre from Isola Bella.

One the many galleries for displaying works of art

The throne room

On the ground floor are a series of six connected rooms decorated as grottoes.  In the heat of Summer, guests would stroll through the cool grottoes to avoid the outdoor heat.  On temporary display in this grotto room is Sleeping Venus.

In the grand entry staircase are coats of arms of other Italian dynasties from the past, including the Medici coat of arms pictured below.  We guessed the coat of arms symbolized that the Medici were honored guests at the palace.

We were mistaken.  It turns out that the Medici were not merely honored guests.  Margherita de Medici married Count Giberto Borromeo.  Her first son became the next Count.  Her third son, the little guy on the far right in the photo below, did not become Count.  Instead, the third son, Charles, or Carlo, entered into the service of the Roman Catholic church.  Carlo eventually became a Archbishop of Milan and Cardinal and he led the Counter-Reformation in northern Italy.  For that, Carlo was canonized and became San Carlo.

A group of many random dudes reflected in a mirrored hallway.

After touring the palace, we decided being a member of the Borromeo family must be nice, very nice. 

Next Up:  White peacocks