Tourist information: Maggiore Lake

Historical Outline: Maggiore Lake and outside

Verbano is the ancient name for Lake Maggiore, the second largest Italian lake after Lake Garda and one of the most remarkable landscapes in Italy. Stretching between Piedmont, Lombardy and Switzerland, it enters the provinces of Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Varese. Of ice-age origin, it is 66 Km long and 175 metres deep. Lake Maggiore cradled human settlers ever since the Stone Age, with hunters; the first lake villages date back to the Copper Age. Its mild and fertile weather favoured human presence, whereas the layout of its territory, which offered proper natural strongholds, permitted the building urban agglomerations and fortifications during the Middle Ages, which can still be seen today and possess great historical importance, such as the Rocca di Angera, for example .
Many lords alternated dominance over the Lake, but its history is more strongly marked by the long fighting between the Della Torre and the Visconti Houses that included Milan and its surrounding area. Upon the victory of the Visconti House, Maggiore Lake went into the hands of the Borromei who kept dominance of it until 1713, when, further to the treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt, the area became the territory of the Hapsburgs. In 1803 the northern part became part of the Helvetic Confederation, while the rest of the Lake followed the path to the Unification of Italy.

Visit Maggiore Lake

As well as natural sceneries of stunning beauty, a tour on the lake must include the various villas scattered along its shores. The most famous of these is certainly Villa dei Borromei, on Isola Bella, but also the villa on Isola Madre, villa Pallavicino in Stresa and villa Taranto in Pallanza, all donning wonderful architecture and fascinating botanical gardens. Religious architecture has also blossomed through the shores of the Lake Maggiore Lake, especially from the Roman age; also, great artists, such as Gaudenzio Ferrari, Procaccini, Bramantino and Bernardino Luini, left important masterpieces now kept in churches and museums.

Events

There are many opportunities to enjoy art and folklore as part of your stay on the Lake Maggiore throughout the year. During the summer a festival no jazz lover can miss is LagoMaggioreJazz. In Locarno, Switzerland, every Spring lovers of camellias gather for the International fair "Camelie a Locarno", the most important event of its kind in Europe. During the summer you can also go for pleasant excursions that can be fun and adventurous even for the not so expert.