Jon and I decided to escape our Buddhist, vegetarian, enclave for a few days and discover Italy’s lakes district. Lake Como was 3.5 hours away by public transportation so we decided to try out Lake Maggiore which was only 20 minutes by train from Domodossola and only an hour and a half from Milan making it a great day-trip option. It is also a lot more budget friendly with reasonable guesthouses.
The lake is surrounded by snowcapped mountains and lined with quaint resort towns. Although it is not as famous as Lake Como it does have two islands built by the Borromeo family that are well worth a visit. Since 1630, the Borromeo family who made their money from trade and banking, have turned these islands into magical retreats with grand villas and glamorous gardens. Jon and I spent time visiting Isola Bella and its elaborate compound. The family still spends 2-weeks vacationing here each summer.
Isola Bella.
The villa.
Gorgeous gardens of the villa.
For lunch we took the 5-minute ferry ride over to Isola Superiore, a tiny residential island with fantastic seafood restaurants. We walked around hand-in-hand and found a restaurant in the center of the island not too far out of our budget. From the second floor there was a window so we even had a view of the lake while we ate fresh fish and drank local wines.
Isola Superiore
Rustic buildings of the Isola.
After we took the ferry to the old resort town of Stresa to marvel at the grand resorts of yesteryear. From here there is a cable car that goes to the top of a mountain stopping at an alpine garden mid-way up. As it was a gorgeous clear day we chose to skip the cable car and sit by the lake having Aperol Spritzers.
Stresa.
By the time we took the ferry back to where we were staying for dinner, light-weight Jon was feeling a little buzzed. At dinner as I was happily slurping my Spaghetti Bolognaise when I noticed Jon’s eyes shift from the little buzzed to the oh no. I could see him eyeing the couple next to us really wanting to strike up a conversation with them. As I sat hoping he would get distracted he went for it. Boy am I glad he did because we met the most interesting German couple who had lived in various countries and were now traveling in northern Italy with their campervan.
The walk home was not as successful with Jon trying to walk uphill carrying and eating a large pizza while drinking a beer. So much for romance in the Italian Lakes.
Jon enjoying a beer lakeside in the town of Baveno.
The church Jon stumbled by on our way home.
Where we stayed, we rented an apartment through Airb&b hosted by Graziella in the small town of Baveno, for approximately $35 a night plus cleaning and service fees. It was a little hard to get to but worth all of the effort. The one-bedroom apartment was very large, new and beautifully decorated. Graziella and her husband were very kind and left us welcome drinks and snacks. The location was fantastic for walking to the train and catching the ferry to the islands and to Stresa. We highly recommend staying here and we can’t wait to come back.
Our apartment in Baveno.
Journey with Christina 