Italian lakes

Home airport? How many nights?

What month?

Home airport: RDU. Month: probably April, a year from now. Would fly into Milan, in any case. Nights: probably 5.

Rest of trip: not sure, but debating exploring Emilia-Romagna.

I'm quite partial to Maggiore .

Yes, the Monte Baldo cablecar is open and running. You can see the timetable here:

https://funiviedelbaldo.it/en/timetable-rates/

It may have shut down for a bit after ski season; it looks like the Malcescine tourism website is still in winter mode as they show Monte Baldo in snow. Then it re-opened April 1.

https://www.visitmalcesine.com/en

There may still be snow on top in April, though. That is when we went and stayed in Malcescine. We hiked halfway up Monte Baldo and caught the funivia at the mid-station to ride the rest of the way up. The top was covered in mud and snow and was not very inviting for hiking. But lower down it was nice.

April is very much shoulder season there, though. Water sports were not yet underway, and the town was very quiet. I do not recall if flowers were blooming in the gardens and from balconies. The good news is that it won’t be crowded, or at least as crowded as it is in summer, and hotel prices should be lower.

Thank you, Steven and Lola.

Well, now I’m gravitating back towards Maggiore - all those gorgeous gardens! Any specific Maggiore recommendations, Steven? Would May be better than April, in terms of blooming? Any formalities I should be aware of in the event I were to venture into Switzerland?

Inbsig . First of all , there is a beautiful Promenade with lavish gardens along the lakefromt from Stresa for several miles north toward Baveno , There are the three Borromean Islands that you can reach by lake boat from town . I've been to two of the three : Isola Bella and Isola Madre . The gardens on both are absolutely stunning and while the Villa on Madre is fair , the one on Bella is extensive with a great deal to hold your interest , ( One thing comes to mind , the beautiful collection of tapestries ) The gardens , many in a stepped configuration are like paradise on earth . Also from Stresa , you can take the boat north on the lake , and spend some time in what is arguably the mosr beautiful place on the lake - Cannobio - https://www.google.com/maps/@46.0621559,8.7002941,3a,75y,8.72h,89.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZQKWsdTfEct8JXQJKpAEVg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Here is a nine minute video of Isola Bella , which will give you a taste of the place - https://youtu.be/zCztktfWAIw

Daytripping to the various lakes can be difficult. Choose one at a time.
We have spent time on Lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda. They are all worth a stay and are different. On Lake Garda we stayed in Malcesine
( somewhat touristy) but our hotel, Il Castello, was on the waterfront with a beach and got us away from the crowds. We also stayed in Saló, lovely place. Didn’t see other Americans there., Italians and Germans mostly. Toney, nice shops. Garda works well with a trip go the Dolomites.
We always stay in Bellagio when on Lake Como.
On Maggiore we stayed in Stresa and Ranco, SÉ side of lake, mostly Italians. Will return there. Hotel Il Sole.

Almost forgot , May would certainly be a better choice , As the lyric in the song goes - " April showers bring May flowers " Also I stayed at the Hotel Milan Speranza au Lac , just across form the boat dock , nice place https://www.google.com/maps/place/28838+Stresa,+Province+of+Verbano-Cusio-Ossola,+Italy/@45.8845664,8.542282,16.75z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x4786758e05b94925:0x78f0166e234c7ef3!8m2!3d45.8882031!4d8.5258667!16zL20vMDM0bGQ2

Thank you, Steven, so helpful! Maggiore, sold! Thank you, Suki. I wasn’t planning to day-trip to different lakes, just different towns on one lake.

Inbsig , To help you get your feet wet ( pun intended ) here is the website for the lake boats - https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/tickets-and-timetables-lake-maggiore/

Following. I'm wrestling with the same questions of which lakes to visit! (lake post) We'd love to spend time on all three, but not sure it's practical since it's time-consuming to travel between them. I've heard such great things about Stresa, but also with Malcesine and the mid-lake towns on Lake Como. I'm wondering if we should stick with two lakes - maybe give up Como? What did you ultimately decide, OP?

Hi Inbsig,

I’m another huge fan of Stresa on Lake Maggiore. For me, it’s the perfect spot to return to as I begin another trip to Italy. My husband & I stayed at Hotel Boston, a more budget hotel, our first time there. For the last two times, I stayed at Hotel Milan Speranza Au Lac and purposely ended my time there by moving to the Boutique Hotel Elvezia Hotel for the last evening - probably the only hotel on tiny Isola Bella. As you read my descriptions in my two trip reports, you will see why it’s a favorite! You can leave off your suitcase at the hotel, take the ferry over to Isola Pescatori for lunch and then return to Isola Bella to enjoy the villa & gardens later in the afternoon. I also love just taking a brief stroll in the evening on Isola Bella where I almost felt like I had the island to myself, picturing the passage of time & history.

Also, the trip reports have descriptions of some favorite gardens in that area. Have a fantastic time!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-trip-to-italy-2018

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-please-do-not-comment-until-i-change-the-title-filling-in-the-report-thanks

Hi, melrowgo - I do think I’ve settled on Lago di Maggiore, with much help from Steven (thanks much for the boat schedules, Steven!). I hope your planning goes well - I’ll follow along to see what you’ve decided.

Wow, thanks, Jean!

I know your timing is too early for this, but for other forum readers, the Stresa Music Festival is fantastic, and they perform in a variety of the venues & islands. It’s July 14 - September 8 this year.

I didn’t get to attend for my second time because I cancelled my 2021 trip - had the boutique hotel on Isola Bella reserved, and a ticket to the performance that night at the villa on that island. : (
But the first time, the EU Symphony in 2018 were wonderful!

https://www.stresafestival.eu/en/program/

@Steven, thank you for sharing the video of Isola Bella! Beautiful & I love the music from “The Tourist” in it!

The Boutique Elvezia Hotel I mentioned in my replies is the building above the “Isola Bella” sign at 0:22, 22 seconds into the video.

Inbsig , glad to be of help ! Also, Jean , I was looking through the Stresa programs ( I'll be in The UK then , on a trip we had planned for 2020 , aborted due to Covid ) but one of the programs really caught my eye - Yuja Wang , doing the two Ravel Concerti , Ravel was the first composer I fell in love with at the age of sixteen . Off topic , I know , but here is the review of a massive program she did this past winter here in NY , - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/arts/music/yuja-wang-rachmaninoff-carnegie-hall-review.html?unlocked_article_code=TjsmcmvG2DtQLLq2OF_-FizeFJZ8kwrp5ZvyRWzZGSxXMcDbfoKd9OQyCaxDrTyhb1V-9SJbf3vnjbTPYZyB6qnmHmBiudC9IkugE9jFbSFx9zGnYggrMHvRoDm2Hp3w-DP-Rgwxb6yL52ixSfpM_O8d2cMCLbtfqsNd5yQwlPb3SBkTCytlRQy3VdeESyEntjom6pUdRWgHPKs2zpMm04OVdb0bpFa4frVJ8iqouWUm7zOdNbAZ8fmjJl9wkNamhFsPnNockr0nE3VSfzxApLMTnG0rFeBdZ7JbUSrNsjFa44s27wlqt9oahflBKDtXMeOxfsRf3VI5O5tU0Zr1BvE-_ULXU2OaMhmJGU7NfyOyo_2XJPj4fQ&giftCopy=3_Independent&smid=url-share

Inbsig, you're choosing Lake Maggiore over Lake Como? We're considering the same. Jean & Steven are compelling, too!

Yep, very compelling! I’m sure Como is wonderful also, but can’t do it all.

I agree with the above recommendations for a stay in Stresa on Lago Maggiore. I just wanted to add that the gardens on Isola Bella were really lovely (July for us), and seeing the Chinese white peacocks were a unique and memorable highlight! We enjoyed wandering around Isole Pesactore, and had a beautiful lunch with a table right on the lake…even saw some customers arriving by boat nearby, dropping anchor, and getting picked up by the restaurant’s boat to come ashore.

From Stresa, we were able to take a bus to Lago d’Orta for the day, and that was really beautiful. Visiting the beautiful Isola San Giulio early in the day was awesome in a very serene way. There is a contemplative walk you can take around the small island, with signs in 4 languages at spots along the way. There were three bus routes at that time, so we took the earliest and came back on the last one. Make time for some outstanding gelato if you visit there!

One other sweet memory was watching the sun set over the water and mountains from the docks by the funicular in Stresa. We didn’t have time, but saw that there was a ferry we could take to the north end of the lake, visit Locarno, Switzerland for a while, and then take the Centovalli train back to Stresa. That will be on a future trip, we hope! Here is some info about the train route. Domodossola isn’t far from Stresa. https://www.myswissalps.com/centovalli/gettingthere

We chose Maggiore over Como initially because we hoped for a more local, less touristy experience…and it was a good choice. That time we were traveling independently. Now, this fall, we will be going to Lake Como as part of a RS tour…so it will be interesting to see that lake from the Rick Steves favorite highlights perspective. We loved the Italian lakes region!

Laurie😊

Thanks, Laurie! I love your descriptions of what you saw.

Boat question: is there such a thing as a pass covering any boat trip, for a given number of days (analogous to the Venetian vaporetto pass)? I read the website that Steven sent, but still can’t quite tell…

There may be such a pass , but I don't remember . The ticket office and boat dock in Stresa across the street from The Speranza Hotel had posted information , and the ticket agent would likely be able to clarify what is available .

Cool, thanks.

Thought of two possible scenarios for the trip as a whole.

1. Fly into Venice, stay 4 nights; 3 nights Ferrara; 3 nights Vicenza; 6 nights Stresa. Or…

2. Fly into Pisa, 3 nights Lucca; 7 nights Florence, with side trips (Siena, Pistoia, Prato, Fiesole); 6 nights Stresa.

(bold indicates places that are new to me)

A difficult choice , but for me , an extended stay in Florence is hard to ignore . On my last visit , since I made multiple visits to The Uffizi , being an art lover , I took this membership - no waiting on lines , you get waved right through . and the ability to really savor the holdings . If there was a cluster of visitors in front of a painting , one could wander in \the gallery until the crowd dissipated . Something to consider - http://www.amicidegliuffizi.it/diventa_socio.php?pg=8&ln=it

Inbsig , From your post , I know you've visited Florence before , but if you haven't seen this documentary on the construction of the Dome of Santa Maria , it really is a must . Your jaw will drop over how ahead of time this was - https://youtu.be/RUBnNDloGHg

Thanks for the Uffizi membership info, Steven! Certainly something to consider. As for the NOVA documentary, I not only have seen it, but posted about it back in 2015: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/great-pbs-special-about-the-florence-cathedral
You responded to that post with a link to the video.

I’m glad you brought it up, because if I do go to Florence, I’m thinking of finding the scale model of the dome that the researchers built - Roberto da Firenze pointed out that it’s in the park where he played soccer when he was a kid.

Inbsig, for your question about the general ferry ticket passes, there is a ticket for just Stresa & the nearby islands - daily free circulation ticket for Stresa-Borromean islands route and return € 13,60/adults.

I ended up just buying individual tickets each time I’m there since I do an overnight on Isola Bella and also head either up to Villa Taranto or Santa Caterina del Sasso on other days. I like to buy a few tickets at a time, and I’ve found that it’s very helpful to have a Post-It with this type of info to hand to the person at the ticket counter. I have asked for the specific tickets in my elementary Italian, and it worked. But, they liked the Post-It, too. Sometimes the order of your travel matters; other times they combine a couple of those routes.

April 20
Stresa to Isola Bella
Isola Bella to Isola Pescatori
Isola Pescatori to Isola Bella

April 21
Isola Bella to Stresa

Thanks, Jean. I would probably want to get an island-hopping ticket on at least two days, if not more.

Just me , again ! Here is the Ricci model on the map . Bus 3 , 8 , or 23 from town ( I recall the bus left from Santa Maria Novella to " Edimburgo " stop on Via Gran Bretagne , then about four blocks to the park and the model . Im glad we went out to see it , but the one disappointment , was that there was no way , like an elevated walkway surrounding at least part of it , so you could see inside and appreciate how it was assembled . That was 2018 , so perhaps they have made some modification to the site in the last several years enabling that . Nonetheless , it wasn't far from town , and still worth making the pilgrimage , https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miniatura+Cupola+del+Brunelleschi/@43.7613629,11.2909727,16.75z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x132a56a680d2d6ad:0x93d57917efc72a03!2sFlorence,+Metropolitan+City+of+Florence,+Italy!3b1!8m2!3d43.7695604!4d11.2558136!16zL20vMDMxeTI!3m5!1s0x132a53f593b2e4cf:0x68aac79b18580581!8m2!3d43.763212!4d11.2980364!16s%2Fg%2F11sqw0qk21

Wow, way ahead of me, Steven. Thanks for the bus info.

Five days can easily be spent either in Varenna or Stresa. I liked both. Day trips to other lakes are difficult without a car. Lake Orta is not far from Stresa but I think it has very limited public transportation between the two. Lake Orta as a whole is not much of a visit but Orta San Guilio is a fabulous little place.

"First of all , there is a beautiful Promenade with lavish gardens along the lakefromt from Stresa for several miles north toward Baveno" - not sure about that, Steven.

What exactly are you confused about ? Perhaps this picture of the Promenade will clarify this for you , As for the distance , its about five kilometers -https://www.google.com/maps/@45.884804,8.5389243,3a,75y,354.47h,95.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sCxoGnIeFupM_F53ZVRuXPw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

I also have a nice shot of Stresa. September, my missus on the promenade dressed in tan sandals, white capris and a peach top. I'm thinking her beauty and the surroundings confused my sense of time and space. I thought the promenade was about two kilometers long, if that.

Yes , The promenade itself is two kilometers , perhaps I was not clear - We actually walked much further , toward Baveno , The weather was great ,and a continued surfeit of eye candy on the route made the trip delightful .

From the Google Maps image, it looks like the Promenade also goes quite a ways in the opposite direction from Baveno.