On the beautiful lake of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, 400 meters from the coastal town of Stresa, there is a picturesque castle island, island park. The entire small area of the island of Isola Bella (Isola Bella) is occupied by the palace and park complex of Count Borromeo.
When Count Vitaliano VI Borromeo (Vitaliano VI Borromeo) began in 1632 the construction of the palace and park complex, which later became famous, Isola Bella (ital. "Beautiful Island") was just a small rocky island on Lago Maggiore, inhabited by fishermen. The palace was supposed to be a gift to the wife of Count Isabella, but the construction lasted for decades: the southern facade of the palace was completed only in 1958. The palace and gardens were originally conceived in a single composition: as a result, the island turned into a kind of ship with a manor on the bow and a garden at the stern.
Now in the palace of Borromeo there is a museum open for tourists. Many of the halls of the large and majestic Borromeo manor are decorated with tapestries, expensive furniture, sculptures, paintings, stucco and mosaics.
Of particular historical interest is the Music Hall, where in 1935 the Stresa Conference was held with the participation of British Prime Minister James MacDonald, French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval and Italian leader Benito Mussolini, as well as the Napoleon Hall, where he spent the night in 1797 the great commander with his wife Josephine. But the caves under the palace attract with its unusual design: shells and unusual stucco molding. Art lovers will also be interested in the General Berthier Gallery, which contains a collection of paintings by the Borromeo family, numbering 130 works.
The palace adjoins the garden, considered the best example of a baroque garden in Italy with many tiered artfully decorated terraces, niches and fountains. In addition to rare plant species, including those of exotic origin, here you can observe white peacocks with wonderful plumage.
Excellent master gardeners work on the garden, who have developed such a system for planting and caring for plants that flowering in the garden does not stop from March to October.
Visiting season: Isola Bella is available for visits daily from March 22 to October 19, 2014.
Opening hours: daily from 9.00 to 17.30 (last entrance). General Berthier's art gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. (last entrance at 1.00 p.m.) and from 2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Ticket price: € 13 for adults, € 6.5 for children from 6 to 15 years old, children under 6 years old free of charge. Adult groups from 18 people - € 10 per person, children's groups - € 5.50 per person. The actual cost of tickets can always be checked on the official website: www.isoleborromee.it/it/home/viaggio
How to get there:
By car. On the Lake Autostrada dei Laghi, take the direction of Gravellona Toce, after the Carpugnino exit, follow the directions for Stresa. You can find the most profitable car rental option in Italy using the search engine auto.italy4.me
On the boat. Isola Bella can be easily reached by boat from the cities of Stresa, Arona, Pallanza, Locarno, Laveno, etc. There are many companies on Lake Lago Maggiore that offer passenger transportation services at any time of the day and in any direction. For more information, go to www.navigazionelaghi.it
By train. State Railway (Ferrovie dello Stato), Milano-Sempione Line, Stresa Station, next on a boat. Northern Railway (Ferrovie Nord), Milano-Laveno line, Laveno station, a boat landing is organized a few meters from it.
