Italy: Lake Maggiore holidays – How to explore second largest lake

Rome: The Italian Lakes are also a paradise for plant-lovers, with lots of famously lovely gardens thanks to that mild climate, especially around Lake Maggiore, which is divided between the Lombardy and Piedmont regions and extends to the Swiss border, and Lake Como.

This is the second largest lake in Italy, after nearby Garda, and like its big sister it has great water-sports facilities as well as lots of scope for mountain-biking and hiking. What it most stands out for, however, are the little islands dotting it, the Borromeans, some of which are linked by a little ferry that does the rounds. The ferry stops at both Isola Bella and Isola Madre, allowing you to experience – and contrast – their very different gardens.

Madre is the largest of the Borromean Islands, and its Giardini Botanici dell’Isola Madre is a real wonder – a botanical treasure chest of plants brought here over the years at the behest of naturalist Vitaliano IX, including peonies, azaleas and verbenas, apricot, cherry and other fruit trees, and walnut trees near the Palazzo. The Palazzo itself has original interiors to ogle, and, charmingly, an antique puppet theatre that used to hold shows outdoors, including the original stage sets.

Meanwhile, Isola Bella – which was named for Isabella, Countess Borromeo – has just one minuscule village and an uncompleted summer palace, where you can see Lombardy artworks and Flemish tapestries. Best of all, the palace sits within a breathtaking Italianate garden with 10 terraces and flamboyant decoration including a vast unicorn, obelisks, grottoes and water-wheel towers. As if that wasn’t fairytale-like enough, white peacocks struck through its lush vegetation of camphor, citrus trees, roses, rhododendrons and camellias.

Back on the lakeshore, at Verbania, the dreamy gardens of Villa Taranto have one of the world’s most important botanical collections. Created by an expat Scot in 1931, it mixes the English style with Italian features including statues, fountains, terraces and waterfalls. Eucalyptus, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, giant water lilies and rare Tasmanian tree ferns are among the plantlife here, and the Herbarium contains unique artworks made from plants.

It’s often said that Como, with its soaring peaks, is the loveliest of the north Italian Lakes, with its old-fashioned steamboat rides and picturesque resorts Menaggio, Varenna and Bellagio. It also has superb beaches in the northern towns of Gravedona and Domaso, with great swimming and water-skiing, plus excellent hiking, mountain-biking, horse-riding and even golf.

But’s it’s impossible to choose between them, and as the best Lake Maggiore holidays can include a trip to Como, or vice versa, why choose when you don’t have to? One very easy way to combine them is on Good Housekeeping’s tour of the gardens of the Italian Lakes, which includes the Borromean Islands and Villa Taranto, as well as Villa Balbianello on Lake Como.

Balbianello is so spellbinding that key scenes from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Casino Royale were filmed at this villa in the hamlet of Lenno on the tip of the wooded Lavedo promontory. Built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery, it stands out for its terraced gardens, spellbinding loggia and superb lake views.

Other fabulous gardens around Como include the lakeshore Villa Melzi, Villa Carlotta and Villa d’Este, and you might also enjoy a day-long jaunt into Switzerland from Lake Como, aboard the iconic Bernina Railway. Or another great way to see both Maggiore and Como, together with Lake Lugano and Italy’s fashion mecca Milan, is our Italian Lakes and gardens holiday.

The Borromean islands are the real glory of Maggiore, but the lake is also dotted with enticing waterfront towns with pretty promenades and Belle Epoque palaces that it would be a shame to miss out on, so do try to spend at least four days here to really make the most of all that it has to offer.

Among the best town are tiny Cannobio on the northwestern shore, with pastel-painted houses, cobbled lanes, a lovely promenade for the evening passeggiata, a sandy beach and superb hiking to the Orrido di Sant’Anna gorge.

Or many people coming on Lake Maggiore holidays base themselves in Verbania, its biggest town. As well as being home to Villa Taranto and to the ferry docks for the Borromeans, it has the impressive Villa Giulia with its gardens and lots of lovely restaurants with lake-view terraces.

Stresa is another charmer, with cobbled streets and architecture dating from the region’s golden age in the early 20th century, including water’s-edge Belle Epoque villas and mansions built tor rich Milan families who holidayed here. Many of the town’s beautiful buildings are now hotels, and there is again an array of fantastic restaurants serving fresh lake fish.

Then there’s Luino near the Swiss border on the eastern side of Maggiore, best visited on a Wednesday for its street market dating back as far as 1535, with more than 350 stalls selling regional food as well as retro and vintage paraphernalia and even antiques for something truly special to take home with you.

There are many ways to explore Lake Maggiore this year, including an expert-led tour with Gardeners’ World presenter Carol Klein, which includes visits to Isolas Bella, Madre and Pescatori, and the gardens of the villas Taranto, Pallavicino, Carlotta and Balbianello.