Verbania Provincia di Verbania
The lakes that inspired great writers
Piedmont has no sea coast; instead it has an immense lake, Lake Maggiore, long a favourite destination for foreign tourists. In the 19th century half the crowned heads of Europe holidayed here. Many writers have described the beauties of Lake Maggiore: among them Stendhal, Dickens, Flaubert and Hemingway. Lake Maggiore (or Lake Verbano), is located on the borders between Piedmont, Lombardy and Switzerland, is surrounded by the hills of the province of Verbano Cusio and Ossola, a province which is small in size but famed for its hauntingly beautiful landscapes. Thanks to the extremely mild climate the vegetation is a vivid green and an amazing variety of plants and trees create the setting for the wonderful old palaces, like Villa Taranto and Villa Pallavicino.
To explore this enchanting corner of Piedmont, take one of the regular ferry boats sailing from Cannobio, a miniature lakeside Portofino, and stop off at Cannero and at Ghiffa, famed for the renowned firm of Panizza, hatmakers supreme for over a hundred years, who have trained generations of Italian master hatmakers. Here you should also visit the mountain shrine of the Sacro Monte della Trinità. From the ferry you will see the towns of Verbania, Baveno and Stresa, with its magnificent old hotels commanding views over the jewel like Borromeo islands: Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre. These four islands, with their splendid historic palaces and stately Italian gardens, have been the property of the noble Borromeo family from Milan since the 16th century. The Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain has classified the botanic garden on Isola Madre as one of the most beautiful in the world.The valleys lying between the mountains of the Verbania province have also attracted tourists for many years. Val Vigezzo has earned the name of “Valle dei Pittori" (the painters’ valley) because of the many portrait painters and landscape artists who came to stay there, drawn by the beauty of the natural scenery and the picturesque villages. (In fact, in the 19th century there were no less than seven different painting schools in this valley.) In Valle Anzasca, which is overlooked by the high mountain peaks of the Monte Rosa massif, you will find Macugnaga, a thriving tourist resort, especially for winter sports. In Val Formazza, follow in the footsteps of famous visitors from the past (including Queen Margherita of Italy, the composer Richard Wagner and the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio) and marvel at one of the most dramatic waterfalls in Europe, the Cascata del Toce, 143 metres high. Finally, the National Park in Val Grande has been defined by the World Wilderness Association as “the only natural environment in Europe still in its original state”.
Information
Atl Distertto dei laghi - Azienda turistica locale
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Places
Castello di Aglič
This sumptuous home was built, beginning in 1646 following a design by Amedeo di Castellamonte, by Filippo d’Aglie, statesman, literary man, choreographer, and adviser to Madama Reale, on the ruins of an ancient fortress.
Filatoio Rosso di Caraglio
The Filatoio (Spinning Mill), built between 1676 and 1678, is an extraordinary example of 17th century Piemonte “industrial architecture”. Today, completely restored, it houses the Museo Regionale della Seta (Regional Silk Museum), as well as contemporary art shows.
Forte di Fenestrelle
The largest fortified structure in Europe and the longest wall-structure in the world after the Great Wall of China: a 635-meter inclination, 3 km long, 1,300,000 square meters large, 4,000 steps in the Scala Coperta (Covered Staircase), 2,500 steps in the Scala Reale (Royal Staircase), 5 drawbridges, and 183 lights to illuminate the interior.
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People
Roberto Faenza
“With its ancient and distressing twilight vice, Torino is the abstract, metaphysical space, the beautiful stranger, aloof and a bit mysterious that I have chosen to bring to the screen for Giorni dell’abbandono based on Elena Ferrante’s novel with the same title.”
Caparezza
“And I love eating in Torino, most of all the raw meat. I like this city. I’ve been to the Museo del Cinema three times and even took a walk up the hill. After a few kilometres I was at the top of Colle della Maddalena and could see the entire city.”
Africa Unite
"Africa United is not deeply Torinese. Bunna and I are from the province of Piemonte and we’re critical toward the so-called ‘Savoy pride’, but it’s a fact that we have experienced Torino’s turmoil."
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