Isola Bella Baroque-Style Italian Garden - Lake Maggiore, Italy
Posted by: 
denben
N 45° 53.783 E 008° 31.544
32T E 463207 N 5082644
One of three magical islands on Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella charms visitors with its magnificent Baroque palace and terraced gardens that slope to the lake.
Waymark Code: WMKTCC
Location: Piemonte, Italy
Date Posted: 05/27/2014
Views: 12
"In 1632, Count Vitaliano Borromeo began the construction of the monumental Baroque palace and the majestic and scenic gardens, which have made the island famous and which to this day bear witness to the splendours of an era.
The Borromeo family home offers visitors an elegant and sumptuous setting, and it contains priceless works of art such as tapestries, furniture, statues, paintings, and stuccoes. It also has an unusual mosaic grotto, a cool and delightful place.
After visiting the house, a stroll around the gardens is a must as it is considered to be the most splendid and grandiose example of Baroque-style Italian garden. The garden is laid out over ten terraces that descend gradually, and it is adorned with basins, fountains, architectural perspectives, and a multitude of statues dating from the second half of the seventeenth century, which represent the personification of rivers, seasons and winds. There are many exotic plants in the garden, and magnificently plumaged white peacocks roam freely amongst them." (
visit link)
"Isola Bella is perhaps the finest example of 17th-century Italian Baroque garden art. Milanese architect Giovanni Angelo Crivelli is credited with the original design of the palace and the grounds that were shaped into a step pyramid, decorated with turf, pebbles, shells, and ornate mosaics. One reaches the gardens by passing through the palace and six lavishly decorated grottoes. Punctuated by immense cone-shaped evergreens at each corner, the parterres in the Garden of Love prepare the guests for the extravaganza of the water theater that towers over the island garden. The theater is richly decorated with niches, fountains, and hanging plants. A spectacular collection of sculpture adds to the delight of the place, symbolizing the rivers and lakes of Italy, the four seasons, and the Borrome family’s power. Statues are dramatically silhouetted against the sky and the elaborate Italianate balustrades and fountains." (
visit link)
We reached the beautiful Isola Bella by excursion boat from Stresa harbour. Borromeo Palace and gardens are open every day from Saturday 22 March to Sunday 19 October 2014.