MAIN ATTRACTIONS

Lake Maggiore can be suggestive in every month of the year! In spring with the flowering of camellias and azaleas, in summer with the possibility of a nice refreshing bath, in autumn to enjoy the beauties of the place with the first breezes and the suggestive panorama of foliage thanks to the “Lago Maggiore Express” train circuit ”, In winter with snow, when you can enjoy ski slopes with breathtaking views, or immerse yourself in the warmth of spas like those of Premia!

There are many suggestive destinations found on Lake Maggiore, above all thanks to the peculiarities of this area. Of great interest are certainly the Borromean Islands and the fortress of Angera, nearby Lake Mergozzo and Lake Orta with the island of San Giulio, but the mountains should not be forgotten, with their views worthy of a postcard. such as Mottarone and Monte Camoscio, Macugnaga and Monte Rosa, the many museums, churches and sanctuaries; the villages just above the shores of the lake, the valleys such as the Val Formazza, the Vigezzo valley, called the valley of painters or the Val Strona and the Antrona valley, the parks such as the National one of the Val Grande and the Alpe Veglia-Alpe Devero, the Toce Waterfall, the gardens such as the Alpinia garden, Villa Taranto and Villa Pallavicino with typical flowers such as camellias, the many period villas on the shores of the lake, the renowned Terme di Premia and Bognanco or luxury Spa like in Stresa or in Crodo. On the Lombard shore, due mention goes to the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, a Unesco heritage site.

Without forgetting that there are also many activities dedicated to families: in Baveno the Aquadventure Park with swimming pools and slides, the Mottarone Adventure Park and the Alpyland, a track on rails at the top of the mountain, the Toce Park 100% Green, a few minutes drive from Baveno, the statue of San Carlone in Arona (which can be visited inside) or the Safari Park with its animals just over half an hour away by car, the two Zip-Lines for the more adventurous ( about an hour’s drive) or the two Big Benches (giant benches) of the circuit of the creator Chris Bangle, about 50 km from Baveno.

SPORT
From mountain biking to road cycling, from horse riding to golf to trekking rich in itineraries: there are many opportunities for sport and fun, for example for road cyclists who love climbing (at the Toce waterfalls it was, for example, the arrival of a very selective stage of the Giro d’Italia 2003); but also for off-road lovers: there are many ways to go by mountain bike.
From horse riding to golf, Lake Maggiore is the land of the “green with a view”: there are two golf courses in Stresa. A historic nine-hole course dated 1924 and an 18-hole course from which, on clear days, it is possible to see the tallest buildings in Milan and four lakes.
Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, mountaineering skiing, snowshoes: these are all activities that have long been widely used in this area, well-known Riale, in Val Formazza.
Alpine skiing certainly enjoys great popularity (which in recent years has been joined by snowboarding), with winter tourist resorts already famous at the beginning of the century and with the Macugnaga area, clinging to Monte Rosa.
Lake Maggiore is also the ideal place for lovers of all water sports, ranging from canyoning, sailing, wind surfing and kite surfing to canoeing, in addition, of course, to swimming and finally not he can forget that the lake is not just a surface. Thanks to the different associations of divers present on the lake, it is possible to explore underwater worlds!

In short, THERE IS ONLY THE EMBARKATION OF CHOICE!

TYPICAL PRODUCTS

MOUNTAIN & LAKE FLAVORS
Polenta, alpine cheeses, cured meats, game and the precious Ossolani wines and wines from the Novara hills or from the ronchi of Varese on the Lombard shore. There are many products that are produced in the area: from the king of cheeses “Bettelmatt” to raw ham from Val Vigezzo and black bread from Coimo; cheeses and liver mortadella from Val d’Ossola, Ossola wines such as Il Prunent, a typical local wine whose presence in Ossola has been historically confirmed since 1300, the Margheritine, a typical biscuit from Stresa, created by a local pastry chef on the occasion of the visit of Princess Margherita of Savoy or the Imperialine, typical of the area of Omegna and Lake Orta, or the Fugascina, a typical biscuit of Baveno. The VCO also produces many varieties of honey and for some years also excellent craft beers. For fish lovers, delicious opportunities on Lake Maggiore, starting with perch, the lake’s symbolic fish and other species, including bleak, trout, char, tench, carp, pike and whitefish. Typical recipe to taste: the soaked fish.

ROSA DI BAVENO GRANITE AND WHITE CANDOGLIA MARBLE

Baveno is also famous for the ROSA DI BAVENO GRANITE, extracted from its marble and granite quarries. In the town there is also “GRANUM” the museum dedicated to this excellence of the territory, designed to represent the wealth of paths and stone processing in the territory of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola: on the Baveno lakefront the granite monument dedicated to the “Picasass” , the local stonecutters, pays homage to the stone workers. The colonnades of the Collegio Papio in Ascona, the Arco della Pace and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, the columns of the Opera in Paris, the Church of San Carlo in Vienna, the monument to Christopher Columbus in New York, the Royal Palace of Bangkok are just a few examples where the famous pink Baveno granite has brought national and international prestige to this charming lakeside town. In Candoglia (Mergozzo) instead, we find the white marble that was used for the construction of the Milan Cathedral. Possibility for lovers of via ferratas to do that of the “Picasass”, an excursion route that from Baveno allows you to reach the quarry part of the Monte Camoscio side.

VAL STRONA, THE PINOCCHIO VALLEY

The Strona Valley, located a few km from Omegna, offers a nice wooden souvenir, IL PINOCCHIO. Known as “the valley of wooden spoons”, it has adapted its artisan tradition to today’s world, producing very special objects such as combs, flutes, small musical instruments, toys. One of all Pinocchio: Collodi’s wooden puppet is reproduced by expert craftsmen and marketed all over the world.