The Lake Region: Three days of Castles and Medieval Villages

Liana is fluent in Italian and driving a stick shift in Italy. She has the necessary skills that it takes to drive in a foreign country, no fear and previous experiences driving these roads.  I can sit back and enjoy the scenery which is lovely. 

On Sunday, September 27th, we left Milan and headed to lake Maggiore just northwest of Milan. This lake is the second largest in Italy and is located just south of the Alps. It shares a portion of the lake with Switzerland.  There are several  Islands within the lake. That just a few inhabitants. 

We took a ferry to visit Isola Bella. It is a small piece of land where , in the 1500's, Prince Borromeos built his castle as a summer home. He brought his bride, raised children and grew into old age. The enormity of this "home" is difficult to describe.  It is quite plain on the facade and very ornate and opulent in it's interior.  There are multiple chandeliers made out of Burono glass, ceilings that must be at least twenty feet high. Each room has a theme and is expensively appointed. I will post pictures on my Facebook page. It took at least two hours to wander through the home and I could have stayed longer.

Apparently, this home hosted many nobles past and current from Napolian and Josephine to Diana and Prince Charles. I read that  Napolian and Josephine were only guests for two days but the Borromeos couldn't wait for them to leave. "They were loud and stinky" leaving their quarters a in disarray. 

The Gardens are impressive. So many well tended plants and flowers of every region must be represented.  The statuary  is gigantic and most likely tells a story.  There were multiple areas to enjoy the incredible lake and mountains views. I could imagine spending hours enjoying tea and a good book tucked under the shade of a Magnolia tree. Several white Peacocks were lounging on the green lawns preening and picking at the last of their tail feathers. It must be molting season for these pets. 

It was late as we pulled into the mainland so we headed immediately for Lake Garda 2 hours away. 



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