Starting from Agrate Conturbia for a Day on Lake Maggiore
Article by Fulvio Julita
When our guests ask us how to spend a full day away from Agrate Conturbia, our answer is almost always the same: Lake Maggiore, explored along its Piedmontese shore, from Arona to Cannobio. It's the itinerary we recommend to anyone who wants to see, in just a few hours by car and boat, the different souls of the same lake: the fashionable side of Stresa, the aristocratic Borromean Islands, elegant Verbania and the border town of Cannobio. Here's how we organise it, stop by stop.
Breakfast First, Then We Set Off
The day we suggest to our guests always begins the same way: a leisurely breakfast at our property in Agrate Conturbia, coffee included, before setting off by car around 8:30. We recommend heading south-east first, towards Arona: it's just thirteen kilometres, a quarter of an hour's drive, and the town is waking up just as you arrive.
Arona and the Copper Giant
In Arona, it's worth parking near the lakefront for the day's first stroll, with the Rocca Borromeo of Angera reflected on the opposite shore, already in Lombardy. The symbol of the town is the Sancarlone, the statue of San Carlo Borromeo made of copper, standing 35.10 metres tall — once the tallest statue in the world before the Statue of Liberty — next to the sixteenth-century basilica dedicated to the same saint. We always suggest our guests climb up to the terrace inside the statue: the view from up there, with the Alps reflected on the water, is worth the early start.
Stresa and the Borromean Islands
Around ten, we set off again heading north: seventeen kilometres, about twenty minutes, to reach Stresa. It's one of the lake's most elegant towns, with its historic hotels and lakeside gardens, and it's also the starting point for the Borromean Islands, a stop that's never missing from this itinerary.
From the small harbour of Carciano, public boats leave that reach the islands in just a few minutes: Bella, Madre and dei Pescatori, so close to the shore they seem within oar's reach. We suggest boarding around eleven. Isola Bella still holds the palace and terraced gardens the Borromeo family had built in the seventeenth century; Isola Madre, the largest of the three, is home to romantic English-style gardens planted as far back as the nineteenth century. Isola dei Pescatori, the only inhabited island, is the one we prefer to save for last: a small lakeside village of colourful houses, narrow lanes and small restaurants where you can try perch risotto or whitefish fillets. Around one, we head back to Stresa for lunch, perhaps on a terrace overlooking the lake.
Verbania and Cannobio in the Afternoon
After lunch, we head north along the western shore towards Verbania-Pallanza: sixteen kilometres, just over twenty minutes. It's the provincial capital, and it's worth stopping at the botanical gardens of Villa Taranto, among greenhouses and green mazes home to plants from all over the world. For those who prefer to walk outdoors, we suggest instead the lakeside promenade of Pallanza, among small squares and Liberty-style buildings, or the short path leading to the Sanctuary of Santa Caterina del Sasso, perched on a sheer cliff above the lake.
The day's final stop is Cannobio, the last Italian town before the Swiss border: thirty-five kilometres from Verbania, about forty minutes of driving that are well worth it, because the historic centre rewards the wait. We always call it "il Borgo" when talking to our guests — its maze of paved alleys lined with period houses such as the Renaissance Palazzo Omacini or the curious Palazzo Pironi, whose pointed shape recalls a ship's prow. The town's heart is Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III, but the spot we recommend not missing is the lakeside promenade beneath the nineteenth-century arcades, with views over the mountains and the lake's final stretch: here time truly slows down, among marble statues, waterside bars and the sunset aperitivo that closes the day just right.
The Way Back
Around six or half past, we leave Cannobio to head back, retracing the lakes' main road southward. In just over an hour we're back at Villa Selva, in Agrate Conturbia, with the memory of a day that covered nearly one hundred and fifty kilometres between scenic roads and boat crossings — exactly the kind of day we love to tell, and to suggest, to those staying with us.
**The Itinerary at a Glance
Time
Stop**
08:00 – 08:30
Breakfast at Villa Selva and departure for Arona (13 km, ~15 min)
08:45 – 10:00
Visit Arona (Sancarlone statue, basilica, lakefront with views of Rocca di Angera)
10:00 – 10:20
Drive to Stresa (17 km, ~20 min)
11:00 – 13:00
Boat trip to the Borromean Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori)
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch in Stresa or on Isola dei Pescatori
14:00 – 14:25
Drive to Verbania-Pallanza (16 km, ~20–25 min)
14:30 – 16:00
Visit Verbania (Pallanza lakefront, Villa Taranto)
16:00 – 16:45
Drive to Cannobio (35 km, ~40–45 min)
16:45 – 18:00
Visit Cannobio (il Borgo, lakefront, aperitivo)
18:00 – 19:30
Return to Villa Selva, Agrate Conturbia
KEEP EXPLORING THE AREA
What's There to Know About Agrate Conturbia