24 April 2006

what weekends are for



On Saturday morning after a reasonably comfortable one-hour train ride we found ourselves in Stresa, a town on Lago Maggiore. Lago Maggiore is a large lake to the west of Lago Como and one of its best features is the presence of several stunning islands.

The lake is framed by snow capped mountains and towns peppered with villas and stoic hotels. It's amazingly beautiful from the shore, looking out on the lake, and equally so when you're on the islands looking back at the shore. The entire area is one luxurious view after another, peppered with ice cream, pizza, and flowers. And don't forget the peacocks.

We were also fortunate in that the weather could not have been any more picture perfect. The sun was in the sky, the sky was blue, and the water danced and chopped as we rode the ferry from one island to another. And the air was fresh -- such a treat to take in great gulps of pure air. We definitely were away from the city.



Stresa is on the Golfo Borromeo of Lago Maggiore and facing it are three Islands of the Borromeo Family. This rich and powerful Italian family took control of the islands in the 16th century and turned them into private palaces and gardens. Today you can tour the villas and gardens and enjoy the miniature towns that have sprung up around them.

We began on Isola Bella and visited its Palazzo Borromeo. The palazzo was bright and dramatic with gigantic sweeping rooms that looked out on the lake and the mountains around it. It's a surreal and luxurious worldview ... gazing from the villa onto private gardens flooded with flowers and then onto the backdrop of both the lake waters and the mountains.



The gardens were very formal - terraced and grotto-ed with statues, ponds and peacocks punctuating every view. There were tropical trees, flowers of every variety, citrus trees heavy with lemons, oranges, grapefruits... And white peacocks strutting through every scene.



The second island was a shorter visit and a perfect lunch break. We landed on Isola dei Pescatori, Island of the Fishermen, and found a shady spot along the shore to eat gigantic slices of wood oven pizza. The pizza was good and the view was excellent.

We ended our day on Isola Madre. This island is comprised solely of the Borromeo family villa and garden. However, this villa was darker and more mysterious and the gardens less controlled and more free for exploration than those on Isola Bella. Throughout the villa hung heavy oil portraits of family ancestors and there were several rooms devoted to marionettes, with one hosting a downright creepy marionette theater that actually figured in Stefano's dreams the night after.



The garden was peppered with different personalities ... mossy shady areas, sunny plains, drooping trees with soft lazy arms sweeping the lawn. There were lanes of flower trees and peacocks chasing each other among the flora. And if you sit still long enough a few peacocks may sneak up behind you and get close enough to send you scurrying. This island is the less restrained cousin of Isola Bella and the perfect place to watch petals drift from trees and the French ignore the rules.

Whatever people may tell you of Como, do not forget Maggiore. It is beautiful, relaxing, and a reminder of what our eyes should see more of in this busy life: flowers, lakes, the ones we love, and mountains crawling into the sky behind them.

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