Tag Archives: Flowers

Oct 16 2018

Isola Bella Garden #wanderlust

After the amazing interior of the palace comes the spectacular garden.

The garden is full of flowers and exotic plants of great rarity, which grow thanks to the particularly mild climate of the Borromean Gulf.

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Everything on the island has been designed to create a scenic effect, including the “Theatre” constructed at the end of the superimposed terraces, dominated by a statue of a Unicorn, the heraldic emblem of the Borromeos, which is flanked by statues representing Nature and Art.

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Unfortunately we just didn’t have enough time to explore the garden.

The huge, extraordinary garden is further decorated with ponds, fountains and a plethora of statues dating from the second half of the 17th century.

The white peacocks that wander over the manicured lawns add their grace to this enchanting spot.

I must admit I thought the white peacocks would look more impressive. They looked a bit scruffy.

Adjacent to the palace and the gardens is part of the village which used to occupy the island, with some restaurants and souvenir shops. You can see the shops through the foliage.

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Here’s a little panorama from the front of the palace.

The palace hides its treasures behind a simple looking front.

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Next blog post will be of the two last Borromero islands we visited that day.

Sep 21 2018

Lago Maggiore #wanderlust

View from the balcony.

Lake Maggiore (literally ‘Greater Lake’) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided between Italy and Switzerland.

Lake Maggiore is 64.37 km (40 mi) long, and 3 to 5 km (2 to 3 mi) wide, except at the bay opening westward between Pallanza and Stresa, where it is 10 km (6 mi) wide. It is the longest Italian lake, although Lake Garda has a greater area. Its mean height above the sea level is 193 metres; a deep lake, its bottom is almost everywhere below sea-level: at its deepest, 179 metres below. Its form is very sinuous, so that there are few points from which any considerable part of its surface can be seen at a single glance. If this lessens the effect of the apparent size, it increases the variety of its scenery. While the upper end is completely alpine in character, the middle region lies between hills of gentler form, and the lower end advances to the verge of the plain of Lombardy.

Source Wipikedia


The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with many gardens growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of the Borromean islands that we also visited.

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Very old olive tree.