Isola Bella Island

Address: Isola Bella, Stresa (VB), Piedmont, Italy

Website: https://www.isoleborromee.it/en/

Admission: Admission charged for Palazzo & Gardens; see website for current adult prices

Isola Bella is one of the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Italy, noted for its 17th-century palazzo and highly structured terraced gardens created by the Borromeo family. It is a principal tourist attraction on the lake.

The compact island contains the ornate Palazzo Borromeo with period rooms and collections, and layered formal gardens that descend to the water on multiple terraces. Routes around the island are short but densely planted and include ornate staircases, sculptures and lakefront promenades.

Developed by the Borromeo family from the 17th century onwards, the island’s palace and gardens were created as a display of wealth and horticulture and were elaborated over the 17th and 18th centuries. The Borromeo family still owns the island.

Isola Bella lies off the town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore and is part of the Borromean archipelago in northern Italy.

• Access and seasonality: Reached by short boat trips from Stresa and other Lake Maggiore towns; garden and palace opening schedules are seasonal.

What to See#

• Palazzo Borromeo: A Baroque palazzo built by the Borromeo family containing decorated reception rooms and collections dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Terraced gardens: Formal terraced Italianate gardens with staircases, statues and planted beds descending to the lakefront; the terraces are a principal visitor attraction.

Isola Bella (the Borromean island on Lake Maggiore) is reached by boat from Stresa and nearby lakeside towns. Stresa has a lakeside harbour with regular tourist and public boat services that sail short crossings (typically around 5-15 minutes) to Isola Bella.

By car Stresa is reachable from Milan via the A8/A26 motorway and SS33 road (about 1-1.5 hours depending on traffic); regional trains run from Milan to Stresa and the island is a short boat ride from the town’s waterfront.

• Arrive with the first ferries from Stresa to beat cruise-boat crowds and see the Borromeo palace and gardens in more peaceful light; timed tickets in high season help avoid queues.
• Use the regular short ferry from Stresa to the island's main dock-this is the practical entrance for visitors and keeps travel time minimal.
• Descend to the lower terraces and grotto areas and walk around the island's shoreline for photographic lake-and-Alps views that many visitors miss when they stay only on the upper gardens.