Tour of the Borromean Islands: Isola Bella
“Fantastic and fanciful” was how the admiring Dickens wrote of this island. The natural characteristics of the rocky island rising above the water surface have been complemented by the skills of generations of architects. As a result, the island has acquired its present appearance: that of a gigantic ship breaking the waves of the lake. In Italian, its name means “Beautiful Island”. And so it is: unique in the world and incomparable, it became an integral part of the Grand Tour as early as the nineteenth century. The famous Baroque garden consists of 10 terraces in imitation of the legendary gardens of the Babylonian Queen Semiramis. A magnificent panorama opens up from the highest terrace, which rises 37 metres above the surface of the lake. Lush vegetation, statues and fountains, magnificent white peacocks – everything seems to be part of an enchanting spectacle in a setting created by nature itself.
On the beautiful Lake Lago Maggiore, 400 metres from the coastal town of Stresa, there is a picturesque island-castle, island-park. The entire small area of Isola Bella is occupied by the palace and park complex of Count Borromeo. When Count Vitaliano VI Borromeo began in 1632 the construction of the palace and park complex that later became famous, Isola Bella was just a small rocky island on Lago Maggiore, inhabited by fishermen. The palace was to be a gift to the Count’s wife Isabella, but construction dragged on for decades: the southern façade of the palace was not completed until 1958. The palace and gardens were originally conceived in a single composition: as a result, the island turned into a kind of ship with a manor house on the bow and a garden at the stern. Nowadays, the Borromeo Palace houses a museum open to tourists. The many rooms of the large and majestic Borromeo manor are decorated with tapestries, expensive furniture, sculptures, paintings, stucco and mosaics. Of particular interest from a historical point of view is the Music Hall, where in 1935 the Stresa Conference was held with the participation of British Prime Minister James MacDonald, French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval and Italian leader Benito Mussolini, as well as the Napoleon Hall, where in 1797 the great commander himself slept with his wife Josephine.
But the caves under the palace attract with their unusual decoration: seashells and unusual mouldings. Art lovers will also be interested in the General Berthier Gallery, which houses the Borromeo family’s collection of 130 paintings. Adjoining the palace is the garden, considered the best example of a Baroque garden in Italy, with tiered, elaborately decorated terraces, niches and fountains. In addition to rare species of plants, including some of exotic origin. The garden is worked on by excellent master gardeners who have developed a system of planting and caring for the plants so that flowering in the garden does not stop from March to October.
