LAKE MAGGIORE AND
THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS
Lake Maggiore is a place of rare elegance, where the natural beauty of its shores is added to the richness of a cultural heritage produced by a centuries-old intertwining of people and borders. The shores of Lake Maggiore extend between the provinces of Novara and that of Verbania, between Piedmont and Lombardy and between Italy and Switzerland: therefore, Lake Maggiore has always been a crossroads of contact and mutual contamination, open, in every age, to different identities and cosmopolitanism. In all the villages that lie on the shores of the lake you can breathe an atmosphere of relaxed beauty and industriousness, however capable of condensing itself particularly in some symbolic places of these lands: the Borromean Islands, the Rocca di Angera, Santa Caterina Del Sasso and all the localities of the Piedmontese shore.
Rocca Di Angera (Castle)
21 Km from Voltorre
The Rocca di Angera is one of the few fully preserved medieval fortified buildings.
Perched on a limestone spur overlooking the shores of Lake Maggiore, the Rocca had, starting from the Middle Ages, a strategic importance both from a military and a commercial point of view.
The architectural style of the Rocca dates back to the 12th and 14th centuries and has 5 buildings erected in different eras.
Among the rooms of the Rocca there is the beautiful Sala di Giustizia which houses the cycle of frescoes created in the 12th century by the anonymous "Master of Angera", which represented events related to the life of Archbishop Ottone Visconti.
Santa Caterina del Sasso
15 Km from Voltorre
The Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is undoubtedly one of the most evocative scenarios of Lake Maggiore.
It is accessed through a portico formed by four round arches, of Renaissance style. Entering the hermitage, you first encounter the southern Convent, then the Conventino decorated with a long seventeenth-century fresco inspired by the Danza Macabra, and finally the Church, which incorporates the chapel of Santa Caterina.
It is a place of inestimable beauty, where you can breathe an indescribable calm and quiet.
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ADDRESS: Via Santa Caterina, 13 - Leggiuno (VA)
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Borromean Islands
15 Km from Voltorre + 20 Min ferry + 15 Min boat
The Borromean Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori) on Lake Maggiore are a true earthly paradise where nature, culture and art blend perfectly.
Located in the Borromean Gulf, these islands are the perfect destination for weekend getaways, but also for long-term holidays.
To reach the islands, the most scenic route is to reach the ferry port in Laveno Mombello and embark on foot.
It is possible to leave the car in the large Gaggetto car park, next to the ferry port or you can arrive with the Trenord Railways.
The crossing takes 20 minutes and once you arrive in Intra you get off the ferry and take the boat.
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Tickets can also be purchased online:
www.isole-borromee.it/tour-item/intra-isole-borromee
Gulf of Quassa
In the land of erratic boulders
13 Km from Voltorre
Between the municipalities of Ranco and Ispra there is a vast green area, a true heritage from a naturalistic and historical point of view. This is the Park of the Quassa Gulf, a sparsely inhabited area with a vast semi-natural hinterland.
Park next to Agri Campeggio Lago Maggiore and venture towards the most famous of the erratic boulders in the area, Sass Cavalà sc, which rises from the water near a very pretty beach.
The erratic boulders are a tangible testimony of geological events that took place in very distant times, linked to glaciations and the retreat of glaciers, and for this reason considered of great value for the natural heritage of the place.
The path of the Sun e
of the Agra Moon
34 Km from Voltorre
The path of the Sun is an easy walk that winds around the Ronchetti hill, while the Giro della Luna is a pleasant path in the woods around the Bedorè hill. It is dotted with several viewpoints directly on the lake, with some benches and rest areas, which is why I recommend it if you want to take an undemanding walk in nature.
You can leave your car directly in Agra, at the intersection of viale Roma and viale Europa, then walking along viale Europa and then along via delle Betulle. In Bedoré, a hamlet of Agra, continue on the Path of the Sun through birch woods, completing the loop that returns to Agra.
Cittiglio waterfalls
13 Km from Voltorre
The 3 waterfalls of Cittiglio, reachable by a path that starts from the ancient part of the village of Cittiglio, are formed by the San Giulio stream and are located between 324 and 474 meters high in a natural wooded environment of suggestive beauty. They are ideal for a trip out of town in the province of Varese to cool off from the summer heat. The path of the stream, before reaching the town, winds through winding lines, which invite the water to sudden jumps.To reach the Cittiglio waterfalls it is possible to park in the village along Via Roma. Then continue on foot on via Pianella where there are signs for the waterfalls. The path to the first waterfall is simple and short, while to reach the other falls you need to be an expert hiker. At the moment the steep path to reach the other two jumps is closed due to a landslide.
Sasso Del Ferro cableway
12 Km from Voltorre
The Laveno Mombello cable car connects the town with Mount Sasso del Ferro at about 1062 meters above sea level in about 15 minutes.
There are 80 cabins (53 open and 27 closed) and each host two people. During the ascent, with 731 meters of altitude difference, you can admire an amazing landscape that embraces, with a single glance, Lake Maggiore, the Alps and the Po valley.
It is truly a sight, especially when the sky is clear.
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The climb starts from Laveno in via Don C. Tinelli, 15.
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Lovely Towns to be visited
Laveno
(17 Km from Voltorre)
Laveno is the tourist capital of the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, it is known for its tourist port which puts it in contact with the Piedmontese shore. From which you can get theferry(by car or on foot) and add Verbania, Stresa and take the boats to visit theBorromean Islandson the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore.
Laveno is also considered an important center for the production of ceramics and porcelain, among the largest in Italy and Europe.
Angera
(17 Km from Voltorre)
The village of Angera is one of the most beautiful on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore: a widespread museum that includes sites of artistic and cultural interest, environmental assets and a lakefront with wonderful views. The alleys of the historic center, the little bars on the lake, la Rocca of Angera and Mount San Quirico are just some of the reasons to visit the village, which has been repeatedly named among the most beautiful in Italy.
From the center of Angera it is possible to take the ferry to reach the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore (Arona)
Sesto Calende
(20 Km from Voltorre)
Sesto Calende is a small Lombard town close to the Piedmont border. It stands in the center of a verdant morainic amphitheater at the southern end of Lake Maggiore, where the Ticino resumes its journey to join the Po.
Sesto Calende enjoys a privileged position that has made it an ideal area for settlements since the Neolithic period, when migrant peoples settled here. Here lived the people who gave rise to the Culture of Golasecca. For this reason, the Civic Archaeological Museum is located in the city, rich in finds and testimonies from ancient times
Porto Valtravaglia
(23 Km from Voltorre)
Porto Valtravaglia is a village that deserves to be visited also for the beautiful civil buildings of the seventeenth century, which characterize its inhabited center, and for the pleasant lakefront that leads to the small port.
Porto Valtravaglia today is above all a tourist center, thanks to the presence of the lake, but also to the wealth of woods and greenery that characterizes its hinterland, with the possibility of pleasant excursions.
Characteristic are also the inhabited areas of Ligurno and Torre, where there is a medieval tower around which the inhabited center was built.
Luino
(29 Km from Voltorre)
Located on the wide plain at the mouth of the Valtravaglia, about 4 km from the Swiss border, the city of Luino is the main town on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore. You will find yourself in a typical, elegant lakeside town, including the narrow streets of ancient colorful houses overlooking the lake and the noble villas of the past.
TO BE SEEN
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The Luino market, the most famous and oldest of Lake Maggiore
(every Wednesday in Piazza Libertà )
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Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine
