Isola Bella

A treasure chest of Baroque art suspended over the water

A princely Baroque dwelling that has been continually transformed over the centuries, from the start of the building work in the mid-17th century at the wishes of Vitaliano VI to the creation of the Salone Nuovo [New Room] in the years of the post war period with Vitaliano X.

A fascinating itinerary between art and history accompanies you through its over 20 rooms, the most significant of which are the Sala del Trono [Throne Room], the Sala delle Regine [Queens’ Room], the Sala di Napoleone [Napoleon’s Room] -where the French general slept during his stay on the island – and the room with the splendid Flemish silk and gold tapestries. Then there are the truly unique Galleria Berthier and the grottoes.

For history lovers, a fundamental place to visit is the Sala della Musica [Music Room], where the Conference of Stresa was held in April 1935.

Marble, stucco, tapestries and paintings
Baroque at its most astonishing

The Galleria Berthier

The heart of Palazzo Borromeo, the Galleria Berthier is a mosaic of over 130 paintings including masterpieces, top-level artworks and, following a practise that is recurrent in other noble collections of the period, a number of copies of the great masters of the past of the calibre of Raphael, Correggio, Titian and Guido Reni.

The Grottoes

Pebbles and fragments of tufa, stucco and marble decorate the six grottoes created at the wishes of Vitaliano VI Borromeo to amaze his guests and protect them from the summer heat. A unique and very striking project that seems to transport you into a magical marine world.

Ten terraces bursting with a different colour at every flowering time

The Baroque Italian-style garden of Isola Bella is famous all over the world; it is a place where statues and architectural decorations are alternated with geometries and precious plants.

Acting as a screen is a large camphor tree that has welcomed visitors for two hundred years now. Obelisks and fountains take visitors by surprise around every corner as they walk along the avenues of the garden, where they can climb up to the grand terrace, the island’s true control station, from where they can admire Lago Maggiore stretching out before them and the enchantment of this treasure chest forged by man.

For decades the skilled hands of the gardeners have taken care of the botanical heritage, conserving its enchanted beauty against the ravages of time.

The sculptural structure originally called Teatro Massimo is the most important monument in the garden. Most of its statues are by Milanese sculptor Carlo Simonetta and date back to the decade between 1667 and 1677. At its high point, between the personifications of Art and Nature, looms the statue of the Unicorn, the heraldic symbol of the Borromeo family, being ridden by a cherub representing “Honour”, or, according to other versions, “Love”. On the lower floors, the statues symbolise the Verbano (Lago Maggiore), and, lower down, the Rivers Ticino and Po. On the sides of the exedras stand four obelisks with statues representing the primary elements: air, water, earth and fire. Facing the monument two rectangular parterres stretch before you, where white peacocks roam free.

On the opposite side of the Theatre, the garden of love is composed of boxwood hedges creating a green embroidery that is visible from the terraces above, accentuated by the four yew trees. Espaliers and large vases of citrus fruit complete the decorations in this area. If you stand with your back to the lake, you can admire the terraces with the statues of the four seasons.

Finally, the Serra Elisa, created in the early 19th century as a winter garden and today a micro environment that welcomes exotic plants and botanical rarities.

Since 2002 the gardens of Isola Bella, along with those of Isola Madre, have been part of the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society.

EXHIBITION

Until 1st November, 2020

Curated by Alessandro Morandotti and Mauro Natale

An exhibition dedicated to its founder

400 years from the birth of Vitaliano VI and in the year of Piedmontese Baroque, this exhibition looks back over his life, and above all his work – the vessel that emerges from the waters of Lago Maggiore – still a source of admiration and amazement today to visitors from all over the world.

Staged in the grand hall completed by his descendant of the same name Vitaliano IX in 1956, in its first section the exhibition looks back over the main phases in the life of Vitaliano VI, the real author of the renewed good fortune of the family in the second half of the 17th century, through painted portraits, sculptures, medals and documents – including also the project of the Palace and the Gardens of Isola Bella – some never exhibited to the public previously.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE EXHIBITION +

Hours

The Palace and the Gardens of Isola Bella open every day until November 1st
from 9am to 5.30pm – last entry.
Closures: Palace 6pm | Gardens 6.15pm

Tickets

We recommend to purchase the tickets online in order to avoid queues at the ticket-office. In addition to entrance, it is possible to buy online transportation by motorboat from Stresa to the Borromean Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Isola Pescatori).

How to get there

By car
From the Autostrada dei Laghi motorway in the direction of Gravellona Toce, Carpugnino exit, following the signs for Stresa.
It is possible to park in Piazza Marconi in Stresa and from here you can take one of the boats to reach the Isole Borromee.
Alternatively, you can leave your car in the square in Carciano opposite the dock.

 
By train
Ferrovie dello Stato railway, Milan-Sempione line, Stresa stop. The station is around 850 m from Piazza Marconi.
With Ferrovie Nord railway, Milan-Laveno line, Laveno stop.

 
By bus
VB Arona Milan line: departure from Milan Lampugnano, stop B5.
Or Verbania–Stresa–Malpensa, which requires advance booking.
For info: www.safduemila.com.

 
By plane
Distance from the principal airports: Turin Caselle 140 km – Milan Malpensa 50 km – Milan Linate 110 km – Bergamo Orio Al Serio 130 km.

 
FROM DRY LAND TO THE ISLANDS
By ferry
The boats depart from the main locations on the lake.
For further information: Navigazione Lago Maggiore – scheduled passenger service. Also available is a non-scheduled passenger service by motorboat.

In Piazza Marconi in Stresa there is an info point called “BorromeoExperience” with information materials, where you can also purchase and book entrance tickets, guided visits and all the additional services available from Borromeo (travel by motorboat, overnight stays, restaurants, mountain bike hire, etc).