On one side stand the graceful Art Nouveau villas, the beautifully elegant lakefronts plus the picturesque English-style and formal Italian gardens that attract visitors from all over the world. On the other, the rugged canyons and gorges carved by the torrents, kilometres of woodlands and peaks that resemble cyclopean rocks hurled by the Gods. Verbano has it all, it is the sublime romantic dream transformed into reality.
In Verbania you can walk amongst the spectacular blooms of Villa Taranto, one of the most esteemed botanical gardens in the world, and admire the stunning peaks and crags of the largest protected wild area in Italy and in the Alps: the Val Grande National Park.
The elegance and refinement are the result of centuries of Grand Tours, of journeys undertaken by aristocratic travellers from beyond the Alps in search of cultural wonders, of beauty and of picturesque.
For travellers arriving from the North, having crossed the Simplon pass, Lake Maggiore was the calling card of the so-called Paese del Sì, la Bella Italia, land of the sun and of art.
During the Belle Époque it was the favoured tourist destination of the elite, the source of inspiration for numerous poets and writers, painters, sculptors and musicians. From the baroque of Isola Bella to the sumptuous art nouveau flourishes of the villas of Stresa and Pallanza, architecture merges beautifully with the art of horticulture, with a living catalogue of rare species from around the globe.
In complete contrast, depopulation took place in its mountain communities; rural civilizations - that had survived on chestnuts, known as the ‘bread of the poor’, and on sheep farming - descended to the valley to work in factories powered by water energy.
Thus, in the 20th century, the valleys reverted to becoming places where you could encounter the wild side of the Alps. With the Val Grande National Park and the Fondotoce Special Nature Reserve - an “international” stopping point during the migration of numerous species of birds - precious nature was rediscovered and protected.
Both elegance and the wilderness are reflected in the waters of Verbano, offering visitors a unique landscape with exquisite itineraries of art, nature and culture. A journey within a journey, always ready to enchant at every step of the way.
