It is of glacial origin and its shores are in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Switzerland. Surrounded by reliefs and hills that shelter it from the cold northern winds, the lake sees among its tributaries the Ticino River, which traced a historic waterway connecting the Po Valley with Central Europe. Among the beauties of this lake are its islands, as many as 11, 8 of which are in Piedmont and 1 in Lombardy. Between Stresa and Verbania, of great charm is the archipelago of the Borromean Islands with Isola Madre, Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori. Also characteristic are the three rocks called Castelli di Cannero with the remains of the Vitaliana fortress ordered by Count Ludovico Borromeo. Also not to be missed in addition to the islet of La Malghera and Isolino Partegora, the beautiful Isolino di San Giovanni in front of Verbania, where, in the 17th-century Palazzo Borromeo, Arturo Toscanini lived for a long time. Splendid villas and imposing fortresses and castles rise around the lake and on its islands and testify to the history and culture that enrich this place with charm. Beginning with the Visconti Castle in Locarno, the Fortress of Arona and the Borromean Fortress in Angera, which now houses a doll museum. Among the villas, the Borromeo Palaces on Isola Madre and Isola Bella, the 18th-century Villa Ponti in Arona, and Villa Treves, in Belgirate, which saw Gabriele D'Annunzio and Giovanni Verga among its guests, are certainly of interest. In Stresa there are Villa Ducale and Villa Pallavicino with its zoological park, while beautiful Verbania is home to many splendid villas such as Villa Giulia, Villa Taranto and nearby Villa San Remigio. Nature lovers will find Lake Maggiore the ideal place to spend their vacations thanks to the existence of countless botanical gardens, including that of Villa Taranto with more than a thousand plants, the 40000-square-meter Alpinia, the Camellia Park in Locarno and gardens located on the various islands. There are also many nature reserves such as the Val Grande National Park and the Ticino Valley Nature Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
