Italy's treasure chest of baroque art suspended over the water

Looking as impressive from a distance as they do close-up, the steeply terraced gardens of Isola Bella rise above the waters of Italy’s Lake Maggiore like a leafy green ocean liner against a backdrop of red-roofed houses and snowcapped Alpine peaks.

Even by the ostentatious standards of the Italian lakes, it’s an arresting sight that makes you feel as if you’ve just woken up in a historical costume drama where flamboyantly dressed aristocrats stroll stately lawns.

It’s hard to imagine that less than 400 years ago, the island was little more than a rocky crag. The transformation began in 1632 when Carlo III, scion of the noble Borromeo clan, initiated work on an ambitious garden and mansion that he named in honour of his wife Isabella.

The work lasted 40 years and was finished off by his son, Vitaliano in around 1671. The result was other-worldly. Taking up three-quarters of 14-acre (6-hectare) Isola Bella, the gardens appear so imposing and larger than life that, from the water, they almost look as if they have been digitally enhanced.

While the first view of the complex is from a boat, the second is more subtle. After touring the rooms of the adjoining palazzo, visitors are deposited at the doors of a small courtyard fashioned with an elegant staircase. Follow the steps up between the tall hedges and prepare to be astonished.

The centrepiece of the luxuriant greenery is the impossible-to-miss Teatro Massimo, which looks more like a church than a garden from ground level. This ornate baroque edifice upon which the garden’s 10 exuberant terraces are stacked is punctuated with grotto-like arches and mythological statues.

The vast pyramidal structure is topped by a heraldic image of a unicorn (the symbol of the Borromeo family) and linked by a series of stairways and gravel paths flanked by climbing greenery. The unashamed extravagance buoys your mood and lightens your spirit. It’s impossible not to admire the unbridled ambition of the architects who built this.

While the overall impression screams baroque, the gardens retain a veneer of classical symmetry with well-trimmed lawns edged by low-cut hedges and strategically placed plant pots.

The flowers are profuse, some planted in beds, others in pots or climbing up the terraced walls. It’s possible to enjoy lilac wisteria in April, red and pink roses in May, and fuchsia azaleas in June. The resident white peacocks strut around whatever the season.

With roots in the 17th century, some of the gardens’ plants are as old as the palazzo. There’s a European yew thought to have been planted in 1700, a cork oak dating from around 1800 and a camphor tree from the 1820s.

The largest of the three main Borromean islands, Isola Madre’s stately gardens were designed in the English style in the early 19th century. Loved for its camellia collection, and ten different types of palm tree, the island is dominated by a huge Kashmir cypress tree dating from the 1860s which was nearly felled by a 2006 storm. Today, it’s held up by cables.

Climbing the alfresco staircase covered with wisteria

A long, sinuous nodule of land on Lake Garda, this 17-acre (7-hectare) island is lorded over by the ornate Venetian Villa Borghese Cavazza. Formal gardens from the 19th century lie in its shadow while a less structured park extends beyond. The Italian garden has some elaborately patterned hedges, while the English garden displays an abundance of fruit trees.

Looking down on the lake and gardens from the main terrace

Ferries run approximately every half hour to Isola Bella from the lakeside towns of Stresa and Verbania Pallanza. Stresa is an hour by train from Milan.

The terraces may prove difficult for individuals with mobility issues. People with disabilities are entitled to a 50% ticket discount. The Palazzo is equipped with a lift and the exit turnstiles may be opened on request to aid smoother access.

The shoulder months of May and September are less crowded. May, although potentially rainy, is when the garden exhibits its best blooms, especially roses. The Palazzo and gardens are closed in the winter.

Further information

• Admission charge. Booking not mandatory, but recommended.

• Open mid-March to end of October.

• No dogs allowed, except service dogs.

• The complex has a cafe serving drinks, sandwiches, cakes, and cheeseboards.

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