Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, Italy

© Massimo Ripani/eStock Phot

Bellissima!

Isola Bella means beautiful island in English and we're certainly not going to argue with that. Even alongside the rest of picturesque Lake Maggiore, it stands out. For years here in north-west Italy's Piedmont region, there was only a small fishing village on the island. The village is still there but in 1632 Carlo III, an Italian royal, commissioned the construction of a large palazzo (palace). The ostentatious palace includes a model Italian garden and both are now major tourist attractions. Visitors to Stresa, the nearby town on the mainland, can book passage to Isola Bella, one of three Borromean Islands on the lake, for day trips or overnight stays.