Some places are beyond real. Isola Bella is one of them. This is one of the three Borromean Islands between Verbania and Stresa.
Basically the island is not much more than a palace and a garden, but what a palace this is, and the extravagance of the garden puts it high on the list of attractions you must have seen.
We were lucky. Weather was fair, the sky was blue and only graced by a few scattered clouds.
The Image of the Day is one of the few that I made inside the palace, immediately before I was told that photography is forbidden. Well, sometimes it helps to ask whether a photo permit is available for some extra money, but in this case it was not. It’s a little petty-minded given the steep price they asked at the entrance, but then, it’s private property, unfortunately they can do as they want.
Well, the inside was not overly interesting anyway. Lots of people and most parts of the rooms not accessible, the furniture mindlessly arranged in a way that makes no sense at all, much of it covered under cheap looking plastic foil. I mean, yes, it’s probably effective to prevent children from climbing into 400 year old beds, but even if the purpose is preservation, I have the feeling they could have done it in a more tasteful way.
Anyway, the most interesting part of the island is the park. There you have exotic plants, lemon trees with lemons bigger than you ever thought a lemon could be, fountains, white peacocks, rich sculptures in a lavish paradise garden, and everywhere you see the word from the Borromeo family’s coat of arms: Humilitas. Go figure 🙂
By the way, the last image shows the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees. This is where Hemingway stayed and, well, we didn’t 😄
The Song of the Day is “Viaggi e Miraggi” by Francesco De Gregori.