Lake Varese
Small and quiet, just a few kilometres from Taverna Romantica and the Apartment, it is surrounded by a flat cycle path of about 27 km, suitable for families with children too. Bikes for adults and kids, including child seats, can be rented nearby.
- Isolino Virginia, an ancient pile-dwelling site listed by UNESCO
- Gavirate, home of the “brutti ma buoni” biscuits
- the Sacro Monte di Varese, also a UNESCO site, and the trails of the Campo dei Fiori Park, with woods and viewpoints
Lake Maggiore
Le Calle Apartament is right on its shore, in Leggiuno, and it is about ten minutes by car from our homes in Cocquio-Trevisago. Italy’s second largest lake is shared between Lombardy, Piedmont and Switzerland. On the Lombard shore:
- Laveno, with the cable car up to Sasso del Ferro and the ferry to Intra
- Luino, famous for its large Wednesday market
- the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso in Leggiuno, built right on the cliff above the water
- the Rocca di Angera, a medieval fortress overlooking the lake
- Castelveccana and the little harbour of Caldè
On the Piedmont shore, reachable by boat or car, are the Borromean Islands, Stresa, Verbania and Arona.
Our favourite places: [da compilare]
Villas and gardens
- Villa Della Porta Bozzolo in Casalzuigno, with its terraced garden
- Villa Panza in Varese, with a renowned contemporary art collection
- the Giardini Estensi, the gardens of Palazzo Estense in the centre of Varese
- in spring, the gardens of the Borromean Islands and Villa Taranto in Verbania
Day trips
From our area you can easily reach Lake Lugano and Lake Como, as well as Milan, in less than an hour by car or train.
Food and drink
Lake cuisine is simple and genuine: risotto with perch fillets, polenta, cheeses from the valleys and local honey. For dessert, the brutti ma buoni biscuits from Gavirate.
Where we like to eat: [da compilare]
Getting here
Milan Malpensa airport is 30-40 minutes by car from our homes. The railway linking Laveno, Varese and Milan also stops in Cocquio-Trevisago, a short walk from Taverna Romantica and the Apartment, and ferries connect the two shores of Lake Maggiore.
Practical tips
- Best time to visit: spring, when the gardens are in bloom, and early autumn, with warm light and fewer crowds. In winter the fireplace makes everything cosier.
- Tourist tax: [da compilare]