Taste of the Grand Tour

{Isola Bella}
There are so many countries I would love to re-visit but usually the urge to see somewhere new keeps me from a second journey. However I had someone to visit and hopped on the plane for northern Italy. I split my time between the hustle and bustle of the fashion capital Milan and a peaceful sojourn on Lago Maggiore.

{Isola dei Pescatori}
Lago Maggiore is a gorgeous lake surrounded by quaint villages and stylish cities that became wealthy and popular back when the area was part of the ‘Grand Tour’ in Europe. It was nice to relax in the town of Luino with my friend and his family- catered for like a kind with traditional Italian dishes.

The main attraction here is taking the ferries around the lake and visiting the islands in the lake. There is a 3-island 2-islet cluster in the west of the lake, each with its own specific draw.

{Isola Madre}
The first, Isola Madre, is actually an enormous botanical garden that is home to hundreds of gorgeous peacocks and other pheasants.

Next my boat bunked upon the shore of Isola dei Pescatori. Isola dei Pescatori is half residential, half fish-eating paradise with a ring of world class eateries lining the shore of the island and serving up fish caught fresh from the lake.

{Isola Bella}
The last and most impressive island is Isola Bella where most of the island is consumed with an enormous palace commissioned by Carlo III from the House of Borromeo in honor of his wife Isabella. Even more impressive are the statue adorned gardens attached to the nautical beauty of the palace.


{Milan Duomo}
At first I didn’t want to leave the tranquility of Lago Maggiore but once I arrived in Milan the energy was irresistible. Fashion, food, young blood and architecture are the games to be played. I gladly saw the main attractions of the town- Castle, Arc of Peace, the central Duomo, as well as a dip into the clubbing and music scene. Milan, usually deemed a waste of time in tourist books, is exactly the opposite. I will agree that Milan is not a place for people who want to run around taking tours and snapping endless pictures with their fanny packs tied on tight. It is rather a place to see Italian cosmopolitan life and appreciate a city as a local would.


{Arc of Peace}
This time going back to Italy made me realize that a second trip back can turn out nothing like the first one and visiting a country is often more rewarding than getting acquainted with a new one.