Lago Maggiore and other pretty things....

It's hard to describe perfection, but that's what I would call the day spent last week by Lago Maggiore. Blue skies on a clear day, watching boats sail by whilst sipping on a glass of wine... it's those moments when you wish time would stop, just for a little bit.

We picked somewhere to visit on a day trip, with our fingers firmly crossed for nice weather. From Milan it's the ideal place to go - a short train journey and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by an infinite vista of the lake, on a backdrop of the Alps. The landscape is dotted with little Italian towns, showing just how much there is to see. It's a breathtaking.

We took the late morning train to the town of Stresa and took a stroll by the water. I loved the area, it had this sort of old-fashioned glamour about it. You can imagine the rich and famous in the 50's making trips out to Lago Maggiore staying in the grandest hotels, waltzing around with their parasols and sipping on champagne. To be honest, that's probably what still happens now, minus the parasols ;)

We made our way over to the isole (the islands) and hopped on the next boat that took us straight to Isola Pescatori. Boats go every 5-10 mins and cost €7.50 each to visit all the islands, not bad! We arrived at this beautiful quaint island - the island of the fishermen, so I couldn't wait to try the fish! Unfortunately, we made the mistake of arriving a little late for lunch, so we had to settle for pizza and pasta. (In Italy lunch in traditional restaurants usually finish at 3:30pm, a custom all over the country, so our bad for arriving too late!) Nevertheless, we had some delicious fresh pasta in a colourful courtyard. I couldn't help but imagine all the wonderful shoots that could take place right there...

Following Isola Pescatori, we hopped over to Isola Bella - which literally means beautiful island. And it has to be said that it definitely lives up to the name. Set on the top of the island is a stunning botanical garden filled with flowers in every colour, shape and size, as well as ancient statues and of course a few rare white peacocks. It was totally ethereal... you never wanted to leave. But alas, after a short tour of the island and the gardens, and of course a cheeky gelato, we headed back to the mainland. 

To top off the day, putting the icing on the cake, we stopped at the rooftop bar of Hotel La Palma. This completed the trip and took it to 'level perfect'. It definitely goes on my top 10 list of sensational views. If you get chance to visit Lago Maggiore, make this a must-do on your list.

Enjoy the pics from the day! Oh and can someone please tell me how Italy is this beautiful?!