Lake Maggiore is the second largest of
the Italian lakes and the largest in southern Switzerland. Lake
Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of
Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.
The climate is mild in both summer and
winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with beautiful gardens
growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of
the Isola Madre, Isola Bella and the Isole di Brissago, that of the
Villa Taranto in Verbania, and the Alpinia botanical garden above
Stresa.
From the eastern shore on a clear day
you can see Monte Rosa, (4633 metres - 15,200 feet), which is not a
single mountain but a glacier-covered massif with ten summits no
less. Four of these peaks are among the highest in the Alps.