Lake Maggiore

 

Romantic, scenic, stunning, sensuous, eclectic beauty…those are the words I would use to describe the Italian lakes.

Entering the 'Villa Aminta' where we stayed, on the edge of the lake, was like another world.

We were surrounded by magnificent Italian art, a mixture of baroque and a style that only the Italians can pull off.

 Stendhal wrote in his memoires: "When a man has a heart and a shirt he should sell the
shirt in order to see Lake Maggiore." How right he was.

'Isola Bella'. one of the islands on the lake was named by the Count who owned it after his wife Isabella.

Now how romantic is that!!!!

The gardens ajoining the palace entertained the likes of Napoleon and Josephine,(they slept there in 1797).

The gardens are magnificent with many statues, waterfalls, white peacocks roaming around,

landscaped vistas, palm trees, vine groves and beautiful urns scattered about

with many lemon trees planted in them.

I shall be adding to these pages periodically when I have the time to put it together.

I shall start with a selection of photographs taken in the gardens on 'Isola Bella'