THE BIRDS of ISOLA MADRE
April 12, 2011
Of the three Borromee islands in Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella is the closest to the mainland and the most often visited. If you have time for only one island this is the must see of the three. That said, it bears the heaviest traffic and therefore has great crowding and competition for the less than 1.5 square miles of exquisite space that includes an historic palace museum, an unparalleled terrace garden and a tiny warren of streets that make-up what is village-Bella.
My choice of the three Borromee Islands is Isola Madre. Why ?
It is the furthest from Stresa, the main departure point for the ferries which are the only way to get to the islands. These run every 30 minutes. Because of this, Madre has the least people traffic and in the early morning, on the 8:30am ferry, a visitor can often have the entire island to herself.
There exotic birds of every variety and color roam free.
.jpg)