TT Tours Italy 2023

Lago Maggiore

TT Tour Italian Lakes, 14th - 18th July 2023

A long weekend on the shores of Lago Maggiore, one of the largest of the Italian Lakes

Lago Maggiore long weekend:

The TT is completed a Pan-European Road-Trip in 2023.

Lasting nearly three weeks and covering over 2200km, one of the highlights was this long weekend on the shores of one of the most stunning of the Italian Lakes, Lago Maggiore.

Close to Milan, Turin and Bergamo, the Italian Lakes span the Italian-Swiss border and include well-visited locations such as Lake Como and Lake Garda.

Lago Maggiore is equally delightful and as one of the largest of the Italian Lakes, it is shared between Italy and Switzerland. It is also one of the closest to the UK both overland, by air to Milan, or even by train from London St.Pancras International.

Palazzo Borromeo, Lago Maggiore

Hotel Funivia at Laveno-Mombello

Our accommodation was nothing short of breathtaking - surely one of the most stunning hotel locations in Europe.

Perched high above the shores of the lake, just short of the 1062m peak of the Sasso-del Ferro mountain, is the Hotel Funivia.

This amazing location was home for four nights.

The hotel can only be reached by an alpine lift system ('funivia') from the town below, with the 'chairs' being a mixture of small enclosed cabins and truly open air 'buckets'. Looks fun!

All the hotel's rooms had either a balcony or a terrace, and all shared stunning views across the whole of Lake Maggiore towards Switzerland and the Alps in the distance. Our room was definitely one of the best!

Although it would have been tempting to not stir very far from the fabulous sun terrace with its jaw-dropping views, there was plenty to explore in the locality.

From the hotel, we tested the well-marked footpath leading to the summit of Sasso-del-Ferro. There were several other stunning viewpoints, ancient fortifications or monuments nearby, but these will have to wait for another time.

The TT wasn't left in the car park at the bottom of the bucket lift. On our first full day we completed a circumnavigation of the lake. We drove through the picturesque lakeside towns of Cannobio and Verbania on the western shore, on to Locarno in Switzerland at the head of the lake, finishing our drive back to Laveno along the quieter, eastern shore. But it was a hot day, and the traffic was far from 'light'.

So for the remainder of our stay, we used the excellent ferry services that inter-connected many of the shoreside towns of the lake. These were frequent, relatively inexpensive and a great way to experience the delights of Lago Maggiore.

Video Clip of the Lago Maggiore Funivia lift to the hotel

Our Itinerary

Friday July 14th:

The TT arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport from France to meet the EasyJet flight from London Gatwick which arrived on time at midday;
We drove to Laveno-Mombello for a late lunch, and then rode the cable car skywards to check-in at the Hotel Funivia. Rested, we chose to take dinner in the hotel's 3* terrace restaurant and watched the sun set gracefully over the lake. Fabulous!

Saturday 15th:

After breakfast, we put on our hiking shoes to follow the path up to the summit of Sasso-del-Ferro. From the hotel, we meandered through the woods, took note of old chairlift machinery, now gracefully blending into the scenery before arriving at the top for some stunning views of the lake. Back at the hotel, we made time for a quick coffee, and then rode the chair lift down to the town.
It was a warm afternoon so the TT was made 'open top' in preparation for a drive around the northern section of the lake. We took the car ferry across the lake to Intra, then heading northwards along the shore road towards Locarno in Switzerland. On the way, we stopped at Cannobio for tea and Italian pastries at a lakeside café.
After a brief leg-stretch in Locarno (not least to pick up some supplies in Aldi (!)) we headed back along the eastern shore road towards Laveno and Hotel Funivia.

Sunday 16th:

We spent Sunday using the excellent lake ferry services to get to Stresa, reputed to be one of the prettiest towns on Lago Maggiore. It was a hot day, so the two ferry rides to get there were a welcome respite from the heat!
Stresa didn't disappoint - we enjoyed coffee ahead of a great wander around the town, notably picking souvenirs and gifts to take home.
The late afternoon ferry home to Laveno provided the opportunity for a rest for wearing walking legs, and a chance to continue to admire the lake.

Monday 17th:

Today's target was a visit to the Palazzo Borromeo on the island of Isola Bella. So after a leisurely breakfast, we headed down the mountain in the bucket lift heading for the ferry terminal to cross first to Intra on the car ferry (we left the TT snoozing quietly in the hotel car park), followed by a ride on the passenger service to Isola Bella.
Today was even hotter, so the shade of both the narrow winding streets of the island's small town, and that of the palace and the gardens were welcome.
With a mid-afternoon return to Laveno, we realised to our dismay that the bucket lift service the following day didn't start running in time to get to Milan Malpenso airport in time for check-in for S's flight home!
So a very fast booking.com reservation at a small hotel down in the town for that night, saw us check out of Hotel Funivia a day early. The manager was very understanding about our dilemma, kindly refunding the fee for the night's accommodation we had cancelled at such short notice.
Down the bucket lift an hour or so later, we checked in to our final night's hotel - or rather we were let in by the hotel's housekeeper given that it was technically closed on Mondays and we were the only guests! All a bit weird! But it was lovely room, right on shore side, and we had a small balcony with views right across the lake. We had a lovely dinner at the shoreside restaurant just next door to the hotel.

Tuesday 18th July:

After coffee and croisants we 'checked out', or rather, let ourselves out of the back door, as we were leaving before the hotel's staff were to arrive!
After collecting the TT, our first stop was Milan Malpensa Airport for a 12:15 EasyJet departure back to London Gatwick.
But the TT's route home was an overland road-trip of course, and this first section took us back into Switzerland across the stunning St. Gothard Pass. After taking in the absolutely stunning views from the col, we headed back into France to finish the day at Colmar for an overnight stop.