Palazzo Borromeo — Isola Bella
Palazzo Borromeo — Isola Bella
Italy · Piedmont, Lake Maggiore · Near Stresa
Built 1632 · Baroque palace on an island; construction began 1632 under Count Carlo III Borromeo; the island was reshaped entirely to accommodate the palace and its terraced gardens; 10 floors of baroque state rooms; the Italianate terraced gardens (giardini all'italiana) rise in 10 tiers from the lakeshore; the island's silhouette resembles a ship viewed from Stresa, with the palazzo as the hull and the gardens as the rising decks
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Quick Facts
- Hours
- Daily 09:00–18:00
- Entry via GYG
- €40
- Duration
- 2–3 hours on Isola Bella; 4–5 hours for both islands combined
- Best time
- May to September
- Nearest city
- Stresa
Featured Tour
Borromean Islands: Isola Bella & Isola Madre Entry Ticket
Cancellation available · Instant confirmation
Highlights
- ✦The terraced Baroque gardens — 10 levels of Italianate garden rising from the lakeshore, planted with citrus trees, camellias, roses, jasmine, and native lake plants; one of the finest garden designs of the 17th century in Italy
- ✦The Sala di Napoleone — the bedroom where Napoleon and Josephine slept during the Cisalpine Republic period (1797); the iron campaign bed survives in the room where Napoleon signed documents of the new republic
- ✦The palazzo state rooms — 10 floors of Baroque interiors including the Ballroom, the Hall of Mirrors, the Throne Room, and six subterranean grottoes decorated entirely with shells, pebbles, and mirror fragments
- ✦The six subterranean grottoes — the palace's most extraordinary feature: underground rooms decorated floor-to-ceiling with a mosaic of shells, river pebbles, tufa, and mirrors, creating a surreal aquatic fantasy beneath the formal baroque apartments above
- ✦Borromean Islands boat circuit — the €40 entry ticket (t1282276) covers Isola Bella and Isola Madre with boat transfers between islands; Isola Madre is larger, quieter, and gardens-focused with the finest botanical collection on the lake
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Isola Bella is a tiny island in Lake Maggiore — a teardrop of rock 320 metres long and 180 metres wide — that the Borromeo family of Milan spent 150 years transforming into one of the most extraordinary garden palaces in Europe. The project began in 1632 when Count Carlo III Borromeo commissioned a baroque palace for his wife Isabella (the island was renamed Isola Bella — Beautiful Island — in her honour), and expanded through the 17th century into the full 10-tier garden complex visible today.
The island itself was reshaped to accommodate the design: the natural rock was extended with landfill, the gardens were built on successive terraced platforms rising from the water's edge, and the palazzo was constructed against the northern face of the island. Viewed from Stresa, the result resembles a baroque ship: the palazzo as hull, the terraced gardens rising like layered decks, topped by the statue of a unicorn (the Borromeo heraldic animal) at the highest point.
The palazzo interiors range from the genuinely spectacular to the historically significant. The state rooms — ballroom, hall of mirrors, throne room — are lavishly decorated in 17th and 18th-century Baroque style. The Sala di Napoleone (Napoleon's Room) is historically the most charged: Napoleon and Josephine stayed at Isola Bella in 1797 during his Italian campaign, and the iron campaign bed he used survives in the room where he signed early documents of the Cisalpine Republic.
The six subterranean grottoes are the most unusual feature: underground rooms running beneath the formal gardens, decorated entirely with a mosaic of shells, river pebbles, tufa, black-and-white stone, and mirror fragments in patterns suggesting marine grottos and underwater caves. They were built in the 17th century as cooling rooms and retreats from the summer heat — and are the single most memorable interior in the palace.
**The combined ticket (t1282276, €40) is the recommended option:** it covers Isola Bella, Isola Madre (the larger, quieter island with an extraordinary botanical garden), boat transfers between both islands, an audio guide, and a guided tour — a complete Lake Maggiore experience that does not require organising boat logistics separately.
History
The Borromeo family — originally Milanese merchants who rose through banking and civic service to become one of the most powerful noble families in Lombardy — acquired Isola Bella and other islands on Lake Maggiore in the 14th century. Their lake island holdings were a retreat from Milan rather than a military asset; the lake islands had no strategic value but exceptional scenic quality.
Count Carlo III Borromeo initiated the transformation of Isola Bella in 1632. The construction was managed after his death by his son Vitaliano VI Borromeo, who directed the project to something like its current form by the 1670s. The gardens were planted throughout this period; the final upper terraces and decorative elements extended into the 18th century. The palace has never been sold: it remains the private property of the Borromeo family (Counts and Princes Borromeo), who manage the islands as a heritage and tourism enterprise.
The Borromeo connection to Catholicism is significant: the family produced two Roman Catholic saints — Carlo Borromeo (Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, 1538–1584, canonised 1610) and Federigo Borromeo (founder of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan). This religious prestige reinforced the family's political and social position through the Counter-Reformation period.
How to Visit
Combined Borromean Islands ticket (GYG t1282276, €40): This is the recommended option — it covers entry to Palazzo Borromeo and gardens on Isola Bella, entry to the botanical garden and palazzo on Isola Madre, boat transfers between both islands, audio guide, and guided tour. The boat is included — visitors do not need to separately organise lake transport. Book via GetYourGuide; tickets are also available at the Stresa pier ticket office on the day.
Walk-up entry: The Borromeo family also sells direct entry tickets at the island — adults €30 for Isola Bella only (walk-up, no boat included). The boat from Stresa to Isola Bella costs approximately €10 return (public ferry), not included in the walk-up ticket.
Getting to Stresa: Stresa is on the Lake Maggiore train line from Milan (1 hour from Milano Centrale). Trains run regularly. The Stresa ferry piers are adjacent to the station. Boat services to the islands depart from the Stresa waterfront and from Baveno and Verbania on the western shore.
Frequently Asked Questions
The single-island Isola Bella entry (t1281736, approximately €27 walk-up or comparable GYG price) does not include the boat transfer to reach the island — visitors would need to purchase a separate public ferry ticket and organise their own transit. The €40 combined ticket (t1282276) includes boat transfers between Isola Bella and Isola Madre, entries to both islands, an audio guide, and a guided tour — a complete, self-contained experience. If you plan to visit both islands (recommended), the combined ticket is the more logical choice and avoids the logistics gap.
Location
Isola Bella, 28838 Stresa VB, Italy
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