A Weekend on Lake Maggiore

To celebrate my birthday this year we decided to treat ourselves to a wonderful weekend on Lake Maggiore; trying to please everyone, we planned an itinerary suited both to little Matteo’s needs and to ours!!! We set off from Genoa bright and early; the first stop of our mini-holiday was Pombia with its zoo and amusement park (a small tip: on the zoo’s website you can download the discount voucher for a reduced ticket). At Pombia Zoo the animals roam free, or almost, and you visit either from your own car or on a little train that leaves at set times (€2 per person); naturally Matteo opted for the train. The visit was very interesting: we saw many animals such as rhinos, hippos, Siberian tigers, lions, giraffes and, as a final gem, two extremely rare white lions.

The train ride ended at the “petting farm”, where various farm animals were gathered — cows, donkeys, geese, pigs and so on — and there was also a small riding school with several ponies, and of course Matteo wanted a couple of turns too. Near the riding school there is a spot where bird shows are held; I must say we enjoyed this part a lot, because we got to see very beautiful birds up close such as falcons, condors, owls and an eagle. Continuing our route we reached the dinosaur park, the aquarium and the reptile house. The park has many refreshment and play areas and it took us several hours to see it all. For the night we booked a room at the hostel in Verbania, a solution that is more than decent for anyone looking for somewhere central and clean at a fair price.

The hostel is set in a beautiful 19th-century villa just a few hundred metres from Villa Taranto in Verbania, which we visited the following morning; the visit to the garden lasts about an hour and a half and the ticket costs €9. The garden is truly beautiful and gathers a great many species of plants and flowers with different blooms at different times of the year. The walk in the garden was really very pleasant and relaxing; the only downside is the slightly expensive entrance ticket, but considering the enormous gardening work involved it is entirely acceptable. Once we had finished our visit to Villa Taranto we headed for Stresa, where we planned to visit the beautiful Villa Pallavicino. Here too the ticket is a little pricey, €9; the main feature of the villa, besides of course the splendid view over the lake, is a lovely farm where children can go in and touch the animals.

Matteo loved it enormously: together we stroked the little goats, the llamas and even a fawn. Beyond the animal park there is a beautiful garden and rose garden, a well-equipped playground, picnic areas and, for those who want it, a little train that goes as far as Stresa.