The journey begins at Lake Como, probably the most famous lake since the beginnings of tourism, the one whose charms have been praised by visitors over and over again: \"These delightful places have no equal in the world\", wrote Stendhal in \"La Chartreuse de Parme\". Como, then, is the most select because it is closest to Milan and its aristocrats, many of whom set up their holiday homes here. Since the eighteenth century, the number of villas has multiplied to such an extent that the riverbank has become practically inaccessible in the surrounding area, surrounded by the parks of these imposing residences, whose names are summed up in the names of the families who built them, a Bottin mondain.<\/p>\n
Villa Olmo in Como. A neoclassical pied-\u00e0-terre of some 2,000 m2 of living space built for a marquis from the family of Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689); the Emperor of Austria and Garibaldi have also stayed here. At Villa Melzi (Bellagio), we are in the home of Francesco Melzi, Duke of Lodi, appointed Vice-President of the Cisalpine Republic by Napoleon. As for Villa Balbianello (Lenno), the most surprisingly situated on a promontory tumbling down into the lake, it was built for a cardinal; its last owner was Count Guido Monzino, a distinguished mountaineer who financed numerous expeditions to the world's greatest peaks. And, of course, the famous Villa Erba, managed by the Cernobbio congress centre, recently the setting for an episode of the film \"Ocean's Twelve\", and Luchino Visconti's childhood home... \"Whether they now belong to the State or have remained in the family estate, these villas can be privatised,\" says Giuseppe Pisilli, from Como's tourist office, \"which is an exceptional opportunity to organise a gala or any other event.\"<\/p>\n
Temperate climate, exotic vegetation<\/strong><\/p>\n What do they have in common? Buildings that are obviously \"feet in the water\", with their pier flanked by a sumptuous double-flight stone staircase descending to the water's edge, myriad rooms and lounges adorned with the works of Italian masters, splendid gardens such as those at Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, with its orange tree pergola, bamboo collection and azalea beds of over 150 varieties... This is because the pleasantly temperate climate of the lakes is not only \"good for your health\", as health treatises used to say, but is also conducive to the most exotic vegetation; hence the groves of palm trees that adorn the parks of the villas, an idealised reconstruction of nature with species from all over the world, to make it even more pleasant.<\/p>\n All these splendours speak volumes about the good fortune of their residents, a prosperity that continues to this day, with Ferraris and Maseratis having replaced the carriages of yesteryear. The logo of Alfa Romeo, a copper snake devouring a child, is nothing other than the coat of arms of the Visconti family, who ruled the Duchy of Milan from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Como today? A city of 80,000 inhabitants, whose highly regulated traffic preserves the charm of its shady squares, and in no way disturbs the calm that surrounds the Duomo, its half-Gothic, half-Renaissance cathedral. Yet here we are in the world's bustling silk capital, whose current customers form the first guard of haute couture: Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Dior, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Lacroix. Enthusiasts from all over the world religiously visit the luxurious concept store opened by the firm Mantero (private shopping available) or the Museo didattico della seta, a silk museum that can be partly privatised, whose samples and weaving machines dating back to the 16th century remain an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Como is also home to Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), a native of Como to whom the city pays tribute at the Tempio Voltiano, a museum dedicated to this forgotten physicist whose work continues to provide immense services on a daily basis, since he invented the electric battery. It's a popular spot for science groups. As for the more daredevil types, they will be delighted by the town's flying club, which offers flights over the lake and is home to Europe's only seaplane school.<\/p>\n From Como to Lugano on a cruise<\/strong><\/p>\n Lake Lugano is reached by following the western shore of Lake Como, some thirty kilometres as the crow flies, but an hour and a half's journey because the roads, undulating between the banks and the mountainside, are so narrow. \"Buses are difficult to get around, so it's preferable to organise a private cruise for this journey, which allows you to see the villas concentrated on this bank more head-on. The fleet available is very varied, so you can organise a cocktail party or a dinner,\" notes Franco de Maria, from the incoming agency Rampinini Viaggi, who also points to a steady increase in incentive trips, \"so much so that we are opening a structure specifically dedicated to them\". Next comes Menaggio, a pretty resort with a palm-fringed promenade from which you can reach Bellagio, a steep village overlooked by beautiful mansions with gardens bristling with cypress and Aleppo pine trees. The 'pearl' of the region, beloved of Liszt, is now very popular with Americans, ever since casino magnate Steve Wynn drew inspiration from the village to build the Bellagio in Las Vegas in 1998, a 3,000-room vessel bordering an artificial lake on the edge of the Strip. A fully or partially privatised village<\/strong><\/p>\n The same atmosphere prevails in Gandria, which is busier because it is home to several hotels. \"Because it's impossible to get around, the village lends itself to total or partial privatisation,\" comments Sacha von B\u00fcren, head of sales at the tourist office. You can get there by boat or by taking an hour's walk from Lugano, and it's perfect for groups of up to 200 people. A number of villages in the region are suitable for this type of operation. As its name suggests, Lake Maggiore is the largest of the Swiss-Italian lakes. Its broad shores are home to villages that are more sprawling than on Lake Como, some of them reminiscent of the C\u00f4te d'Azur, palm trees included. Cannobio has sometimes been referred to as a local Saint-Tropez, no doubt because of its cluster of narrow streets sloping gently down to the harbour and its caf\u00e9s. But the analogy ends there. The lakes region abhors the fuss, and is perfectly content with the understated elegance that has become its trademark. There are no billionaire yachts to be seen and heard at Cannobio, and its miniature harbour is only home to a dozen rowing boats and a family of ducks. As for the visitors who stroll around the harbour, they do so without accessorising themselves with the latest designer model published by the magazines. \"Listen to the water, the wind, the footsteps<\/strong><\/p>\n The lake also has its own small island, the isola di San Giulio, less than 800 metres long. Its centre is occupied by a basilica (10th-11th century) and a monastery of Benedictine nuns, buildings surrounded by a single alleyway providing access to the houses built on the shore. Known as the \"path of silence\", this pebble-paved alleyway is studded with precepts carved in stone: \"Listen to the water, the wind, the footsteps\", \"Silence is the language of love\"... The atmosphere is one of contemplation, far from the smell of melted cheese and beer pervading the isola dei Pescatori. First Lake Como, the most select, then Lake Lugano, between Switzerland and Italy, and finally Lake Maggiore and its small Borromean islands. A route punctuated by palaces, gardens, majestic mountains and lively villages. For incentives of charm and elegance.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"type-darticle":[],"n_magazine":[],"class_list":["post-4971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-operations-incentive","vapo-free"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
From Menaggio, heading west, the road climbs in twists and turns before descending towards Lake Lugano, some ten kilometres further on. Here you come across villages clinging to the wall, their feet in the water. They spread out below the road along steep-sided lanes zigzagging towards the shore. This is Oria, whose church square, the Parrocchia Annunciazone, is right on the lake. The alleys here are so narrow that the balconies over them turn them into covered passageways.<\/p>\n
Lugano is also a dynamic city, Switzerland's third-largest financial centre and a lover of all kinds of music. Its open-air festivals have gained international renown, particularly the Estival Jazz (first weeks of July) which, like the Blues to Bop (late August-early September), takes place in the beautiful Piazza della Riforma. The concerts are always free. Open to events of all kinds, the city's policy is to provide these facilities free of charge, in return for free admission for spectators. This is how Swatch came to create a huge show here last year with the Blue Man Group. The aim was to celebrate its 333 millionth watch sold, in the presence of 500 invited journalists from all over the world. Up to 1,000 people, the ideal size for our congresses, we can manage accommodation without any problem,\" explains Sacha von B\u00fcren. \"Beyond that, we have to dispatch them outside the city, which poses transfer problems in this region where traffic is not always easy.
Lugano, which boasts a pleasant congress centre with a beautiful 19th-century neoclassical villa nestling in a lakeside park, also has a magical place nearby: the castles of Bellinzona, around 40 minutes to the east of the city. This group of three medieval castles, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, is a masterpiece of military architecture that has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Skillfully restored in a contemporary style combining rough concrete and stone, its reception areas now include a gourmet restaurant, an adjoining meeting room and a superb terrace overlooking the valley, with a total capacity of around 200 participants. Several companies have organised medieval evenings here.<\/p>\n
Pocket Archipelago
Ten kilometres to the south, the small town of Verbania has set up an interesting landscape museum in an eighteenth-century palace, exhibiting the painters of the Lombardy school (nineteenth century), and from its lakeside promenade you can see the small gulf that is home to the three Borromean islands, a pocket archipelago that can be visited in half a day, but is the highlight of Lake Maggiore. Let's skip over the isola dei Pescatori, \"fishermen's island\", which was once home to a picturesque village that is no longer so since every one of its houses has been transformed into a souvenir shop or pizzeria. But you can take ample consolation from a visit to Isola Madre, the wildest of the islands, a large garden planted with rare species of trees and overlooked by a sober eighteenth-century villa. This is in stark contrast to Isola Bella, just 500 metres away, which houses the family's ceremonial palace, a monumental Baroque eccentricity with 60 rooms, a deluge of stucco and marble, gilding and tapestries... and an Italian-style garden with ten terraces planted with exotic flora. The whole complex, which occupies most of the island, is like an extraordinary vessel, which leaves one wondering about the Borromeo motto: \"Humilitas\"... These premises, which still belong to the family, have never been used for private purposes, except once, for a reception given on the occasion of the film festival organised each year in Stresa, the village opposite the islands. Like all the lakes in the region, Lago Maggiore and its surroundings lend themselves to a host of excursions. They can take the form of walking, cycling or motoring rallies, carried out in a Smart car adapted to the local roads. And sports enthusiasts with a penchant for team-building will be in for a real treat at Baveno's Adventure Park, which offers a whole cocktail of activities, from rock-climbing to tree-climbing.
From Stresa, you can reach the summit of Mottarone (1491 m). The panorama stretches as far as the Swiss Alps, revealing all the lakes in the region, with Lake Orta below. Orta is a must-see and is often the subject of a day trip for groups staying at the big hotels on Lake Maggiore, in Baveno or Stresa,\" says Jennifer Davi, from the Orta tourist office. For smaller groups, however, a few upmarket hotels, such as Villa Crespi, an 1879 Moorish folly with a two-Michelin-star restaurant, can make a very original stopover.\" Less than an hour's drive from Lago Maggiore, Orta exudes charm, thanks to >>> its smaller size (13km x 1.5km) and the homogeneous medieval architecture of its eponymous village, a superb location for a historical treasure hunt.<\/p>\n
On reaching the port of Orta, you can see some of the twenty sixteenth- and seventeenth-century chapels emerging from the wooded park overlooking the village: this is one of Piedmont's many Sacro Monte, a \"sacred mountain\" that was once an important place of pilgrimage and centre of artistic creation. Orta, nicknamed the \"Capri of the lakes\", has a carefree Mediterranean atmosphere. In the town, in the piazza Mario Motta near the pier, the 'captains' of the dozen or so canoes serving the island chill out under the double avenue of plane trees, calling out to each other loud and clear as if in an Italian comedy. Italiannissime.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"