• Verbania: D2 … Isola Bella (the Gardens)

    August 1 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    And then there were the gardens at Isola Bella … some of which predate the construction of the palazzo.

    The formal Italian-style baroque gardens continue the over-the-top theme of the palazzo outside. Beautiful … perfectly manicured … flowers adding pops of color … white peacocks strolling about freely.

    We spent quite a bit of time at Teatro Massimo, the section of the garden that consists of ten terraces that form a truncated pyramid … surrounded by sculptures and parterres. And also at the Garden of Love, which retains its original Italian Garden layout from the 17th century.

    When we first arrived at Teatro Massimo, there were a number of visitors dawdling in front of the main feature … returning 15 minutes later, there was hardly a soul around … perfect for a selfie. The rest of the gardens were crowd-free for some reason. No complaints. It made for a peaceful stroll as we checked out the nooks and crannies.

    Turns out that the tower at the far end of the gardens has been turned into a café. We debated getting some pastries and tea, and sitting down for a bit. But ended up getting some gelato on the run so that we would have time to explore the island village. Should have done the tea and pastries as we were disappointed that the village consisted of little more than shops and restaurants.

    Returning to the pier for the ride back to Stresa, we were entertained by a flock of mergansers swimming near the shoreline … and small brown birds in search of tidbits of snacks dropped on the ground by visitors.

    The boat returned us directly to Stresa, so it was a really short ride … one that, however, gave us a chance to see Isola Bella from the water.
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