Isola Bella in Stresa, an island shaped as a Baroque garden-ship
Published on 08/17/2026 at 13:55 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Isola Bella off Stresa on Lake Maggiore takes the compact outline of a low island and turns it into a carefully staged combination of palace and garden that resembles a stone ship on the water. On an area that measures roughly a few hundred metres in each direction, Palazzo Borromeo and its terraced Baroque garden occupy almost the entire surface, leaving space only for a small fishing village at one end.
An island remade as a Borromeo Baroque residence
Isola Bella belongs to the group of Borromean Islands in the Borromean Gulf of Lake Maggiore, lying a short distance offshore from the lakeside town of Stresa in northern Italy.One of the Borromean islands It carries its name in honour of Isabella d’Adda, wife of Carlo III Borromeo, tying the island directly to the Borromeo family who shaped its present form over several centuries.Named after Isabella d’Adda
The island that Carlo III Borromeo began to reshape in the early seventeenth century had previously been a rocky outcrop with houses of fishermen and two small churches.Earlier rocky outcrop with fishermen From around 1632 a grand Baroque project turned this modest setting into Palazzo Borromeo, a princely dwelling extended and refined by generations of the family into the twentieth century. The palace itself dates mainly from the seventeenth century, but its decoration and layout reflect work over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well.
Palazzo Borromeo: a Baroque palace facing the lake
Palazzo Borromeo occupies the northern part of Isola Bella, forming the “prow” of the island-ship with its facades looking towards Stresa and the wider expanse of Lake Maggiore.Palace as prow of a ship-like composition Inside, a sequence of salons and galleries displays tapestries, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts that together present a Baroque aristocratic residence connected to wider European artistic currents.Baroque art museum in the palace
Lower down, a series of grotto rooms lined with stone and shell decoration creates a cooler, more enclosed interior world beneath the more formal upper floors.Grotto rooms on the lower level The palace structure runs almost to the water’s edge, with piers extending into the lake for boat landings that serve both the residence and visitors. Together with the garden terraces, the built fabric covers most of the island’s area, emphasising how thoroughly the Borromeo project reshaped the original rock.
Terraced Baroque gardens shaped like a stone ship
South of the palace, the gardens of Isola Bella rise on a system of Italian-style Baroque terraces, forming a stepped composition that gives the overall island the outline of a moored stone ship among the blue waters of Lake Maggiore.Formal Italian-style Baroque garden At the core stands the Teatro Massimo, a theatrical garden structure around which ten superimposed terraces form a truncated pyramid surrounded by parterres at different levels connected by stairways.Ten superimposed terraces around Teatro Massimo
These terraces carry hedges, citrus trees, ornamental shrubs, seasonal flower beds, statues and monumental vases, with white peafowl moving among the planting as a distinctive feature of the garden scene.Garden with white peacocks and luxuriant vegetation From the upper levels, views open across the lake to the surrounding mountain slopes and towards other Borromean Islands, while closer at hand the terraces frame perspectives back towards the palace facades. The combination of masonry, statuary and carefully controlled vegetation gives the garden its characteristic Baroque theatricality.
Visiting Isola Bella: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Isola Bella lies a short distance offshore from Stresa in northern Italy, reached by boat services that connect the town’s lakefront with the island’s landing stages.
- The palace and gardens rise on multiple terraces above the lake, connected by stairways; a visit involves walking on sloping paths and climbing numerous steps between levels.
- Isola Bella forms part of the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore in Italy, where the official language is Italian and the currency is the euro.
Searching for Isola Bella on social platforms
These links open searches for Isola Bella on each platform.Frequently asked questions about Isola Bella
Where is Isola Bella located?
Isola Bella is an island in Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, lying a short distance offshore from the lakeside town of Stresa in the Borromean Gulf.
What can visitors expect when touring Isola Bella?
A visit combines the Baroque interiors of Palazzo Borromeo with terraced Italian-style gardens, stairways, statues and planting that together cover most of the island’s surface.
What makes Isola Bella distinctive among lake islands?
Its defining feature is the way a once rocky fishermen’s island has been remade as a Baroque palace and multi-level formal garden shaped in the outline of a stone ship.
