numbers

geography
The lake goes back to Ice Era.
On the eastern side its shores are in Lombardia, on the western they are in Piedmont while in the northern side they are part of the Helvetian Confederation (Switzerland).
Its major tributary and contemporaneously, outlet is the Ticino River.
The unique physical and landscape configuration of the lake, the presence of mountains and hills that protects it from the Nordic rigors and make the climate mild, the existence of tributaries like the Ticino - which is navigable, becoming with the entire basin an important artery between the Po lowlands and the Central Europe - all these factors fostered human settlements on the Lake.

history
The history of human settlements on the Maggiore dates back to the pre-historic civilization of Golasecca (Iron Age) to the Celts, to the Romans - who made in the 11th Augustan District, and so on from the important ecclesiastical organizations of the orders in the Middle Ages to the battles between Visconti and Torriani, finally affirmed by the Borromeos and by the passage of the northern area to the Swiss in the 16th century.
In the 17th the western shore was part of the Savoy dynasty, and that of the eastern to the Austrian Dominion which, excluding the twenty year Napoleonic period endured up until the Renaissance wars.
In the 19th century the tourist calling was affirmed with tremendous development of villas, parks and grand hotels.

HOW TO REACH
Lake Maggiore enjoys an efficient network of connections either towards the Po lowlands, and the Central European Countries. To the Sempione road and the coastal connection with Switzerland along the northwestern shore, it was added the Arona-Domodossola railway (1905) and the Sempione tunnel (1906). From Arona to Sesto Calende, in the southern zone, the railway lines transit from Milan, Genoa, Turin. The high way "Laghi A8" quickly joins the lake to Milan and to Arona where you can arrive also by means of state road 32, while the whole western shore up to Stresa is profiled by the main road 33 from Sempione. In the same way, either Stresa or Laveno are connected via road by Trenitalia rail with Milan, Genoa, Turin and Switzerland. From Laveno leaving for Milan also the LeNord railways line, while the highway of the "Trafori" (Tunnels) A26 connects the western shore of the lake with Alessandria, with the Liguria and with the Milano-Torino. Locarno in the Swiss territory, is in turn connected to the Central Europe by rail and roads through the Gottardo mountain-passes of San Bernardo and Sempione. The International airport of Milan-Malpensa is finally only 26 km from Arona, while at Magadino to the north-eastern extremity in the Swiss territory, a tourist airport exist.

WHAT TO VISIT

ARONA: Colossus of St. Charles Borromeo
ANGERA: Rocca Borromeo
SANTA CATERINA: Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso
STRESA: Botanical Park of Villa Pallavicino
CARCIANO: Cableway to Alpinia Botanical Gardens and Mottarone
ISOLA BELLA: Borromeo palace and gardens
ISOLA SUPERIORE: A typical fishing village
ISOLA MADRE: Borromeo palace and garden
PALLANZA: Landscape Museum
VILLA TARANTO: Botanical Gardens
CANNERO RIVIERA: Castles Cannero ruins of medieval castles
LUINO: On Wednesday the international market
CANNOBIO: Santuario della Pietà
BRISSAGO ISLANDS: Botanical Park of Canton Ticino
MAGADINO: Natural Reserve “Bolle di Magadino”
LOCARNO: Sanctuary Madonna del Sasso