LAKE MAGGIORE

The territory of Ispra was already inhabited in ancient times. Flint artifacts that have recently been discovered in the area take us back to remote prehistoric times. Last century, a beautiful prehistoric pirogue - nowadays kept in the Museum of Isola Bella, was found in the Peat bog located under the Barza hill, between Quassa and Angera. At the beginning of the 20th century the production of lime obtained from the hillside and processed in the numerous existing lime kilns acquired relevance. Today those lime kilns have been restored and are open to the public. Since the 60’s Ispria is the seat of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. One of the main tourist attractions in Ispra is the long lakeside walk. It is possible to travel most of the way along the lake from the big erratic known as Cavalasc di Ranco to the swamp known as Palude Bozza on the border with Brebbia and there is a pedestrian walk-way for almost the whole length of the lakeside. A flight of steps leads directly onto the lake from the square at the back of the Parish Church. From the big car park opposite the cemetery you can walk across the park that surrounds the Castelbarco monument and arrive to the square in the harbour. Small ports, piers and docks -some of which are private, can be found all the way along the coast. The main access for vessels is the equipped harbour area with the mooring of the “Navigazione Lago Maggiore” for boats and hydrofoils and the tourist office (IAT) both open during the summer season.