isola madre

CarmichaelVentura

Isola Madre (Mother Island) in Lake Maggiore is absolutely gorgeous! It contains not only exquisite gardens but a beautiful palazzo, and the setting cannot be beaten.

MummaBear59

Lovely day trip from Milan by train to Stresa followed by ferry ride to Isola Madre and then Isola Bella. Those very different in character, both gardens were beautiful and Isola Madre was very relaxing to wander through and enjoy the wonderful surroundings of this uncomplicated and pretty garden. We were amazed by the work and effort that has gone in to saving a very old cypress tree damaged in a storm - hope it pays off. Well worth the trip and highly recommended.

Markog35

The lake is so beautiful and you can spend their hole day. visit the borromeo palace, take a boat trip or just relax and go to nice restaurant

gamain

The Palazzo Madre had beautiful gardens and a 16th - 18th century palce. Both gardens and palace are worthy of a visit. We paid 18.50 euros/person for the double visit, which also included a visit to Palazzo Borromeo located on Isola Bella, which is the 1st island ferry stop.

Maillysr

We loved both the palace and the botanical gardens with rare plants and blue/white pheasants. This and Bella are must sees.

MichelleM83940

This island is one of the 3 Borromean Islands and is stunning. The gardens are beautifully maintained and the house is fascinating. This is well worth a visit if staying nearby.

CityHopperJerusalem

Excellent gardeners keeping the flowers and trees, a beauty to the eyes. Some birds in cages are part of the gardens. The beautiful cypress next to the house was saved and replanted, really awesome. The house is also beautiful. They sell you 3 isles but only Madre and Bella are worthwhile.

Hellonophile20

I'm not a massive fan of gardens but the wander around this island was very pleasant - the work being done to save the cypress, and the tranquil nature of the place. I preferred this to Isola Bella.

exiledblue

As expected it was quite difficult to navigate with a buggy around these beautiful gardens and house but the most disappointing aspect was the challenge I had to get out with the buggy. I didnt want to walk all the way back to the entrance so had to fold up the buggy to get out through a tiny rotating gate. if there was a better exit it needed better signposting. However, if you dont have a buggy issue then its really worth a visit.

MSandDS

Isola Bella is obviously the most popular island & Pescatori the least popular . We thought Madre was by far the best island. When you land on the island, you immediately enter the grounds to the garden and the palace (no dogs). There are arrows to guide you and the grounds are beautiful and unpretentious and, very important, not crowded! (We were there on a Sat.!). The palace seemed lived in versus a staged grandiose palace setting as at Bella. When you exit, there is one restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and it was delightful. And no vendor booths! We loved this island -

BobblenoseWarwicks

A lovely walk through terraced woods interspersed with annual bedding including multi-coloured coleus, until we reached the stunning and colourful gardens by the Palazzo. Vivid planting schemes of magenta, orange and red were complemented by the climbing plants on the Palazzo walls. The courtyard with the pool and statues to the side of the house was equally stunning - go up the steps for the best view.The cafeteria staff were welcoming & helpful, carrying our meal to a table on the terrace where we nearly shared it with the white peacocks!The Palazzo itself was less impressive, seeming darker and more austere than that on Isola Bella, but the gardens more than made up for it. Our final view as our ferry departed was of pots of lime-green coleus & blue scaevola along the lakeside wall - wow!

JeffB676

We visited Isola Madre last week, whilst staying in Baveno, it's the island which is often overlooked by visitors who prefer to visit Isola Bella or Isola Piscatori, however Isola Madre has much to offer. The island has a palace to visit, and extensive grounds with formal and informal gardens, and many exotic birds, many of which wander around freely. There is an entrance fee of 11 Euros, but you can spend a long time wandering around the island. However, I would definitely avoid the café on the island, which is ridiculously expensive with very poor service. We just had a coffee and a mineral water, and ordered these at the counter and I carried them to my own table but was still charged 1.5 Euros per person service charge, which is ridiculous, so either take a bottle of water with you, or find an alternative when you leave the island. We'd definitely visit the island again, but wouldn't bother with the café.

731mandym

Really worth every penny .. everything from pretty gardens. To nature an beautiful birds. U can't describe it until u have been. A whole day is what u need. It was like a secret garden . Lol

FBaird

The home on this island is not much, but the gardens and exotic birds are incredible! This is the place to just linger and enjoy the beauty (my son and I lucked on to lovely weather)

JackyS760

We decided to visit the botanical garden and were delighted to discover that RHS members are admitted free of charge. It is not as crowded as some of the other islands and an early morning visit meant we could soak up the tranquil atmosphere. The gardens are beautifully kept, very colourful and have quite a tropical feel, with aviaries, free ranging peacocks and formal pond. An added bonus was the very interesting Pallazo built in 1518. The furnishings, amazing puppet theatres and mannequins provided a fascinating insight into the lives of the Borromeo family who owned so much of the land in this part of Italy.