Isola Bella garden

A view from one of the terraces. Behind us were climbing roses and beds of poppies.

Isola Bella grotto

The grotto, covered in shells and statues, faces Isola Bella's palazzo and forms the back side of the terraced garden. The entire ground floor of the palazzo is decorated in grotto-style as well.

Lake Maggiore islands

On our way back to Switzerland, Zak and I stopped in Stresa and visited two of the Borromean Islands of

Lake Maggiore. We ate lunch on Isola dei Pescatori, the smaller one in the distance, which is three streets

wide and covered in restaurants and souvenir shops. Then we toured the palace and terraced garden

of Isola Bella in the foreground. Tourists zip between the islands on small boats run by private operators.