Page 49 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

known as the Orrido di
Sant’Anna, crossed at LAGO MAGGIORE EXPRESS
its narrowest part by a
Romanesque bridge. The Lago Maggiore Express (%091 756 04 00; www.
lagomaggioreexpress.com; adult/child 1-day tour €34/17,
The Drive » The next part of
the journey involves retracing 2-day tour €44/22) is a picturesque day trip you can do
the previous 22km drive to without the car. It includes train travel from Arona
Verbania-Intra to board the or Stresa to Domodossola, from where you get the
cross-lake ferry to Laveno. charming Centovalli train, crossing 100 valleys, to
Ferries run every 20 minutes Locarno in Switzerland and a ferry back to Stresa.
(one-way tickets cost €8 to The two-day version is perhaps better value if you
€13 for car and driver). Once in have the time.
Laveno pick up the SP394dir
and then the SP1var and SS394
for the 23km drive to Varese. rooms is the 1830 Salone II 54; h3-7.30pm Mon, 9am-
Impero (Empire Hall), 12.30pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Sat)
with heavy chandeliers you can buy top-quality ITALY 2 THE GRAcEFUL ITALIAN LAKES
4 Varese and four canvases by scarves, ties and fabrics
Spread out to the south David Simpson (born in for a fraction of the cost
of the Campo dei Fiori 1928). you’d pay elsewhere.
hills, Varese is a prosper- After wandering the
ous provincial capital. The Drive » The 28km drive medieval alleys of the
from Varese to Como isn’t
From the 17th century terribly scenic, passing through historic centre take a
onwards, Milanese nobles a string of small towns and stroll along Passeggiata
began to build second suburbs nestled in the wooded Lino Gelpi, where you
residences here, the hills. The single-lane SS342 pass a series of water-
most sumptuous being passes through Malnate, front mansions, finally
the Palazzo Estense, Solbiate and Olgiate Comasco arriving at Villa Olmo
completed in 1771 for before reaching Como. (%031 25 23 52; Via Cantoni 1;
Francesco III d’Este, the gardens free, villa entry varies
governor of the Duchy of TRIP HIGHLIGHT by exhibition; hvilla during
Milan. Although you can- 5 como exhibitions 9am-12.30pm
not visit the palace you & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, gardens
are free to wander the Built on the wealth of 7.30am-11pm summer, to 7pm
vast Italianate gardens its silk industry, Como winter). Set grandly facing
(open 8am to dusk). is an elegant town and the lake, this Como land-
To the north of the city remains Europe’s most mark was built in 1728
sits another great villa, important producer by the Odescalchi family,
Villa Panza (%0332 28 of silk products. The related to Pope Innocent
39 60; www.fondoambiente. Museo della Seta (Silk XI, and now hosts block-
it; Piazza Litta 1; adult/re- Museum; %031 30 31 80; buster art shows. During
duced €10/5; h10am-6pm www.museosetacomo.com; Via the summer the Lido di
Tue-Sun), donated to the Castelnuovo 9; adult/reduced Villa Olmo (%031 57 08 71;
state in 1996. Part of €10/7; h10am-6pm Tue-Fri, www.lidovillaolmo.it; Via Cer-
the donation were 150 to 1pm Sat) unravels the nobbio 2; adult/reduced €8/4;
contemporary canvases town’s industrial history, h9am-7pm mid-May–Sep),
collected by Giuseppe with early dyeing and an open-air swimming
Panza di Biumo, mostly printing equipment on pool and lakeside bar, is
by post-WWII American display. At A Picci (%031 open to the public.
artists. One of the finest 26 13 69; Via Vittorio Emanuele

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