Angera (10 Km)
Angera lies in a wonderful gulf, a strategic point that made it longed-for since its origins. It has been possession of the many families that alternated in this region during the centuries, but it is certain that the Borromeo Family left an indelible trail of art and culture, as testified by some buildings and gardens that they realized, such as Rocca di Angera, of which they are the owners still today.
The tree-lined lakeside promenade is really charming and it offers wide green places just on the lakeshore. Angera is overlooked by Rocca Borromea, one of the few examples of still undamaged medieval castles. From the highest tower you can enjoy a peerless view that sweeps over the whole Lake Maggiore.
In the small gulf stands Partegora Island, inside a wildlife reserve made up of reed thickets and woods, which is an important damp area for the lake ecosystem, although it is flanked with a big boat storage shed facing Angera.

Sesto Calende (2 Km)
Sesto Calende is a small town located just in the middle of a stately and verdant morainic amphitheatre of glacial origins. Here the Ticino river flows, leaving Lake Maggiore and pouring between its verdant banks. The origins of Sesto Calende date back to the pre-Roman time; it is certain that the village has been founded in such very spot because of the strategic position, and because of the proximity to the Ticino river which has allowed navigation prospering until the end of the nineteenth-century. The wide Commune territory consists of picturesque resorts such as S. Anna and Lisanza, located on the lakeshore just behind the bridge; Cocquo, S. Giorgio, Lentate, Oriano and Oneda, plunged in the green of the low surrounding hills. Sesto Calende can be reached by train (local and international) or by car (Simplon national road, A8 and A26 motorways).

Borromean Islands (22 Km)
The Borromean Islands are the marvels of Lake Maggiore: the palaces, the gardens, the fishing villages and their environment make them really unique: they are a real work of men and nature. The archipelago of the Borromean Islands, after which the homonymous gulf is called ( Borromeo Gulf ), is situated almost in the middle of Lake Verbano, in the very point where Verbaina Pallanza and Stresa face each other, with their wonderful promenades flanked with stately villas and Art-nouveau hotels. The Borromean Islands consist of three proper islands: Mother Island ( Isola Madre ), the biggest one; Beautiful Island ( Isola Bella ), consecrated to Carlo III Borromeo's wife Isabella D'Adda, where you can find one of the greatest examples of Baroque gardens in Italy; Fishermen's Island ( Isola dei Pescatori ), whose name is taken after the main activity of their inhabitants (it is also known as Isola Superiore); a small Island (Isolino di San Giovanni, also called Isolino Toscanini), which is located just off Pallanza (Verbania) and finally the tiny uninhabited rock of Malghera, which lies between Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori and offers bushy vegetation and a small beach.

Stresa (22 Km)
Stresa is an important international tourist place, in the middle of Lake Maggiore, situated in a panoramic and picturesque position just in front of the Borromean Islands. From the second half of the nineteenth-century, with the first English tourists, until the beginning of the twentieth century, Stresa has undertaken such unmistakable and elegant look with its Art Nouveau hotels and the villas that characterize it. Today it is a well-known resort as well as an important seat of cultural events and international meetings and conventions. Marconi Square opens on the wonderful lakeside beach and its wharf, and there stands the Parish Church of St. Ambrogio, rebuilt in neoclassic style in 1790 by G. Zanoia. Behind it, Villa Ducale is visible in the distance: it is the first villa which was built in 1770, followed by many others in time; there Antonio Rosmini died, and an International Centre in his memory has been established just inside the villa.
Nevertheless, the greatest value of Stresa's location is its charming view over the Lake. The sight ranges from the Lombard shore, with Cerro and Laveno and up to Rocca di Calde', to the Piedmontese one with Punta della Castagnola, Pallanza and – on the left side – the Monte Rosso (613 meters above sea level) and up to Ossola mountains. A little closer, the archipelago of the Borromean Islands – a traditional charming destination – lies peacefully in front of the town, to which the isles are linked by Compagnia Lago Maggiore boats every 30 minutes.