Isola Bella

About : Isola Bella

Isola Bella is an island located on Lake Maggiore between Switzerland and Italy. Formerly called Inferiore, Isola Bella owes its current name to the Countess Isabella Borromeo, wife of Charles III, who began work on the transformation of this infertile rocky island in the first half of the 17th century, work which was completed in 1671 with Vitaliano VI. The island is now entirely occupied by the Borromeo Palace, a true Baroque museum containing unique pieces of inestimable value and its Italian gardens which are spread over ten terraces. In the great century, the fame of Isola Bella went beyond borders. European nobility jostled to attend their celebrations. Napoleon Bonaparte, during an excursion on Lake Maggiore, invited Joséphine to spend the night there during his Italian campaign in 1797.