Lake Maggiore, or Verbano, is the second largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda. The particular physical and landscape configuration of the lake, the presence of hills that make the climate mild, the existence of tributaries such as the Ticino river, have favoured and increased the settlement of peoples on the lake starting from the prehistoric civilization of Golasecca (Iron Age). The Celts and the Romans made the area the XI Augustan region.
In the nineteenth century started the development of villas, parks, and hotels, thus attracting many tourists. This area continues to attract a large number of visitors even today.
Here we suggest some Lombard stops not to be missed for which we have verified accessibility. At this link, you can find them on the map.
ANGERA
Ancient village overlooking the south-eastern shore of the lake, surrounded by hills, forests, meadows and streams, Angera is a place of natural and millennial charm. In Angera the most ancient testimonies concerning the human presence on the territory of Varese, dating back to 15.000 years ago during the Upper Palaeolithic have been found. The finds are collected in the Civic Archaeological Museum of the city.
For more information on Angera, at this link you can find an interactive map of the widespread heritage of the city.
At this link you can find a map with the places of Angera of which we have verified accessibility and that we suggest you visit in order to learn about its history and its artistic heritage. This itinerary is a proposal: the information on the accessibility of the various places can be found in the relevant information sheets.
In the map is also indicated the InfoPoint (here you can find information on its accessibility).
Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva
A few hundred meters from Piazzale della Vittoria, where there is the pier of the public navigation service, you can find the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva. The initial design of the church was magnificent, but in reality, due to a lack of funds, only the choir and the presbytery were completed in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1735, on the back side of the roof, the small bell tower was built.
Inside, above the altar, it is possible to admire the fifteenth-century fresco of the Virgin Mary with the child, which is considered miraculous.
On the back of the altar there is a seventeenth-century painting with the Crucifixion, coming from the church of S.M. Assunta.
There are also "the Virgin Mary with Child and Saints", an "the Adoration of the Magi" and a Nativity painted by unknown seventeenth-century authors.
For information on accessibility please click on this link
Civic Archaeological Museum
A little less than 500 meters from the Sanctuary, in a beautiful fifteenth-century building in the centre of the ancient village, there is the Civic Archaeological Museum. Do not miss the opportunity of a visit: in fact, the museum tells the story of Angera and the surrounding area. The first room is dedicated to prehistory, with significant finds from the Palaeolithic period to the Copper Age, including those identified in the famous Grotta di Angera. In addition to the numerous original finds, a tactile table, which allows all visitors to touch and try some prehistoric techniques of the territory, is available.
For information on accessibility, please click on this link
Church of Santa Maria Assunta
A hundred meters from the Archaeological Museum you can find the Church of S. Maria Assunta. Built on an early Christian necropolis brought to light by archaeological excavations in 2001, it is attested from the fourteenth century and has been enriched over the centuries by valuable furnishings and frescoes.
The stone of Angera, typical of the area, with its light colours characterizes this church, which certainly is worth a visit. Inside there are many things to admire: the eighteenth-century baptistery, the Renaissance wooden statue of the Madonna dei Sette Dolori, the wooden pulpit of the late seventeenth century and the choir, finely carved by the same carver. For information on accessibility, please click on this link.
Rocca Borromea di Angera
Driving westward for about 1 km, you reach the Rocca Borromea di Angera, which is located on a spur of rock dominating the southern shore of Lake Maggiore. In a strategic position for the control of trade traffic, it was first fortified by the archbishops of Milan and then by the Visconti and the Borromeo families, which it still belongs today. Along the access road to the Rocca, there is a cave, already inhabited in prehistoric times: it is believed that it was dedicated to the cult of Mithras, even if there is no testimony about it.
The fortress hosts the Museum of Dolls and Toys, a collection of over one thousand pieces among the richest in Europe, recently completed by the acquisition of precious functioning French automata. In another wing of the castle is the Museum of Children's Clothing with garments collected between the nineteenth century and the middle of the twentieth century. The Medieval Garden, full of symbolic meanings, is the setting for the Rocca and was built following accurate studies on ancient codices, old documents and images on illuminated manuscripts.
Here you can find information on accessibility.
LAVENO MOMBELLO
Laveno is the tourist capital of the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore and is where the Town Hall of Laveno Mombello is with its tourist port that connects the city by a ferry service to Intra, on the Piedmont shore.
Laveno Mombello is one of the most easily accessible lake destinations. It is well connected to the major Lombard centres, by train and by ferry, and also by fast roads to the Autostrada dei Laghi.
Mount Sasso del Ferro dominates the village, and its top can be reached via a cableway and this is one of the most popular scenic places of Lake Maggiore. The cableway departure is in the centre of Laveno. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.funiviedellagomaggiore.it/
Due to the characteristics of the mountain and of the cableway, this proposal might not be accessible to certain persons with disabilities; we kindly suggest you consult the relevant detailed information sheet at this link
In the city centre, a lakefront promenade offers a beautiful panorama, with the lake on one side and remarkable buildings and pedestrian lanes on the other. The lakefront promenade is wide, mostly flat with some slightly sloping stretches, with a good paved paving.
On the lakefront, Viale de Angeli is full of restaurants and cafeterias with outdoor tables.
In the old town, going inland, the village climbs along the hill and the slope of the streets becomes steeper.
Piazza Fontana is in the heart of the old town bordered by old houses, Art Nouveau buildings, gardens and the beautiful Villa De Angeli Frua, today the seat of the Town Hall and of the library.
Villa De Angeli Frua
The villa was built in the second half of the eighteenth century at the behest of the rich Tinelli family from Laveno, and towards the end of the nineteenth century was then sold to the De Angeli Frua family. In 1862, during a visit, Garibaldi gave a speech to the people from the balcony overlooking the square. In 1997 the villa underwent considerable renovation and subsequently became the Town Hall.
Church of Santi Filippo and Giacomo
Always in the old town, there is the Church of San Filippo e Giacomo. Known as the "Old Church", it was built on the remains of a chapel from the early 1300s. The central nave dates back to 1600, while the side aisle and the facade date back to the 19th century. Worthy of note is the bell tower in Lombard Romanesque style. On the sides of the portal stand the statues of the patron saints and inside there is a seventeenth-century wooden statue of the Madonna del Transito.
At this link you can find information on accessibility.
Hermitage of S. Caterina del Sasso
About 8 km away from Laveno Mombello and 4 Km from Cerro, in Leggiuno, is located the Hermitage of S. Caterina del Sasso, among the most evocative and fascinating places of Lake Maggiore. Today it can also be reached with the new lift excavated in the rock made by the Province of Varese: a work based on accessibility that allows people with motor difficulties to overcome a difference in height of 51 meters. From the hermitage you can enjoy a spectacular view of the lake.
According to tradition, the Hermitage was founded by Alberto Besozzi, a rich local merchant who, having survived a storm while crossing the lake, retired on this part of the coast to live as a hermit where he built a chapel dedicated to Santa Caterina d'Egitto, which can be visited at the back of the church: it dates back to the 12th century and two centuries later two more churches were built: San Nicola and Santa Maria Nova.
Between 1314 and 1645, after a period in which the Dominicans lived there, the convent passed into the hands of the friars coming from the Milanese convent of Sant'Ambrogio Ad Nemus. Then, until 1770, the convent was inhabited by the Carmelites. Since 1970, the Hermitage is owned by the Province of Varese. From 1986 to 1996 it has been run by a Dominican community, but today it is run by the Benedictine Oblates monks.
At this link you can find information on accessibility.
For more information on Laveno Mombello you can visit the InfoPoint. At this link you can find information on accessibility of the Infopoint.
LUINO
Overlooking the eastern shore of the lake, the so-called "Costa Fiorita", Luino is a popular tourist destination for those who love outdoor sports and is well-known for its International market held every Wednesday: with over 350 stalls, and a history dating back to 1541, when Carlo V was the first to authorize it, it is certainly the best-known market on Lake Maggiore, a source of inspiration for Piero Chiara, the famous writer who was born in Luino.
Many streets in the city centre, near the lakefront, are flat with well-connected pavement; going inland, the village climbs along the hill and the slope of the streets becomes steeper.
Church of San Giuseppe and Dionigi
Luino has a nice walk along the recently completed lakefront. Just following the lakefront walking south, shortly after the Town Hall of Luino, you meet the seventeenth-century Oratory of San Giuseppe and Dionigi, also called Church of S. Giuseppe (1665-66) that was built as a private oratory. It was designed by Gerolamo Quadrio, architect in charge of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo (the historical organization that is still taking care of all operational aspects of the Cathedral of Milan). On the façade there is an unusual high pronaos, which protrudes clearly towards the lake compared to the line of adjacent buildings and for this reason was, for a long time, the symbol of the village. Inside you can admire the high altar with a beautiful painting on the marriage of Mary and Joseph and the valuable paintings of the side altars.
For more information, please click this link
At this link you can find information on accessibility.
Church of the Carmine
The walk continues, until you enter the Parco a Lago, where the Church of the Carmine is.
The church and the convent of the Carmine were founded on the bank of the lake in 1477 by Jacopo da Luino, a lay Carmelite. In the church, that has only one aisle with a transversal Gothic arch, there are some valuable works: the seventeenth-century confessionals and the pulpit carved in wood, the altars of the two side chapels, rich with stuccos, according to the Lombard decorative tradition; the frescoes of the first chapel on the left of the entrance, entirely frescoed with sacred scenes dating back to 1544. The Carmelite convent was closed in 1778, but it preserves intact the architecture and the charm of the past. The refined portal in red sandstone, probably built by the end of the 16th century, deserves to be admired.
At this link you can find information on accessibility.
Parco a Lago
Parco a Lago is the lakefront area that runs along Viale Dante Alighieri. It consists of two parallel pedestrian paths: one runs along the road and is located higher, the other is along the lake; the stretch between them is a green terraced lawn sloping from the road to the lake.The pedestrian path that runs along the road is wide, flat, well paved and shaded by trees.
The path along the lake is wide, flat, well paved, without trees; at the two ends of this path there are two long inclined ramps (average slope of 5%) that allow access also to people with reduced mobility. Parco a Lago offers a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Maggiore. It has a playground for children, accessible via a ramp, and an accessible bar with a bathroom equipped for people with disabilities.
Parco Boschetto in Germignaga
In the village of Germignaga, just 2 km from Luino, there are wide beaches, in sand and gravel, but with steep access and they are not equipped for people with disabilities. Close to the beach there is a pleasant green area with meadows and trees, well shaded, called "Parco Boschetto", accessible to everybody. It is crossed by paths that are at least 80 cm wide: some stretches are flat, others are sloping, with parts in concrete surface and others are well paved or in clay ground and fine gravel. The park has a playground for children and a bar with outdoor tables, and they can be reached on a concrete, flat path. Nearby, there are several asphalted parking lots, with parking spaces reserved for disabled pass holders.
For more information on Luino, you can visit the InfoPoint.
At this link you can find information on accessibility of the Infopoint.
ON LAKE MAGGIORE BY BOAT
The Gestione Navigazione Laghi company connects the main villages along the shore of Lake Maggiore. For information, please visit: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/
The service welcomes passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility; for more information on fares, the accessibility of boats and docks and the assistance service, please visit: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/assistenza-disabili.aspx
Boats are a very interesting means of transport for tourists with disabilities, because they generally reach the centre of each village, where the territory is more suitable for people with reduced mobility: usually the lakefront and the neighbouring streets are flat and easily accessible even for people with reduced mobility.
The boat also allows you to avoid congested traffic and the search for a parking place.