Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Lapping it up

Overshadowed by their larger, louder neighbours, the northern Italian lakes of Iseo and Orta are two of Italy’s best-kept secrets. Catherine Richards avoids the summer crowds and reveals all

Lake Orta

Pocket-sized Lake Orta lies 30km south of Lake Maggiore, and is separated from it by the mighty 1,385m Monte Mottarone. Shrouded in summer mist, Orta’s skyline is gentle on the eye, with none of the soaring, snow-covered peaks that demand attention elsewhere.

Omegna is the largest town on the lake, but it’s the exquisite town of Orta San Giulio that’s the draw, dubbed “the Lord’s watercolour” by Italian writer Piero Chiaro. Essentially traffic-free, Orta San Giulio has no conference hotels and very few coaches disgorging tour groups. This is a place where you spend half your time wondering where everyone is and the rest of the time thankful they’re elsewhere.

Piazza Motta, the town’s principal square, has a tiny 16th-century town hall – the broletto – which perches at one end of the piazza, overlooking a sweep of 17th-century houses, their pastel-coloured facades bleached by the sun. With its unforgettable view over the most beautiful of all the lakes’ islands, Isola San Giulio, Piazza Motta positively encourages inactivity. A quick drink turns into a long, lazy lunch; a brief pit stop to check the guidebook becomes two hours spent watching the world go by. Have a coffee at any of the piazza’s bars – try Ai due Santi (Piazza Motta 18) for an aperitivo – or for a lazy lunch with the best view in town, Ristorante Leon d’Oro (Piazza Motta 42, tel. ).

Small ferries chug between the island and the shore, supplemented by private water taxis – though the fit (or the foolish) can rent a wooden boat and row themselves across. Isola San Giulio is dominated by the fourth-century basilica of San Giulio, the work of builder-brothers Giulio and Giuliano, who hailed from the Greek island of Aegina. After 99 churches, this was to be their last. The interior is a delight, the highlight being the grey-green marble pulpit carved from the stone at Oira, in the nearby Ossola Valley.

Back on dry land, climb up to Sacro Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for fabulous views over the island and the western shore. Twenty chapels, the first begun in 1590, depict the life of St Francis of Assisi. Time it right and you may be the only visitor, sharing the space with maintenance men and 379 life-size terracotta figures. Eat lunch here at the Ristorante Sacro Monte (tel. ). If you like walking, climb higher still to Monte Mesma at 576m – along with Sacro Monte, it’s a protected nature reserve. Paths wind through ancient chestnut woods to the 17th-century convent of Monte Mesma, built on the remains of a 13th-century castle.

If you’re here in August, the lake hosts the annual World Fireworks Championships at Omegna, (www.fioridifuoco.it), while in September entertainment can be had at Poetry on the Lake, Orta San Giulio’s international poetry festival. For information contact Gabriel Griffin (tel. ).

Lake Iseo

If Lake Orta is a place for quiet reflection, Lake Iseo has a wake-up-and-walk vibe.

Sandwiched between the wine growing Franciacorta region to the south and the Val Camonica to the north, the lake is perfectly placed for hiking and biking excursions. Less glitzy, glamorous and less developed than neighbouring Garda, Lake Iseo is not only quieter in the height of the summer but, thanks to its smaller size, a good few degrees cooler.

Iseo is a family-friendly natural lake, which is clearly part of its attraction, as is the ever-changing landscape. Softer and greener in the south, at Riva di Solto on the western shore it’s all plunging rocks and ravines (the inspiration for the backdrop in Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’), while in the north the Val Camonica begins, with the towering peaks of the Adamello mountains on the horizon. The Val Camonica itself is Italy’s longest valley. Home to more than 250,000 rock drawings dating from 8000 BC, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At Riva di Solto, rent an apartment at Castello di Zorzino (www.castel-zorzino.com) or enjoy B&B in a restored 18th-century palace at Il Palazzo (www.palazzoincollina.it). You’ll need wheels to reach both – though sublime views and peace are guaranteed.

One of the prettiest villages on the lake is Sale Maresino, on the eastern shore, just south of the village of Marone. Stay at the four-star Villa Kinzica, with double rooms from €110 (www.villakinzica.it). From here the size of Monte Isola becomes apparent; the largest lake island in Italy, it effectively divides the lake in two. A perfect place for a day’s walking or cycling, the island is car-free, and boasts a number of characteristic villages. Catch a boat from Sulzano or Sale Maresino to the village of Peschiere Maraglio and walk through olive groves to Sensole. Have lunch overlooking the lake at Trattoria del Sole (tel. ).

Families with children will enjoy the huge Sassabanek leisure complex and camping site at the southern tip of Lake Iseo (www.sassabanek.it), which has swimming pools, tennis courts and watersport facilities. Nearby is the pretty lakeside town of Iseo, with a range of hotels and restaurants, and to the south, the wine-growing area of Franciacorta. The local wine consortium can help with visits to vineyards and wine tastings (stradadel www.franciacorta.it).

Need to know

Lake Orta

Where to stay

Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio, www.hotelvillacrespi.it

A stunning 19th-century Moorish folly. Double rooms from €190.

Albergo d’Orta hotelorta.it Old-fashioned but with a great position in Piazza Motta and right on the lake. Double rooms from €89.

La Contrada dei Monti lacontradadeimonti.it Charming, small hotel close to the centre of Orta San Giulio. Double rooms from €100.

Where to eat

Ristorante Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio, With two Michelin stars and in the hotel of the same name. Menu degustazione from €70.

Taverna Antica Agnello, Orta San Giulio, Via Olina 18, tel.  Family-run place. Come here for regional specialities and lake fish.

Al Sorriso, Soriso, nr Gozzano, Via Roma 18, tel. Three Michelin stars. One of the best restaurants around and one of the most expensive to boot.

Lake Iseo

Where to stay

L’Albereta, Erbusco, albereta.it Sheer luxury at this 19th-century mansion in the Franciacorta, complete with a superb restaurant headed by one of Italy’s most famous chefs, Gualtiero Marchesi. Doubles from €220.

I Due Roccoli, Iseo, idueroccoli.com Very elegant hotel set in its own park. Views over the lake, swimming pool and tennis courts. Doubles from €130.

Bellavista, Siviano, Monte Isola, tel. , albergo-bellavista.it Simple rooms, some with beautiful lake views, at good prices. Great fish in the restaurant, too.

Where to eat

Trattoria Glisenti, Vello, nr Marone, tel.  Fish a speciality. Around €30. Reserve and bring cash as no credit cards are accepted.

Osteria il Volto, Iseo, Via Mirolte 32, tel.

Tucked into the corner of a tiny piazza in Iseo – good for a long, lazy dinner. Menu degustazione at €70.

Al Desco, Sarnico, Piazza XX Settembre, tel.

Great locally caught fish in Sarnico’s central piazza. Book ahead.

FR Sur les rives du lac

Dans le Nord de l’Italie, les lacs d’Orta et d’Iseo sont les deux secrets bien gardés de la péninsule. Et même si les lacs voisins plus grands et plus voyants leur font de l’ombre, ils restent fort heureusement préservés de l’invasion estivale.

Très joli petit lac, Orta se situe au sud du lac de Maggiore, entouré par les hautes montagnes de Mottarone. Recouverte par la légère brume d’été, la ligne d’horizon de l’Orta apporte calme et sérénité, un contraste avec les sommets élevés et enneigés, qui ailleurs, s’imposent au regard. Omegna est la plus grande ville de la région du lac, mais c’est la sublime ville d’Orta San Giulio qui a été baptisée “l’aquarelle du Seigneur.” Sur la Piazza Motta, la place principale, se tient un minuscule hôtel de ville du 16e siècle qui surplombe des maisons du 17e et leur vue inoubliable sur la magnifique île du lac, San Giulio. Grimpez sur le Mont Sacro, un site classé Patrimoine Mondial par l’UNESCO, d’où vous bénéficierez d’une vue imprenable sur l’île et sur le rivage occidental.

Le lac d’Iseo appelle à l’action et à la randonnée. Enserré entre la région vinicole Franciacorta au Sud et les sillons du Val Camonica au Nord, le lac est parfaitement situé pour des excursions à pied ou à vélo. Ce lac naturel est un séjour idéal pour des vacances en famille, ce qui en fait l’un de ses principaux attraits tout comme ses paysages aux reliefs variés. Sale Maresino, sur la rive Est, est l’un des villages les plus pittoresques du lac. Prenez un bateau jusqu’à Peschiere Maraglio sur l’île de Monte Isola, la plus grande île lacustre d’Italie, et baladez-vous dans les oliveraies. Non loin, se trouve la belle ville des rives du lac, Iseo, avec son association vinicole locale qui organise des visites des vignobles et des dégustations de crus régionaux.

NL Meer gezocht

De Noord-Italiaanse meren Orta en Iseo zijn twee goedbewaarde geheimen. Ze leven in de schaduw van hun grotere en populairdere buren en blijven zo elke zomer gespaard van de grote toeristische overrompeling.

Verborgen achter de majestueuze Monte Mottarone ligt, even bezuiden Lago Maggiore, het kleine Ortameer. Met zijn zomerse nevelen is Orta een ware streling voor het oog en voor een keer gaat het landschap niet gebukt onder besneeuwde bergtoppen. Omegna mag dan het grootste dorp aan het meer zijn, het prachtige Orta San Giulio kreeg de bijnaam “aquarel van de Heer”. Het kleine, 16de-eeuwse stadhuis aan de centrale Piazza Motta kijkt uit op 17de-eeuwse huizen en op het wondermooie meereiland Isola San Giulio. Voor een nog adembenemender zicht op het eiland en de westkust moet je naar Sacro Monte, dat op de werelderfgoedlijst van de UNESCO staat.

Wie ontwaakt aan Lago Iseo, wil meteen de wandelschoenen aantrekken. Het meer ligt tussen de wijnstreek van Franciacorta in het zuiden en de Val Camonica in het noorden. Het vormt de ideale locatie voor wandel- en fietstochten. De gezinsvriendelijkheid, de natuur en de eeuwig wisselende landschappen zijn de grootste troeven. Een van de mooiste dorpen aan het meer is Sale Maresino. Neem een boot naar de Peschiere Maraglio op Monte Isola – het grootste meereiland in Italië – en kuier door de olijfboomgaarden. Even verder ligt het lieflijke dorpje Iseo. Bij het lokale wijnconsortium kan je terecht voor wijngaardbezoeken en degustaties.

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