The Italian lakes are famous for being exceptionally beautiful and being a popular haunt of the rich and famous. In our 2 days the weather was at best overcast, with flashes of sun, so we did not see them at their very best - more moody, but still very lovely.
We were staying at Stresa, a small resort town, on Lago Maggiore, the second largest of the lakes. Our hotel, La Palma, was great. To get to the lake you had to walk all the way across the road - but when you got there you could sit at tables and take tea or whatever to recover from the exertion.
The hotel had a superb restaurant plus a roof lounge area with infinity pool (complete with spa jets), bar and seating areas. On a good day you could stand on the roof and see to Switzerland - literally. We can think of at least one person who would just love it there!
We cruised to the islands in the Lake. Two of them - Isola Bella and Isola Madre - both owned for hundreds of years by the historically important Borromeo family. The islands are covered with castles, botanical gardens (even plants from NZ), white peacocks(!), and the ubiquitous history.
Our visit to Lago Como, probably the most well known of the lakes, included a boat trip part way along the lake to Bellagio and back. Como is another very pretty lake with high, steep sides from glacial action. George Clooney apparently has a villa there, which kept some people interested.
The towns of Como and Bellagio are tourist traps as well as residential towns. We got sucked into SHOPPING.
Both lakes are very built up by the the NZ standard for pretty lakes. There are villages everywhere on the shores, and churches or castles appear on many of the peaks.
They all have railway stations and you can go there by train - as you do. Maggiore has a huge eyesore quarry, but you have to forgive even that when you find out that the stone was used to build the Milan cathedral back in the day.
If you compare these lakes with say Waikaremoana, or even Wanaka, the experience is quite, quite different in terms of natural, unbuilt, environment. Thats's not to say the European ones aren't beautiful - they are, but in a different way. One can see how a NZ lake would be quite a thrill for someone used to the European 'model'.
I thought of Lake McKenzie on the Routeburn - unrecorded until the last hundred years, and still exactly in its natural state (barring a small hut and various mustelids as some will know.)
Which is the best? I think I would need to carry out further research in the field to answer that...
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