Verbania

The grandeur of Verbania's 19th-century villas and the flower-fringed walkways that line its little perch on the side of Lake Maggiore are a perfect introduction to the wealth and elegance of the Piedmont. This is actually the largest town on Maggiore's banks, and a fine gateway to the famous aristocratic homes, botanical gardens, and rising Alpine peaks that abound all around.

Verbania tour guides will often put a trip to the iconic Villa Taranto right at the top of the list. Famed for the palm-sprouting, pond-peppered Giardini Botanici, they host a series of regal outdoor areas that burst with a whopping 20,000 or more plant species. Meanwhile, other historic manors, like the Villa San Remigio and the Villa Giulia, showcase their own flurries of stunning Renaissance and Rococo and Neo-Classical architecture.

Days on the lake are made possible by efficient ferry links to the opposite banks and the famous isles of Lago Maggiore. They are the Isole Borromee, spread out all across the western end of the water. They include the enthralling Isola Bella with its filigreed Italian mansion, and the Isola dei Pescatori, where herb-scented trattorias and cafés line cobbled alleys. To the north of town is where the Alps rise. Head to those for hiking trails and ziplines and mountain biking.