| Introduction | | | | case andfrescoes. The lakeside Palazzo Tadini |
| | | | contains the Schoolof Fine Arts, a gallery |
| Lake Iseo, also called Lake Sebina, is the | | | | with paintings, sculptures andceramics. Count |
| fourth largestlake in the Lombardy region of | | | | Luigi Tadini began this collection in histown |
| Italy. The lake was formed bythe Valcamonica | | | | house in Crema. The Tadini familys only son |
| Glacier, and is 24 kilometres long and upto 5 | | | | died in |
| kilometres wide. This width is not always | | | | |
| obvious asthe largest lake island in Europe, | | | | Lovere in 1799 where they often took |
| Monte Isola, sits in thecentre of the lake. | | | | holidays. Count Tadiniprovided the funds to |
| The lake is situated just north of Bresciaand | | | | built the Palazzo, in memory of hisson. |
| Bergamo, this being reflected in the fact | | | | |
| that it isadministered on the western bank by | | | | The English writer and poet Lady Mary Wortley |
| the Bergamo districtcouncil, and on the east | | | | Montagulived in a villa on the outskirts of |
| bank by the Brescia district council. | | | | Lovere in the 1740s. Lady |
| | | | |
| The River Oglio, flowing down from the Val | | | | Mary is said to have written many letters to |
| Camonica andentering between Lovere and | | | | her daughter inthe villa garden, and been |
| Pisogne, mainly feeds the | | | | inspired to write poetry by thebeauty of her |
| | | | surroundings. In fact she declined an |
| Lake from the north. The Val Camonica has | | | | invitationto the Venice carnival saying, |
| thermal spasand prehistoric rock carvings. At | | | | there are plenty things to do inthis village |
| the southern end of thelake lies the | | | | which, by the way, is one of the most |
| Torbiere, a peat bog and now a nature | | | | beautifulthat exists. Lady Mary came to live |
| reserve. | | | | in Italy in 1741,supposedly for health |
| | | | reasons, although it is thought thatshe no |
| South of this lies the Franciacorta valley, | | | | longer wanted to live with her husband. Lady |
| producing the bestsparkling wine in Italy. | | | | Maryhad travelled to Turkey as wife of the |
| | | | British Ambassadorand there she came across |
| On the eastern bank, a few kilometres up from | | | | the practice of inoculationagainst smallpox. |
| the lake, isthe Natural Reserve of the | | | | She had her own children inoculated butwas |
| Pyramids of Zone, a uniqueformation of | | | | never given proper credit for introducing the |
| pillars created by uneven glacial erosion. | | | | practice in |
| Thesixty-kilometre perimeter lakeside is | | | | |
| dotted with villagesand towns, the main ones | | | | Britain. Lady Marys daughter married Lord |
| being Iseo, Sarnico, Lovere, | | | | Bute, whobecame prime minister of Britain in |
| | | | 1762, a year after Lady |
| Pisogne and Marone. These towns are full of | | | | |
| historical andcultural interest, yet it is | | | | Marys death. |
| pleasant to stroll along thepromenade or | | | | |
| linger over a drink in a café. There are | | | | Lovere has another literary connection in |
| avariety of water sports available on the | | | | Georges Sand, the |
| Lake and fishing ispopular with the locals, | | | | |
| tench being the prized catch. Thereis a good | | | | French novelist, who wrote of Lake Iseo to a |
| selection of walking and cycling trails, and | | | | friend in |
| in | | | | |
| | | | London, Come, I have found a lovely place to |
| Winter there is skiing north of Lake Iseo in | | | | live. Georges |
| the Presolanoarea. | | | | |
| | | | Sands real name was Aurore Dupin, but she had |
| Unique points | | | | taken amans name as it was not deemed |
| | | | suitable for ladies to benovelists in the |
| The fact that Lake Iseo is not well known | | | | 19th century, and she often dressed as aman. |
| outside Italy andtherefore less touristy | | | | She had a long-standing affair with Chopin. |
| makes it more appealing. One of itsbiggest | | | | After theirbreak up in 1847 she wrote the |
| attractions is Monte Isola, the largest | | | | novel Lucrezia Floriana. Theromance between a |
| inland lakeisland in Europe, which is easily | | | | young Italian noble and an older lady isset |
| reached by ferry and withno cars on the | | | | on Monte Isola. It is said that this novel |
| island it is very peaceful, making it ideal | | | | inspired manyvisits by ladies seeking romance |
| forwalking or cycling. There are also the | | | | to the area! |
| Pyramids of Zone,where the erosion of glacial | | | | |
| deposits has left pinnacles ofearth up to ten | | | | In 1854 Lovere joined the industrial |
| metres high. On the western lakeshore arethe | | | | revolution, with thedevelopment of the first |
| bogns of Castro and Zorzino, sheets of | | | | large steel complex in the region. |
| limestone thatplunge into the lake. North of | | | | |
| the lake in Val Camino youcan see hundreds of | | | | Lovere prospered as an industrial centre |
| prehistoric rock carvings at the | | | | until the 1980s,but this has left a scar on |
| | | | the landscape. |
| National Park of Rock Engravings and to the | | | | |
| south of thelake is the Torbiere peat bog and | | | | Valle Camonica |
| Franciacorta, the areawhere the renowned | | | | |
| sparkling wine is produced. | | | | As you head round the north of the lake, you |
| | | | may wish tohave a slight detour to visit the |
| Getting there | | | | Valle Camonica. This valleyis 90km long and |
| | | | contains 41 towns and villages, making itthe |
| Nearest airports | | | | longest valley in Italy. The healing powers |
| | | | of the watersof the spa town of Boario Terme |
| Bergamo (Orio Serio) | | | | were written about as earlyas 1497 by the |
| | | | naturalist Paracelsus. The Italian writer |
| Brescia | | | | |
| | | | Manzoni was a regular visitor, living to the |
| Verona | | | | age of 88. Nearbyat the Capo di Ponte is the |
| | | | National Rock Engraving Park,with prehistoric |
| Milan (Malpensa) | | | | rock carvings, dating from Neolithic |
| | | | timesthrough to the Iron Age. The carvings |
| Milan (Linate) | | | | relate to the history ofthe Camuni tribe |
| | | | throughout this period. It is an |
| All of these airports are within reasonable | | | | amazingsite, containing thousands of figures: |
| travellingdistance to Lake Iseo. Most | | | | an enormous stonehistory book. One of the |
| international flights come into | | | | most common carvings is that ofthe Camonic |
| | | | rose, which is now the emblem of the |
| Milan Malpensa, although the low cost carrier | | | | |
| Ryanair uses | | | | Lombardy region. On this site is the |
| | | | Archeopark, an open-air interactive park |
| Bergamo and Brescia. | | | | where you can try out various |
| | | | dailyprehistoric activities e.g. lighting a |
| Car: travelling on the Milan Venice motorway | | | | fire, shooting with a bowand arrow and |
| (A4) to go tothe West bank Of Lake Iseo you | | | | grinding corn and baking bread. The |
| would come off at Sarnicojunction and on to | | | | |
| the SS649. To reach Iseo town, | | | | Archeodromo is a realistic construction of a |
| travellingeast on the A4, you would also come | | | | Neolithic villagewith six huts perched on a |
| off at Sarnico exit, andtravelling west on | | | | rocky hill. Some school groupsstay in the |
| the A4 you would turn off at Brescia up the | | | | village for a few days to get an authentic |
| | | | taste ofprehistoric life. Personally speaking |
| SS510. | | | | I think Id rather go backto my hotel bed and |
| | | | shower. The traditional art ofwoodcarving |
| Public transport: There are regular | | | | continues in this area. The Cammunian Wood |
| connections by bus andtrain to Brescia from | | | | |
| all the nearby airports, thenconnections from | | | | Handicraft Workshops in Boaria Terme, where |
| Brescia by bus and train to Iseo. The | | | | all types ofobjects from religious ornaments |
| traincontinues up the east bank to Pisogne. | | | | to babies cribs areproduced, can be found in |
| | | | the area. A fusion of modern and |
| Once you have reached Iseo the most relaxing | | | | |
| andpicturesque option for getting around the | | | | 16th century techniques are used to craft the |
| lake is the ferry. | | | | goods. |
| | | | |
| Guide to Lake Iseo, clockwise from Iseo town | | | | PISOGNE |
| on thesouthern shores. | | | | |
| | | | Pisogne was an important centre in medieval |
| ISEO TOWN | | | | times forcommerce - a large weekly market was |
| | | | held there. Thetown had a ring of walls and a |
| I am really fond of Iseo town; it has a | | | | system of gates but not muchis left standing |
| relaxed ambience,wide squares and a lovely | | | | now. In the Market Square you would behung in |
| promenade with a fantastic viewof the lake | | | | a cage suspended from the tower for |
| and Monte Isola. It is quite lively, mainly | | | | non-paymentof taxes due to the bishop. Tax |
| with | | | | was due on almosteverything - fishing, |
| | | | hunting, milling, salt and iron. Thebishops |
| Italian families and couples. | | | | were forbidden to inflict any punishment that |
| | | | wouldcause loss of blood, so humiliation was |
| Iseo was a business centre in Roman times, | | | | the next best optionto extract their dues. In |
| and it was animportant port until the end of | | | | 1518 eight women accused ofwitchcraft were |
| the 19th century. The hero of | | | | imprisoned in the Widow Tower beforebeing |
| | | | burned. |
| Italian unification, Garibaldi, is celebrated | | | | |
| with a statue andfountain in the main square. | | | | Just off Market Square is Santa Maria Assunta |
| Also on this square is the | | | | church,which contains a 150-year-old pipe |
| | | | organ. The facade of the |
| Palazzo Vantini, built in the 1833s and now | | | | |
| used as thetown hall. The Pieve di S. Andrea | | | | Palazzo Fanzango is adorned with medallions |
| dates back to the 12thcentury, and is | | | | depicting thecharacters from the book I |
| distinctive because of its cusped | | | | Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed)written by |
| | | | Manzoni. This is an important piece of |
| Romanesque bell tower. The 11th century | | | | Italianliterature, telling the tale of how |
| Castello | | | | love triumphed for twopeasants despite the |
| | | | efforts of a local tyrant. The book alsohas |
| Oldofredi was recently restored and now | | | | a vivid description of the spread of the |
| houses the publiclibrary. | | | | Plague in 17thcentury Milan. |
| | | | |
| Just south of the town are the peat bogs; | | | | At the end of the 17th century, Pisogne was |
| Torbiere del | | | | home to thenotorious bandit Giorgi Vicario. |
| | | | There was not muchbrotherly loyalty between |
| Sebino is now a nature reserve. Lake Iseo was | | | | the bandits as Vicario trackeddown and killed |
| around 10metres deeper in the past, but | | | | Giuseppe Techi for a reward. Techis headwas |
| erosion of the bed of the | | | | delivered on a tray decorated with bay leaves |
| | | | to theauthorities. A double whammy, a reward |
| River Oglio at the southern outflow meant | | | | and lesscompetition locally! |
| that the lake levelbegan to drop, cutting off | | | | |
| a shallow basin, which graduallybecame a | | | | Pisogne hosts the local festival of mushrooms |
| large marsh with peaty deposits. During | | | | andchestnuts on the last Sunday in September. |
| theindustrialisation of the 19th century | | | | |
| local factories beganusing the peat as a | | | | MARONE |
| source of energy, eventually excavatingmost | | | | |
| of the peat deposits. Imagine digging up the | | | | Marone is situated in a beautiful spot in a |
| peatusing a caged spade with a five-metre | | | | green valley atthe foot of Monte Guglielmo. |
| handle! | | | | There are ruins of a firstcentury Roman |
| | | | villa, Co del Hela as you enter the town. |
| Evidence of prehistoric settlement was found | | | | Onthe lakeside is the Parrocchiale di tours, |
| during peatcutting: stone arrowheads, blades | | | | an 18th Century |
| and daggers dating from | | | | |
| | | | Baroque style church with a marble altar. |
| 5000 BC. Now the area is of great scientific | | | | Marone was wellknown for production of |
| interest andhome to many species of bird and | | | | woollen cloth and felt and thequarrying of |
| fish. | | | | dolomite. Nowadays tourism is the |
| | | | mainindustry. |
| The Franciacorta region, south of Iseo, has | | | | |
| become wellknown for its sparkling wine. In | | | | A few kilometres uphill from Marone on the |
| the mid 1950s a youngentrepreneur started to | | | | road to Zone liethe Earth Pyramids. They are |
| make sparkling wine emulating themethod using | | | | an amazing sight: thin spiresof earth up to |
| in the Champagne region of France. Thismeans | | | | 30 metres high, with large granite |
| that the secondary fermentation of the wine | | | | massesperched on top almost like hats. The |
| occursin the bottle, a process which takes | | | | Pyramids are notstatic as they can erode, |
| around two years. Nowthis valley produces the | | | | causing the boulder to fall andgradually new |
| legally protected Franciacorta wine,assuring | | | | pyramids are created. |
| it has been hand made using the | | | | |
| traditionalchampagne methods in one of the | | | | On the way to the Pyramids is the church of |
| thirty wineries in thearea. Visits to the | | | | San Giorgio andon the outer sidewall are |
| wineries and tasting sessions can bearranged. | | | | frescoes painted in the 15thcentury, |
| Wine lovers may wish to visit for the three | | | | including one of San Giorgio slaying the |
| days in | | | | dragon. |
| | | | |
| September for the Wine Festival, with | | | | Further up the hill is the village of Zone. |
| tasting, special mealsand visits to cellars. | | | | As you ascend youcan see what I initially |
| | | | thought was a ski lift, above the road. |
| Villa Lechi, a Palladian style villa built in | | | | |
| the 16th century,can be visited by | | | | It is in fact suspended containers, which |
| appointment (phone 392 706 30087 toarrange) | | | | carry the dolomitedown from the Calarusso |
| Just west of Erbusco is the Oglio North Park, | | | | quarry. In some respects itreminded me of a |
| onthe eastern banks of the river. | | | | Swiss alpine village; the air was so freshand |
| | | | crisp. There are two interesting churches on |
| SARNICO | | | | the Piazza |
| | | | |
| Sarnico is the first resort heading west from | | | | Almici: The octagonal 18th century Beata |
| Iseo. It wasoriginally a prehistoric stilt | | | | Veringe di |
| village, as it stands where thelakes narrows | | | | |
| and once again becomes the River Oglio. | | | | Lourdes and the 17th century Parrocchiale S |
| | | | Giovanii |
| There are frescoes dating from 1200 AD in the | | | | |
| church San | | | | Ballista, containing wooden works of art by |
| | | | Andrea Falconi. |
| Nazario e Rocca di Castione. You can still | | | | |
| see ruinedmedieval ramparts. | | | | The festival of honey is held in the town |
| | | | square at thebeginning of August. From Zone |
| For some Sarnico is best known as the home of | | | | there are several walkingpaths and, if you're |
| thepremier speedboat company Riva. One of the | | | | feeling energetic, one to the summit of |
| mostfascinating aspects of the companys story | | | | |
| to me is thejourney of Pietro Riva from his | | | | Monte Guglielmo. |
| hometown of Lagio on the | | | | |
| | | | MONTE ISOLA |
| Lake Como to Sarnico in 1842. The young | | | | |
| Pietro wastravelling to start a new job | | | | The largest lake island in Europe is 3km |
| repairing boats in Sarnico; his | | | | long, rising to anelevation of 600m, and is |
| | | | sometimes referred to as thepearl of Iseo. |
| 70-mile journey took him two days, travelling | | | | Only public service four wheeled vehicles |
| by boat, trainand coach. | | | | areallowed on the island. If you want to see |
| | | | more of the islandyou can rent a bicycle or |
| His repairs were so successful that he was | | | | use the local bus. There is also theoption to |
| soon beingcommissioned to build boats. The | | | | take the gentle level walk along the southern |
| boat building businessgrew under Pietros son, | | | | coastfrom the village of Peschiera Maraglio |
| Ernesto, who began producedboats powered by | | | | to Sensole and returnon the ferry from |
| piston engines. | | | | Sensole. If you are feeling energetic youcan |
| | | | visit the 13th century Il Santuario della |
| In 1912 Ernestos son Serafino achieved a | | | | Madonna della |
| speed of 24kilometres an hour in a speedboat. | | | | |
| Riva became aprestigious brand, sought by | | | | Cerinole, which is situated at the highest |
| the rich and famous as astatus symbol. | | | | point of the island. |
| However you no longer see speedboats on | | | | |
| | | | The 14th Century Fortress Martinango is the |
| Lake Iseo because they were banned for | | | | ancestralhome of the Olofredi family. It is |
| environmentalreasons in 1976! | | | | one of the best-preservedforts in the region. |
| | | | It is unusual in that its highest tower is |
| Sarnico is home to the Bellini Gallery, a | | | | inthe centre. |
| picture galleryexhibiting around 150 pieces, | | | | |
| mainly from the periodbetween the 16th and | | | | The population of the island is around 1700, |
| 18th centuries. The Gallery is in theold part | | | | with those notemployed in tourism working as |
| of the city and was formerly a nunnery. Also | | | | fishermen, in boatyards ormaking nets. In |
| ondisplay are some sculptures and furniture. | | | | fact, the nets for the goal posts of the 1982 |
| | | | |
| The Palazzo to Sarnico rail line winds along | | | | Football World Cup were made locally. Guess |
| Oglio River. | | | | what - Italywon the Cup that year! There are |
| | | | still numerous naets, thetypical wooden local |
| Volunteers reopened this line recently. | | | | fishing boats, to be seen. Some of thecatch |
| TrenoBlu as it isknown is often steam hauled. | | | | is left outside to dry in the sun in the |
| The trains run during the | | | | traditionalmanner. |
| | | | |
| Summer. There are rail connections from | | | | You can visit a traditional boatyard, |
| Bergamo and | | | | Cantiere Nautico in |
| | | | |
| Milan. | | | | Peschiere Maraglio, and see the construction |
| | | | of thehandmade wooden boats. |
| Just outside Sarnico, heading east, stands | | | | |
| the Faccononivilla, designed by one of Italys | | | | I think that Monte Isola is a charming, |
| best Art Nouveau architects, | | | | tranquil place to visit,still relatively |
| | | | peaceful and relaxing. It is very thickly |
| Sommaruga, for the wealthy Faccanoni family. | | | | wooded,when you observe it from the shore its |
| The villa onthe lakeshore exemplifies | | | | hard to imaginebeing able to reach the |
| Sommarugas trademark Florealestyle. | | | | summit. |
| | | | |
| RIVA DI SOLTO | | | | One of the big events on the island is the |
| | | | festival of |
| The stretch from Tavernola north constitutes | | | | |
| the mostdramatic stretch of the west bank. | | | | Corzano, a hamlet that dates back to the |
| Just try to blot out thequarry at Tavernola! | | | | 1600s. This onlytakes place every five |
| Riva is a pretty fishing hamlet, full | | | | years. |
| ofarches and alleys. The old centre is up the | | | | |
| hill at Zorzino. | | | | There are regular ferries from several towns |
| | | | on thelakeshore to the coastal villages in |
| The Zorzino Bong, with its vertical slabs of | | | | Monte Isola. |
| limestoneplunging Mount Clemo, creates its | | | | |
| own enclosed bay. | | | | Suggested Itineraries |
| | | | |
| Further north is the Castro Bogn. | | | | Day Trip: |
| | | | |
| LOVERE | | | | Driving: it is possible to drive round the |
| | | | lake with a fewstops in one day from Milan, |
| The Lovere area was occupied by the Gauls in | | | | Brescia or Bergamo and seeunique sights. |
| the Iron Age,and by the second century BC the | | | | |
| Roman settlement beganto take form. | | | | Public transport: bus/train to Iseo, ferry |
| | | | trip from there. |
| Lovere still has ramparts remaining from its | | | | |
| period as amedieval fortified town. The | | | | Trains from Brescia operate every hour, and |
| oldest church is the 12thcentury Capell di | | | | it is a half-hourjourney to Iseo, and they |
| San Martino. The town was famous in the | | | | also go up to Pisogne, stopping at |
| | | | |
| 15th century as Venetian textile town. Most | | | | Sulzano and Sale Marsino. |
| of the output ofwoollen cloth was sold in | | | | |
| Germany and Austria. At thebeginning of the | | | | Weekend/Short stay (2-3 nights) you could |
| 16th century there was a period of | | | | either be basedin Iseo, spending a day |
| turmoil,with periods of rule by the French, | | | | visiting Monte Isola, one day visitingthe |
| the Holy Roman Empireand the Spanish, which | | | | west bank of the lake and one day on the east |
| greatly disrupted the production | | | | bank. Analternative would be to tour the lake |
| anddistribution of the cloth. There was more | | | | in a day and spend aday either in Bergamo or |
| strife later thatcentury with plagues and | | | | Verona. |
| famines. By the 17th century theauthorities | | | | |
| had tackled the security problem of bandits | | | | Iseo town would be a good base for day trips |
| andsome Lombardy noblemen began to travel to | | | | to the cities of |
| Lovere fortheir holidays. The Basilica of | | | | |
| Santa Maria dates from the | | | | Bergamo, Verona, Venice, Brescia, Vicenzia |
| | | | and Padova. |
| 15th century and houses a 16th century organ | | | | |