Verbania and its surroundings have many attractions to offer. Strolling along waterfront with its sumptumous villas, enjoying frescoes in the18th-century Basilica di San Vittore or great views of the lake from early medieval Oratorio di San Remigio, relaxing in parks and gardens, hiking in the hills surrounding the lake… Just explore the map with marked trails!
Some of the places you may consider visiting during the Wednesday free afternoon, or before or after the conference, include:
The headquarters of the Water Research Institute (IRSA), former Italian Institute of Hydrobiology in Verbania-Pallanza, founded in 1938 on Lake Maggiore by Rosa Curioni to honour the memory of her husband, the limnologist Marco De Marchi, to whom the Institute was dedicated. An organised visit of the institute will be available to the meeting participants on Wednesday afternoon. (It is ca one-hour walk form the conference venue.)
Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto located within Verbania itself.
Art collections of the Landscape Museum (Museo del paesaggio) displayed in Palazzo Viani Dugnani in Verbania, with a large collection of paintings (mostly dating to the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, and frequently featuring the lake and mountain landscape and the areas around it) and other pieces of art.
The islands in the Borromean Gulf, with splendid palaces, villas and gardens of the Borromeo family. As the regular ferry lines from Verbania-Intra to the islands stop operating on October 6, one would have to rent a boat, or go to Spresa on the other side of the gulf. However, one of the islands, Isola dei Pescatori, will host our conference dinner and party on Friday evening, and we will have sufficient time to stroll its narrow picturesque streets.
Further away:
Cable car to the glacier Belvedere at the foot of Monte Rosa (45 minutes drive from Intra).
Parco di Villa Pallavicino in Stresa, another part of the “Borromean lands” (20 minutes drive from Intra).
For the adventurous ones, not afraid of heights and speed, a 1850m-long Lago Maggiore Zipline (ca 30 min drive from Intra – operating from Friday to Monday only, not in mid-week).
