Lake Maggiore

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Lake Maggiore (in Italian: Lago Maggiore or Verbano) is the most westerly of the three large prealpine lakes of Italy and the second largest after Lake Garda. It lies approximately at .

It has a surface area of about 213 km², a maximum length of 54 km and, at its widest, is 12 km. The lake basin has tectonic-glacial origins and its volume is 37 km³.

Its main tributaries are the Ticino, the Maggia, the Toce (by which it receives the outflow of Lake Orta) and the Tresa (which is the sole emissary of Lake Lugano). The rivers Verzasca, Giona, and Cannobino also flow into the lake. Its outlet is the Ticino which, in turn, joins the river Po just south-east of Pavia.

The lake’s jagged banks are surrounded by the Prealps of Piedmont and Lombardy. The western bank is in Piedmont (provinces of Novara and Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) and the eastern in Lombardy (province of Varese), whereas the most northerly section extends thirteen kilometres into Switzerland, where it constitutes the lowest point above sea-level in that entire country.

The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with beautiful gardens growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of the Isola Madre, Isola Bella and the Isole di Brissago, that of the Villa Taranto in Verbania, and the Alpinia botanical garden above Stresa.

Towns and villages on the lake

Switzerland	Piedmont	Lombardy
Ranzo Gerra San Nazzaro Vira Magadino Tenero Locarno Ascona Ronco sopra Ascona Brissago Minusio	Cannobio Cannero Riviera Oggebbio Ghiffa Verbania Baveno Stresa Belgirate Lesa Meina Arona Dormelletto Castelletto sopra Ticino	Sesto Calende Angera Ranco Ispra Brebbia Besozzo Monvalle Leggiuno Laveno-Mombello Castelveccana Porto Valtravaglia Brezzo di Bedero Germignaga Luino Maccagno Tronzano Lago Maggiore Pino sulla Sponda del Lago Maggiore

Islands

• Borromean Islands (three islands and two islets located between Verbania to the north and Stresa to the south)
• Isola Bella
• Isola Madre
• Isola dei Pescatori (or Isola Superiore)
• Isolino di San Giovanni (in front of Verbania)
• Scoglio della Malghera (between Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori)
• Brissago Islands (close to Brissago)
• San Pancrazio (or Grande Isola)
• Isolino (or Isola Piccola or Isola di Sant’Apollinare)
• Castelli di Cannero (three small islands just off the shore from Cannero Riviera)
• Isolino Partegora (in the gulf of Angera)

Events

The Spirit of Woodstock Festival is an annual open air festival at the end of July/beginning of August at Mirapuri.

External links

• Lake Maggiore - Tourist guide on the Lake Maggiore
• Official Tourism Gateway Lake Maggiore Official Tourism Gateway
• Ferry Services on Italian Lakes - Lake Maggiore
• CIPAIS Commissione Internazionale per la Protezione delle Acque Italo-Svizzere limnologic reports on the Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano
• Casavarese - Tourist guides on the lake, photo galleries
• Magazzeno Storico Verbanese Historical bibliography on the region
• Waterlevels at Brissago from the Federal Office for the Environment
• Waterlevels at Locarno from the Federal Office for the Environment
• Fortean Times Maggiore's Mythic Monster
• ilec

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday February 28, 2008 at 16:51:42 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation