Premeno - Lake Maggiore & Lake Orta Travel Guide

Premeno, with about 800 inhabitants, lies at 800 m and is the tourist centre in the hills behind Verbania.

Thanks to its mild climate on a sunny plateau and its oxygen-rich air, Premeno records around 160,000 overnight stays a year. The town has 5 large hotels, over 10 restaurants and bars, shops and plenty of leisure facilities: tennis courts, a golf course, a football pitch, a swimming pool, a fitness trail, playgrounds and a well signposted network of hiking trails.

Above Premeno, at Pian di Sole (1,065 m), there is a lovely golf course and, in winter, a popular ski area. The popularity of the place is also reflected in the many second homes and holiday apartments.


Sheltered from the cold north winds by the surrounding mountains, Premeno had already become a popular resort by the end of the 19th century, promising restful days surrounded by meadows and woods. Numerous grand villas can be found in the town.

The Villa Bernocchi, for example, is now the town's cultural centre, with exhibitions, concerts and conferences. Gardens full of flowers surround these villas.

In Premeno, wealthy citizens of Milan met the poorer but hard-working people of this beautiful mountain region. The traditional hospitality of the locals can still be felt today, and the gardeners of Premeno are famous throughout northern Italy.


To give the Milanese guests better access to the charming gardens of the town and the nearby villages of Esio, Pollino and Pian di Sole, an electric narrow-gauge railway linked the lakeside town of Intra with Premeno from 1926 to 1956. Over 15 km the line climbed 600 m. With the advent of motorisation, the railway, with its tram-like carriage, became unprofitable, and today hardly any trace of it remains.

The area was settled early: excavations have uncovered finds from the Bronze Age and above all from Roman times. First mentioned in 1373, Premeno was for a long time dependent on Ghiffa. Only in 1819 was the church of S. Margherita raised to parish church, and in the mid-19th century the new parish church was built. Numerous small chapels, some with valuable frescoes, stand along the paths and village streets.

In Esio the old craft of making agricultural tools (baskets carried on the back) and household items (spoons, boards, baskets) from wood has survived. Festivals run throughout the year; the best known are the bread-giving festival (dona del pane) on the first Sunday in May, the feast of the patron saint S. Andrea in Esio on 30 November, and, in between, numerous food festivals.


From the two viewpoints of S. Salvatore and Pollino you can enjoy wonderful panoramic views over the Valle Intrasca and Lake Maggiore.

Premeno is usually reached from Verbania by a well-built road via Arizzano and Bèe. Via Pian Cavallo (past the Centro Auxologico Italiano) and the Il Colle pass, you can also take a winding road to Trarego Viggiona and down to Cannero Riviera.

Premeno is a lovely place for a holiday on Lake Maggiore.

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