Verbania - Lake Maggiore & Lake Orta Travel Guide

The districts: Intra, Villa Taranto, Pallanza

Verbania was only created in 1939, when the well-known towns of Pallanza and Intra merged with the smaller villages of Suna and Fondotoce, making it the largest and most important town on Lake Maggiore, with a total of about 35,000 inhabitants.

Verbania is now the provincial capital of the Piedmont part of Lake Maggiore and of the Cusio, the region around Lake Orta. The new name Verbania was deliberately chosen to echo the ancient name of the lake, lacus Verbanus.

Verbania also includes the Fondotoce plain, where the Toce flows into Lake Maggiore.

The acidic soil is ideal for growing azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. A sea of blossom in spring (April/May), this intensive cultivation also causes environmental problems. In 1990 the Piedmont region established the Fondo Toce nature reserve (about 365 hectares) to protect and preserve the remaining wetlands at the mouth of the Toce.

Verbania and the area around it are heavily industrialised. In the 19th century, the textile and metal tool industries in particular developed in connection with the building of the railway from Domodossola to Genoa.

Factory outlets on the road towards Omegna remain extremely attractive to this day: just outside Verbania you will find the Pretti factory shop with a large range of high-quality kitchen, bathroom and bed linen, and in Crusinallo the outlets of Alessi, Lagostina and Piazza sell household goods and pots, espresso and coffee machines, and household and kitchen appliances of every kind and design.

The two most important districts of Verbania are Intra and Pallanza, which are separated by the extensive park of Villa Taranto.

While Pallanza, with its villas and hotels, has preserved something of the elegant air of 19th-century tourism, Intra is a bustling centre of trade and commerce.

In the hills above Verbania you will find picturesque mountain villages and numerous settlements. This attractive south-facing position above the Borromean Gulf, with its stunning views of the lake, is considered one of the loveliest residential and holiday areas on the whole of Lake Maggiore.

Among the mountain villages, Premeno deserves special mention. At over 800 m it enjoys a very pleasant climate and had already become a popular health and holiday resort for wealthy Milanese families in the 19th century. Near Premeno, at Pian di Sole, there is even a small ski area.

In the Verbania region, in the Cadarese district of 28866 Premia (VB), 800 m above sea level, there is a newly built and attractive thermal spa. Premia lies in the Valle Antigorio, about 20 minutes by car from Domodossola. The spa is closed on Mondays; further information can be found on the website (Italian only).

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

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Picture book "Val Grande – Wege in die Einsamkeit" (Paths into Solitude)