Lago Maggiore and Isola Bella

Part of the reason why I love posting travel photos is because I, myself, get really inspired to visit places when I see friends' photos. After my friend Katie visited Isola Bella and posted about it on Instagram, I immediately starred the location on my (star-covered) google map. Then, when planning this road trip, I saw that Lago Maggiore and Isola Bella are in Piedmont and that we could take a slight detour to see them! Marc and Malin had other friends visiting right after we left so this add on worked out well for everyone. I pre-booked a dual entrance ticket to Parcheggio Villa Pallavicino and Isola Bella since we only had the day to see them. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs during our visit to the lovely botanic gardens and zoo. We had a cold lunch at the only cafe in the park, sitting under a dripping umbrella. Character building, right?? 

Warm drinks for all!

The rain let up a bit to allow us to explore the park

Even the goats were seeking shelter. Inside this barn was a crazy llama (alpaca?) and her baby, which we could see through the window. It was bleating crazy noises. Thankfully, a zoo keeper came to feed them! 

We drove and checked into our hotel in town and changed into dry clothes and shoes for our next adventure, a short ferry ride to Isola Bella. The weather became clearer and clearer and by the end of our time on the island, a rainbow appeared and the sun came out. 

The island is home to a small fishing village, Palazzo Borromeo and beautifiul, Italianate gardens. 

The Palace is from the 17th century, built by Carlo III of the House of Borromeo for his wife, Isabelle. Swoon! I really wanted to see the gardens and views, but the interior the palace was also spectacular. Most memorable, was the grotto under the palace made of thousands of sea shells, pebbles, and coral. 

Lots of roaming peacocks

Ice cream, wine, and drawing break 

Rainbow over the lake

Back on dry land, we had some time before our dinner reservation in town. Playground time, skipping rocks, and shopping in town were in order. 

Many grand hotels along the lakeshore. 

Alba and Barbaresco

Charming Italian towns, vineyard views for days and excellent wine and pizza. My ideal day in Italy!

We set out for Alba, home to the most famous white truffle festival. Upon arrival, we learned that the festival is only on the weekends, but still enjoyed exploring the town. They even had a Legami store to our children's great joy. 

Leaving our AirBnB

From Alba, we drove to Barbaresco, home to the wine that bears the name. We stopped for wine at a cafe and then took the elevator to the top of the town tower to admire the stunning views. When you bought the elevator tickets, for a few more euros you could get a glass of wine to enjoy at the top. Twist my arm! 

The view from every angle was breathtaking and could be a painting! 

The kids were even impressed

We stopped at a wine center in town, which sells wine from a number of local vineyards and had a delicious tasting. Meanwhile, we set the kids up with ice cream outside. We came home from this trip with 16 bottles of wine and have been enjoying them all ever since (though the Barbarescos need to age 5-10 years so, God willing, those will be enjoyed later!). 

Another beautiful sunset at Marc and Malin's. We fed the kids, said our goodbyes, and brought them back to our AirBnB. Then we joined Marc in town for dinner. There were some local specials we still wanted to try and it was too big a risk to take Maeve to the nice restaurant with her pickiness! We don't know what our friends' long term plans are, but hope to one day visit them here again.