Verbania, March 2017 Nature reawakens and the high season starts with the best that our region has to offer: islands and gardens, villas, parks, flowers, food, wellness, outdoor activities and major events! From 24 March 2017, the date that marks the beginning of the high season in the Distretto Turistico dei Laghi area with the opening of the islands, our beautiful district – which includes the valleys and mountains of Ossola and Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta and Lake Mergozzo, three magnificent stretches of water – is ready to welcome Italian and international visitors. THE MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS On Sunday 13 March, high season begins in the Parco della Rocca di Arona, an architec- tural and scenic gem that was the birthplace of San Carlo Borromeo. The park will be open daily from 13 March to 30 April from 10.00 to 19.00, with extended opening hours un- til 21.00 on Friday and Saturday. From 1 May to 15 October, the park will be open until 20.00 during the week and until 22.00 on Friday and Saturday (it will be closed on Mondays). From 15 October 2017 to 13 March 2018, it will only be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10.30 to 17.00. Many events are scheduled to take place in this beautiful natural setting, including the “Mostra d’auto d’epoca” (Classic Car Show) on 18/6, the music festival “Avis In Rock” on 8 and 9/7 and “Cori della Rocca” (Rocca Choirs) on 24/9. There will be many other musical and theatrical events of various kinds. Notably, during 2017 the Torre Mozza will be restored (info and updates: www.parcoroccaarona.com). Not far from the Rocca di Arona is “San Carlone”, the enormous statue devoted to San Carlo (35.1 metres tall), which rises up on the hill adjacent to the Rocca: you can already visit the monument on Sundays and public holidays from 1 to 19 March (9-12.30 and 14- 16.30), and it will open daily from 20 March to 15 October from 9.00 to 12.20 and from 14.00 to 18.15 and throughout the day on Sundays and public holidays. The winter timetable runs from 16 October to 29 November, during which it will be open on weekends and public holidays, and from 1 to 30 December, during which it will only be open on Sundays and 8 December. New in 2017: on Sunday 9 April, a new themed route dedicated to the life of San Carlo will be opened, installed in the park surrounding the statue. In July, the park will host the 3rd edition of the musical event “Suoni e Colori al Colle di San Carlo” (Sounds and Colors on San Carlo’s Hill). Finally, this year entrance to the statue will be free to all residents of Arona! (Info: +39 0322 249669 and www.statuasancarlo.it / Arona Tourist Information Office: +39 0322 243601). The Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto will be open daily, including public holidays, from Wednesday 15 March to Wednesday 1 November 2017 (March from 9.00 to 17.30, from April to September from 8.30 to 18.30, from 1 to 15 October from 9.00 to 16.30 and from 15 October to 1 November from 9.00 to 16.00). March will see the arrival of the first spring blooms: edgeworthias, prunus, magnolias, for- sythias, daffodils, tulips and over 35,000 newly-planted muscari will adorn lawns and bor- ders. Later in the season, you can admire large patches of hundreds of rhododendrons and azaleas, while in the summer, the queen of aquatic plants, the tropical “Victoria Cruziana” water lily, always captivates tourists. A new vertical garden has been planted in the greenhouse that contains this rarity, an addition that will certainly interest visitors and give them ideas for “green” interiors. And there are also many dahlias and green labyrinths to discover! New in 2017: you will now be able to buy membership that allows you to visit the Gardens throughout the whole season or just during the summer. Finally, it is worth noting the collaboration with the Swiss railway company BLS AG, which is designed to increase foreign tourism, and the “Come to Verbania” initiative, which offers a discoun- ted entry fee for individual tourists staying for a minimum of 3 nights in hotels in the town. Weather permitting, the events scheduled during the opening period include: the “Mostra della Camelia” (Camelia Show - March, with guided visits), the “Settimane del Tulipano” (Tulip Weeks – 9-25 April), “Colori senza Confini” (Colors Without Borders – from mid-April to mid-May), “Fior d’Acqua” (Water Flowers – from June to August), “Victoria Cruziana in flower” (from 20 June to the end of October) and the “Mostra delle Dahlie” (Dahlia Show – last week of July to the end of October). Lastly, do not miss out on the reduced admission for members during the “Settimane del Fai” (FAI Weeks), the “Turista nella tua città” (Tour- ist in your city) promotions for residents and the creative spaces with workshops by Anna Flower (Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto Info: www.villataranto.it). The Villa Pallavicino Zoo Park in Stresa reopens in mid-March with the same opening hours and prices as last year: an area of around 20 hectares containing flowery paths, ancient trees, a beautiful botanical garden and the main attraction, the animals! You can observe over 40 species of mammals and exotic birds (llamas, kangaroos, zebras and flamingos), which live in large natural spaces. New in 2017: the redesign of informative material, brochures and the website, as well as scheduled educational sessions that can be booked by reservation (info and full events calendar: www.parcopallavicino.it). The Alpine Garden reopens on Saturday 8 April (it is open up to and including Tuesday 31 October all day from 9.30 to 18.00), a 40,000 sq m natural balcony overlooking Mottarone, where you can relax while admiring the landscape and staying in close contact with nature. Prices are the same as last year. Scheduled events include: on 6 and 7 May, in col- laboration with the Italian Association of Landscape Architecture, there will be a day de- voted to “Open Gardens”, with reduced admission for groups of over 5 people and a free guide available by reservation. The “Festa della Fioritura” (Flowering Festival) will be held on 17 June with free entry from 16.30 and guided tours with the garden’s naturalist. The festival will include refreshments and a performance by a folk group. The “Mostra Micolo- gica” (Mycological Show) will take place on 17 September, featuring a mycological route inside the park, while a market will be organized on the opposite square, which will sell flowers, plants, typical products of the Mottarone area and handicrafts, as well as featur- ing demonstrations. (Info: www.giardinobotanicoalpinia.altervista.org) There is great anticipation ahead of the opening of the Madre and Bella Borromean Islands on Friday 24 March, which will remain open until 22 October 2017 from 9.00 to 17.30 (last entrance). You will be able to buy a “Family ticket”: if you buy two adult tickets and two child tickets, the second child ticket will be free! Among the new developments for 2017 is the completion of the restoration of Sperindio Cagnoli’s magnificent “San Rocco”, which has restored the vibrant colors of this highly devotional work: the painted panel by the 16th-century master will welcome visitors to the Palazzo on the Isola Bella from its opening day onwards. This season, Palazzo on Isola Bella will be more accessible thanks to a new elevator, which was installed following difficult negotiations with the Superintendency of Piedmont’s Architectural Heritage, which required the installation to respect the building’s 17th-century architecture. Finally, the Borromean Islands have been enhanced with new languages: from the start of next tourist season, you will be able to visit the Bella and Madre islands with the help of an app (launched last season) in 4 languages. The app was formerly available in Italian and English and now also offers French and German. After downloading the app, visitors can access an extensive photo gallery before exploring the islands. Equipped with their mobile phone, they can enjoy a range of artistic, historical and botanical information during their visit. And that’s not all: the app will also allow visitors to get a better view of details of architecture, furnishings and artworks, which, due to their position, can be difficult to fully analyse “in the flesh”. Also, if visitors get distracted and are unsure about their route, this is no problem: the geolocation feature will show them where they are and will take them along the best visiting route. Starting this year, visitors can choose to “freely” follow the route, by simply reading information, with a professional guided visit (bookings: www.borromeoturismo.it), with an audio guide or using the app. The visit will be an unforgettable experience that accounts for everyone’s interests, time and preferences (info: www.isoleborromee.it). As always, the islands can be reached by the Navigazione Lago Maggiore boats, whose tourist season extends from 8 April to 8 October 2017! Visitors will be able to experience a timeless trip to the Borromean Islands, which can be reached by boats that depart from Stresa, Baveno and Pallanza. As well as an enjoyable trip across the lake, these boats offer an interesting cultural “journey” featuring the history and artistic beauty of palaces and gardens. One of the most popular cruises will certainly return: the “Lago Maggiore Express”, which offers an unforgettable tour encompassing the “Navigazione Lago Maggiore” boats, the “Vigezzina – Centovalli” narrow-gauge moun- tain railway and the trains of “Trenitalia”: you cross all of Lake Maggiore by boat, all of Centovalli in Switzerland and Valle Vigezzo on the panoramic train, finally reaching Do- modossola, from where you return to your point of departure on the Trenitalia trains.