The Italian lake region that George Clooney should have picked for his villa

Signature guests stay at the same hotel. The three hotels Riviera uses are all four-star, however the larger group is spread across two neighbouring hotels. Other Signature experiences include an evening boat tour and sunset drinks at a rooftop bar. 

During our visit, Stresa is abuzz with gossip. The island of Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore’s star attraction, is about to close its villa and famous terraced garden for a fashion-show takeover by Louis Vuitton. A helicopter buzzes back and forth across the lake and black Mercedes fill the car park at the Regina Palace hotel. LV has ruffled feathers by banishing the island’s rare white peacocks to two neighbouring islands, to keep the garden clear of droppings. 

On peacock-free Isola Bella, where our ticket includes a guided tour of the 17th-century Baroque villa, I feel the benefit of the smaller group size. There is a big Italian-style queue at the entrance and groups shuffle through the palace like pieces on a chessboard. Lavishly furnished rooms are filled with art, antiques and Murano chandeliers – over the centuries the Borromeo family has hosted everyone from Napoleon to Charles and Diana. 

I’m particularly charmed by a cavernous subterranean grotto – a seriously cool “summer apartment” built from lava and tufa and carpeted with a mosaic of lake pebbles. After wandering around its manicured and partly vertical garden, whose terraces plunge towards the lake, we regroup to board a small boat to Isola Pescatori (fishermen’s island) where I visit the Museo della Pesca (fisherman’s museum), listen to a visiting choir in a lakeside picnic area and enjoy lunch in the sunshine at a pizzeria. 

GROUP CAMARADERIE

That evening, Signature guests join tour manager Debbie at a chic rooftop bar overlooking Maggiore. In a reserved area on the terrace, we settle into sofa seating and clink our Spritz, prosecco and beer glasses. As well as couples, our friendly group includes two solo travellers, friends and a dad and daughter. There’s easy camaraderie, and the well-travelled group includes several Riviera repeaters.

Mindful of the four-course dinner that awaits at Regina Palace, I try to swerve the generous snacks that accompany an aperitivo in Italy, and fail. Later, our white-jacketed waiters at the Regina take care of us a bit too well, offering seconds of dessert. 

Debbie’s journeys are packed with tips and informative commentary. During a two-hour private boat journey from Stresa to Cannobio she points to an unremarkable shoreside building. “Hats were made here and sent to Milanese fashion houses and shipped around the world. Part of it is now the Museum of the Art of Hat-Making,” she reveals. 

One morning we board a boat for Isola Madre to tour a second Borromean villa and garden. The boat ride here is an extra for Signature guests – although it is possible to do it under your own steam.

We have a free afternoon, and despite the drizzle, Debbie suggests the botanical garden at Villa Taranto, a couple of ferry hops from Stresa. Here, a mapped trail showcases a rhododendron wood, a cactus garden, lotus ponds and sub-tropical gardens full of flowers, palm trees and exotic plantings. From the belvederes, views ramble over the garden to the water. It’s my favourite garden of all and €12 well spent.

The rail journey through the Swiss mountains is part of an action-packed day including travel by private boat and road. We disembark for free time in the attractive Cannobio, which has waterside cafes and cobbled streets that lead to pocket-sized piazzas and churches.

Energised by espresso, we continue by coach to Locarno in Switzerland and board the Centovalli train to Domodossola (Italy). Centovalli translates as 100 valleys, and at the journey’s highest point we are 800ft above sea level. Waterfalls tip down steep ravines and the track spans hold-your-breath gorges and winds past meadows and alpine hamlets.

Our boat trip on the final evening is a highlight – and not just because we can cruise past the gardens at Isola Bella, which are still closed to the public. Davide, our captain, arrives at the jetty in a smart cruiser reminiscent of the water taxis used in Venice.

We sail to Stresa’s neighbouring town of Baveno, disembarking for a lakeside stroll. Back onboard, Debbie pops open the prosecco and Davide brings around Margheritine di Stresa, daisy-shaped shortcrust biscuits named in honour of the 19th-century Queen Margherita (who also gives her name to the ever-popular pizza).

As dusk turns to dark, Maggiore’s shoreline begins to twinkle and the silhouettes of distant mountains fade to smoky grey. The Borromean islands are bewitching. Davide slows the boat, so we can drink it in.

“Who needs Como?” says Bob.

Sorry, George, I’m with him.

Book it: Signature Tours are available in more than 40 destinations. A seven-night Lake Maggiore, Orta and the Matterhorn Signature Tour departing 12 September 2023 costs from £2,059pp. Includes flights and transfers, four-star accommodation in Stresa and daily guided tours; rivieratravel.co.uk