After breakfast we made our way to Stresa to catch the ferry to the islands. The ticket allowed us to get on and off the ferry where we wanted. There are three main islands on Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella, Isola Superiore and Isola Madre. All the islands once belonged to the Borromeo family in the 16th century.

The first stop was Isola Bella, a 5 minute ferry ride from Stresa. The island is 400mts long and 300mts wide. It has a castle with beautiful gardens and an array of houses, shops and cafés separated by narrow cobblestones walkways. There were many steps. Again there were the tourist shops on the waterfront but there were many boutique shops in the back streets. It was so interesting to have a look at them.

Trevor, Paul, and I went on a tour of the castle and gardens Trevor and Paul only wanted pictures of the gardens but unfortunately you have to go through the castle to view it. The castle was magnificent with ornate ceilings, walls and floors. The gardens were beautifully manicured with an array of statues as decoration. There were white peacocks roaming the gardens. Meanwhile Pat, Dee and John waited whilst we looked through the castle.

Next we went to Isola Superiore which is 5 minutes by ferry from Isola Bella. It is 375mts long and 100mts wide. This island also had tourist shops and niche shops. The walkways were narrow and cobblestoned. It didn't take long to have a look at it. We decided to have lunch in one of the cafes in the centre of the island. We were directed upstairs to the dining area. We didn't want a full meal, just toasted sandwiches. The waitress was very friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed our sandwiches and tipped her well for the service as she had to climb up and down stairs to get the food and clear the dishes.

By this time it was 2pm and we were off to the last island, Isola Madre. This island is 330mts by 220mts and has a large house surrounded by gardens. There are a few house but these may have been servant's homes in the past. While Paul, Dee and I looked at the house and gardens, John, Pat and Trevor had a drink at the café. The garden contained many varieties of plants and trees from all over the world. Even some from Australia like the gum and acacia. There was a huge tree in front of the house that had blown down in a cyclone in 2006 that they have replanted and put long ropes on it to secure it so it can regenerate. They are very dedicated to assisting this tree to survive.

The house is an old mansion with a lot of the old furniture still in it. There were a number of puppet show backdrops with various scenes. It was popular in the 1600s. One was very macabre with skeletons and scary puppets and the ugly face that was about 1.75mts high would shoot fire when it was moved. I don't know if this was meant to entertain the adults or what?

By the time we finished it was 3.30pm and we just missed the boat back to Stresa. It was only about 20 min wait for the next ferry back. Whilst we were waiting we met a couple from Melbourne who arrived in Rome about the same time as we did in London. They are on their way to France. Most of the people on the ferry were Italian or German and a few Americans so it was surprising to see Australians.

We arrived back to the parking just as out ticket expired so we were lucky it didn't get a fine. Once we had done some shopping, Dee prepared dinner. We relaxed and caught up with Facebook, emails and blogs.

Another day over. xxxxx