A bit of a sleep-in this morning as we had a later departure time. Today we headed off to Isola Bella (the Beautiful Island) in Lake Maggiore, then to Lake Como (a 1.25 hour drive from Lake Maggiore), then back to Isola Madre (Mother Island) in Lake Maggiore for a very special dinner.

After breakfast we boarded a Water Bus for the short trip to Isola Bella and a tour of the Palace and it's magnificent gardens. Isola Bella is one of the Borromean Islands of Lago Maggiore. The Island is situated in the Borromean Gulf, 400 metres from the lakeside town of Stresa. Isola Bella is 320 metres long by 400 metres wide and is entirely occupied by the Palace and its beautiful Italianate garden.

Until 1632 the island I was a rocky crag occupied by a tiny fishing village, but that year Carlo III of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of a palazzo dedicated to his wife. He entrusted the works to the Milanese Angelo Crivelli, who was also to be responsible for the planning the gardens. The works were interrupted around middle of the century when the Duchy of Milan was struck by a devastating outbreak of the plague.

The island is still owned by the family and is only used for two months of each year - August & September. It has hosted some very special guests including George Washington, Mussolini, the three Allied leaders after WWII and more recently Prince Charles & Princess Di.

We returned to the hotel and transferred to the bus for our trip to Como. Once at Como we boarded a Water Bus for a tour of the Lake and villas of the rich and famous (including George Clooney) which line the shore in both directions.

Following the Lake & Villa cruise we returned to shore and after a short walk we were in the town centre to visit the Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Como Cathedral (Cathedral di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Como) is the seat of the Bishop of Como.

The Cathedral is one of the most important buildings in the region. It is commonly described as the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy. Construction on the site of the earlier Romanesque cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore, began in 1396, 10 years after the foundation of Milan Cathedral. The construction works, started under the supervision of Lorenzo degli Spazzi di Laino, did not finish until 1770 with the raising of the Rococo cupola by Filippo Juvarra. The imposing west front was built between 1457 and 1498 and features a rose window and a portal between two statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, natives of Como.

It is 87 metres long, from 36 to 56 metres wide, and 75 metres high into the top of the cupola. It has a Latin Cross floor plan with a central nave and two side aisles, separated by pillars, and a Renaissance transept, with the imposing cupola over the crossing. The apses and the choir are from the 16th century. The interior has some important tapestries, and others of the 16th and 17th centuries, made in Ferrara, Florence and Antwerp. There are also a number of 16th-century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.

After some free time for lunch and shopping we returned to Lake Maggiore.

Dinner tonight was at a unique restaurant in a medieval building on Isola Madre in Lake Madre - a very special setting.

Isola Madre, at 220m wide and 330m long, is the largest island of the Isole Borromee archipelago which falls within the Italian part of the Lake Maggiore. The island is occupied by a number of buildings and architectural structures and is especially well known for its gardens. In the past it was known as Isola di San Vittore and later as Isola Maggiore.

Today's insights:
- Como was founded by Julius Caesar.
- Lake Como is 425 metres (over 1,300 feet) deep and is Europe's deepest lake.
- The west coast of Lake Como is a little over a mile from the Swiss border.
- Mussolini was captured and killed in Lake Como while attempting to flee to Switzerland following the defeat of the Germans during WWII.
- In gratitude for assisting Italy to defeat and repel Hitler's army, Italy provided Winston Churchill a villa on the eastern bank of Lake Como. Churchill used the villa during his retirement.