Straddling a south-facing triangle of land jutting into Lake Maggiore, sunny Verbania (comprising Pallanza, Intra and Suna) is the largest town on the Italian part of Lago Maggiore. 

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This lively municipality, which offers countless shopping, leisure and nightlife opportunities as well as sites of interest, embodies the authentic spirit of Italy’s regional lifestyle.

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Intra is the beating heart of Verbania, offering countless bars, restaurants and hotels and an incredible network of narrow alleyways to explore. It is also a shoppers’ paradise where visitors can find a wide array of articles, either at supermarkets, clothes shops or interesting crafts shops in a picturesque maze of old streets.

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If you enjoy Italian food, make a beeline for “La Bottega del Casaro” in Intra’s main lakeside square. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch typically Italian vignettes being theatrically played out behind the mound of cheeses, ham and salami on display and hanging from the ceiling; in other words, plenty of dramatic shouting and gesticulating.

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Watch out because the family who run the shop are very persuasive and you’re likely to find yourself buying a year’s supply of cheese. You can eat in a tiny little space at the back or at tables in the square on the lakeside during the summer.

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If you’re looking for a bite to eat or an early evening drink, there is an endless choice of places to enjoy aperitivi in the old part of town. Just wander around aimlessly and you’re sure to stumble across somewhere that takes your fancy. You’ll find a wide range of eateries, all traditional in old buildings and popular with locals, and you’re quite likely to be the only foreigner there.

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If you’ve had your fill of standard tourist fare and want something a little more sophisticated than pasta e pomodoro and spaghetti carbonara, Intra definitely fits the bill. One highly recommended restaurant in the centre is Il Concordia; its claim to fame is the fact that everything, from bread to desserts, is home made.

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As they are part of the Slow Food movement, the quality of the food is outstanding. If you’re not the worse for wear after all that fine Italian cuisine, how about a spot of shopping? You’ll find several enticing boutiques tailored to your needs.

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Youngsters can head for an Irish pub, O’Conner which is wildly popular, especially on music nights.

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Suna, a spiders web of meandering cobbled streets, has retained the scenic atmosphere of an old lakeside village. There are a handful of popular restaurants and bars and it makes a great place to meet people.

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Serene Pallanza, with its gorgeous belle époque villas set on a verdant promontory, Castagnola, lacks the vibrancy of Intra but makes a great place to unwind and bask in the summer sunshine whilst sipping a fine, dry Arneis wine and watching the world go by.

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If you fancy a short hike, there are plenty of opportunities on the wooded hillside behind the town which is dotted with fine villas, or you can take the Pallanza to Intra panoramic route that skirts the promontory, corniche style, where one lane is given over exclusively to walkers, runners and cyclists.

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You should also climb to the “summit” of the promontory to visit the Romanesque San Remigio church.

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Next to it stands Villa San Remigo, built by Marquis Silvio della Valle di Casanova, a poet and musician, and Sophie Browne, a painter. The villa which belongs to the local government is occasionally open to the public.

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Verbania makes a great jumping off point if you are planning to explore the islands or the eastern shore of the lake which is connected by a regular car ferry leaving every half hour throughout the year.

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If you are looking for something a bit more rustic, there are many small villages scattered on the hillside just above the town. These are wonderful at any time of year but especially in winter as they bask in the sun.

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Verbania beaches

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The most popular beaches are in the Suna district. These are free-access though entrance to the scenic lakeside swimming pool costs a few Euro. South facing, the area can be hot and on weekends and during the summer months is swamped by local youngsters.

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There is a string of small gravelly beaches westwards along the coast. As a car is needed to reach them, they tend to be less crowded and the steps down from the road often make them unsuitable for the frail or the elderly. These beaches don’t offer much in the way of shade during the summer but make for  great off-season destinations as they are exposed to the sun throughout the day.

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Dog beach

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Some dog beaches are tacked on alongside “human” beaches, almost as an afterthought, with the consequence that the division between the two can be blurred. In cases like this, making sure your pooch doesn’t wander can be stressful.

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Taranto beach on the other hand is a reasonably large, fenced off 100% dog beach. Lying directly opposite Villa Taranto gardens, entrance is next to the public boat service landing stage. This means that during the summer months you can even arrive by boat with your dog (don’t forget its muzzle).

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The beach is an attractive mixture of rocky outcrops, gravel and greenery.