Blessed solitude. Monte Isola (BS) rises from the blue waters of Lake Iseo.

It is simultaneously mountain, lake and island (as the name implies), with shades of colour from nature and above a deep quiet. It can only be reached by boat. They dock at the foot of the mountain without disturbing the inner sanctuary which sits untouched after the temporary hubbub of Christo’s Floating Piers during which the island was first connected to the mainland.

The 12 fractions that make up the municipality each have their own history and characteristics. The mountain architecture is different from that found round the lake, starting from the stone with which the houses are composed: white and limestone for those of the mountain, stone of Sarnico for those towards the shore.

On the highest point, at 600m, is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola, a place of religious silence from where you can enjoy the most beautiful view of Lake Iseo, as though looking down from the mast of a ship. Its white walls resemble a pearl set in the green of the pastures and the blue of the sky. Below, on the slopes of the mountain, the fractions are crowned by it, almost wrapped in a protective mantle.

Siviano has always been the capital. Down from Villa Solitudo, along a narrow road you get to the town, with its houses with arches and stone jambs, where the imposing Martinengo tower dominates the town hall square.

Another important centre is Peschiera Maraglio, reachable from Sulzano, once inhabited only by fishermen. The lakefront, where boats still moor, was once covered with nets exposed to the sun or dried fish, a typical product of the village along with the salami and olive oil from trees that cover the island.

The flowered houses of geraniums, the narrow alleys connected by arches, stairs that always lead back to the lake and the smell of drying fish make it a place of charm, a treasure to be discovered as is all of Monte Isola.

BORGHI PIÙ BELLI D’ITALIA #INLOMBARDIA