All the national and international press has given sensational news that precedes the reopening of the famous Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore (March 15, 2025). The Cannero Castles, the islets between Cannero Riviera and Cannobio, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, will open to the public in June, after decades of abandonment.
The recovery and restoration work began in 2019.
The Rocca Vitaliana, the fortress built on the largest of the two rocky islets of the Borromeo family (already owners of Isola Bella and Isola Madre) about three hundred meters from the western shore of Lake Maggiore, will host an interactive museum that will tell the fascinating story of this unusual floating fortification. The tour route will wind through the courtyards, the keep, the walls and the rooms, one of which is frescoed, which house the archaeological finds discovered during the restoration work.
The history of the Cannero Castles dates back to the 15th century, when a family of bandits from Cannobio, the Mazzarditi, built a first fortress there, called Malpaga, which was then razed to the ground in 1414 by the army sent by the Duke of Milan Filippo Maria Visconti. Since 1441, the property has been owned by the Borromeo family: the Rocca Vitaliana, a symbol of power and prestige built on the foundations of Malpaga, was built between 1519 and 1526 at the behest of Count Ludovico Borromeo.
Special private tours, designed by the Book your Italy staff, will soon be published online, which include this new “hidden gem” that expands the tourist offer on Lake Maggiore. In the meantime, we invite you to view and book other exclusive tours on Lake Maggiore:
- Lake Maggiore’s Borromean gulf: a unique trip plunged into the beauty;
- Lake Maggiore art and food tour between Isola Bella and Stresa;
- Discover Lake Maggiore: Borromean Islands private tour.