After a great night’s sleep, we enjoyed a breakfast buffet with a view of the gardens, the sea, and the mountains. I selected scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and a pistachio-filled croissant. Jose-Maria was going for a swim before we had to leave.
Soon it would be time to meet Michaela, our guide for today’s experiences, so we packed up and checked out of our hotel. Jose-Maria explained that Agnès’ sister had read good things about Michaela on line and had suggested her to Agnès. We were so glad she did!
A boat took the five of us to Isola Bella (Beautiful Island), on which the Borromeo family had spent their summers since the 1400s. I must confess that I knew very little about Lago Maggiore and the Borromeos. Originally the Borromeos were bankers and traders in Tuscany 
in the 1300s who lent money to nobles. When the nobles couldn’t repay the loans, the they gave the Borromeos parcels of their land as well as political privileges. The Borromeos relocated to Milan in the 1400s. Milan can get very hot in the summer, but Isola Bella enjoys cooling sea breezes, so it became the family’s summer home. They still use it themselves now. We were told that the current Borromeo family enjoys wandering thought the house with the tourists.
The house is better described as a palace. The family appreciated the arts, and their collection of paintings is displayed throughout. Napoleon both dined and slept here, and we saw the rooms he and his entourage occupied. There are several stuccoed rooms, a music room, and a marionette collection. There is also a room of tapestries.
There was a magnificent terraced garden as well. Much to our surprise, white peacocks and pheasants were wandering freely through the garden.
We moved on to lunch on Isola dei Pescatori (Island of Fishermen). Being on an island named for fishermen, Agnès and Jose-Maria ordered fish and chips. Nick chose a salad of burrata, anchovies, red onions and cherry tomatoes. As for me, I ordered gnocchi with a veal and truffle sauce that I absolutely loved.
Our hotel room was actually a suite. While we were there, Nicholas called, and we called Carla. I reminded Nick of our early days of travel in which we had to buy a special phone with a special attachment to call home.
We walked along the shoreline and visited a few of the trinket shops, where I bought a pin of Lago Maggiore for my hat. We shared a gelato (stracciatella and pistachio).
We met Agnès and Jose-Maria for dinner. I feasted on risotto, one of my favorites. We each ordered our own dessert. The four choices were panna cotta, tiramisu, and two orders of chocolate mousse with amaretto.
Back in our suite we actually turned the TV for a few minutes, which is something we do very rarely when we travel. A cooking show was in progress. That was the end of an absolutely wonderful day.
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