Top Lake Maggiore Food & Drink

If you are looking for a suggestive and welcoming place to savor excellent wines and food and enjoy peace and tranquility surrounded by greenery, the Fontechiara Winery is what you are looking for. Come and visit us, you can visit the cellar and savor the magic and charm of the process of transforming grapes into wine. We will tell you the story of our company, illustrating the techniques of cultivation of the vineyards and the methods of vinification and aging. In an evocative and familiar setting, you will then taste our wines, Nebbiolo DOC, Vespolina DOC, Rosato DOC and Rosso DOC served in combination with typical local, fresh, artisanal and zero kilometer products such as local cured meats and cheeses, specially selected to enhance the best aromas, tastes and organoleptic characteristics of each individual wine.

Every course has its own goals. We’ll start to prepare the food all together as a group. We will know the recipes and their history, learn the basic skills, cook them.

Immerse yourself in a private cooking class at the Cesarina's home, learn the secrets of the most famous dishes of the Italian cuisine and taste the fruit of your labour accompanied by a glass of local wine. During the lesson the Cesarina will reveal the tricks of the trade of 3 authentic regional recipes. Have fun putting your cooking skills to the test. Each participant will have a workstation equipped with utensils and all the ingredients to make the dishes. Then, taste everything you have prepared accompanied by a selection of red and white local wines.

Connect with a local winemaker and learn about the history and production of Valli Ossolane DOC wines with this exclusive cellar tour and tasting. Stroll through the vineyards with the winery owner and host to see how grapes have been grown in the northern reaches of Piedmont for centuries, then taste three different red and white wines against the backdrop of the towering Alpine peaks.

Through our path you can discover the wines of the territory and learn to refine your senses like all the best sommeliers!

Savor the beauty of Lake Maggiore during the golden hour with this private sunset cruise. Set off from Stresa just as the sun begins to dip below the horizon and admire the picturesque towns, historic villas, and sumptuous gardens dotting the shore as you slowly cruise past. Sip prosecco and snap photos of the lush Borromean Islands and soaring Alpine peaks on the horizon before heading back to the harbor.

Island-hop at Lake Maggiore, and discover the tiny Borromean Islands with a hop-on hop-off ferry ticket. Use the 1-day pass to venture out from Stresa, and spend your day sightseeing as you wish. Step onto the shores of Isola Bella, home to the Borromeo family ‘palazzo’; wander amid the houses of pocket-sized Isola dei Pescatori; and admire the greenery of Isola Madre where botanical gardens beckon.

Immerse yourself in a private dining experience at a local's home, enjoy an exclusive show cooking and taste authentic recipes from Stresa treasured in family cookbooks passed down by real Italian Mammas. Feel the warmth of Italian hospitality as you connect with local people. Enjoy a 4-course menu including starter, pasta, main course with side dish, dessert with drinks included (water, selection of red and white wines from regional cellars and coffee). This experience is held by Cesarine: Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country in more than 500 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

If you are looking for a suggestive and welcoming place to savor excellent wines and food and enjoy peace and tranquility surrounded by greenery, the Fontechiara Winery is what you are looking for. Come and visit us, you can visit the cellar and savor the magic and charm of the process of transforming grapes into wine. We will tell you the story of our company, illustrating the techniques of cultivation of the vineyards and the methods of vinification and aging. In a suggestive and familiar setting, you will then taste our wines, Nebbiolo DOC, Vespolina DOC and Rosato DOC, served in combination with typical local, fresh, artisanal and zero-kilometer products such as local cured meats and cheeses, specially selected to enhance the best aromas, tastes and organoleptic characteristics of each individual wine.

If you are looking for a charming and welcoming place to savor excellent wines and food and enjoy peace and tranquility surrounded by greenery, the Azienda Agricola Fontechiara is what you need. Come and visit us, you can visit the winery and enjoy the magic and charm of the process of processing grapes into wine. We will tell you the history of our company, illustrating the techniques of cultivation of the vineyards and the methods of vinification and aging. In a suggestive and familiar setting, you will then taste our wines, Nebbiolo DOC and Vespolina DOC, served in combination with local, fresh, locally produced and zero-kilometer products such as local meats and cheeses, specially selected to enhance aromas and flavors to perfection and organoleptic characteristics of each individual wine.

We will spend time walking inside the vineyard where we will discover the culture of grapevine and wine in the Ossola Valley with over 700 years of history. You will taste two wines from our cellar in combination with typical products and I will explain more about the production process. I will try to answer any question about Ossolano wine or Italian wines. Coming to our winery, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful view of the Alps and see Domodossola from above. More info on www. edoardopatrone .com

Enjoy a private culinary immersion in Aosta and combine both food walking tour and cooking class in one convenient morning or afternoon excursion. Navigate local food shops you might not have found independently with ease alongside your local host. Then, prepare three regional dishes in your host’s home, before savoring them with local wines for a truly intimate experience.

The experience of stopping in one of the most evocative places of Lake Maggiore listening to the live notes of an accordion while enjoying a "special" aperitif, the result of a sophisticated search for local products.

The surroundings of lake Maggiore are the homeland of some of the most prestigious Italian gastronomic specialties: varieties of cheese like the "Bettelmatt" are the natural match for elegant yet full-bodied wines like Nebbiolo, the king of Piemontese vines. This exclusive tour will lead you to discover some of these mouth-watering treasures: starting form Stresa, where you'll have an espresso or a cappuccino, together with a sweet specialty in a historical tea room. The following stage will be a cheese seasoning cellar, where you'll have a tasting matched by some varieties of wine. Finally, you'll reach Gattinara, a charming small town which has given its name to a fine red wine based on Nebbiolo grapes: the Gattinara DOCG. A guided tasting of this nectar will be held in an historical local winery.

Stresa, known as the pearl of lake Maggiore, stands in front of the Borromean Islands, which got their name by the ancient family who owned them since the 16th century. One one of these, Isola Bella, Carlo III Borromeo built a gorgeous baroque mansion, dedicated to his wife Isabella. This private guided tour will allow you to explore Isola Bella and the splendor of the palace and its garden; once back in Stresa, you'll have a walk on the cosy small streets of the town centre, until you'll reach a local winery for a mouth-watering aperitif, based on local wines, cold cuts and cheese.

Learn to roll fresh pasta by hand during a small-group cooking class at Lake Maggiore. You’ll skip the impersonal feel of a general cooking class, and cook in the home of a local, who is part of the Cesarine network of Italian home cooks. Create two pasta dishes and a classic tiramisu as you learn about Lake Maggiore’s culinary traditions in the best place — an Italian home kitchen.

Experience the northern Italian tradition of aperitivo in the picturesque setting of Lake Maggiore. This private experience features a selection of five dishes made with fresh, local ingredients such as Italian olive oil, cured meats, grilled vegetables, and cheese as well as local wines and typical drinks. Enjoy this array of dishes at a local home, for a bite-sized depiction of the aperitivo.

The two sides of lake Maggiore are amazingly different: Westwards, the sweet sines of the gulf on which Stresa and Baveno lay, in front of the charming Borromean Islands with their botanical gardens and villas. Eastwards, the deep waters in which high and wooded cliffs tumble down. A private cruise will take you across the lake, coasting the Islands, to reach by a cableway an amazing viewpoint on mount Sasso del Ferro, on the East coast. Here you will stare at the astonishing landscape of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Isles and the Alps during a sunset in which the sun, the sky and the waters below will be as one. An exclusive aperitif will be served on a terrific terrace, where you will enjoy the quietness of the site.

Arona, a beautiful town laying on the South-Western coast of lake Maggiore, gave birth in the 16th century to the future saint and bishop of Milan Carlo Borromeo. After a few decades from his death, a huge bronze statue dedicated to the memory of the revered citizen was built close to Arona and acted as an inspiration and a technical instruction for Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty in New York. This exclusive tour will lead you from the charming centre of Arona to the hill where you will be able to visit the statue and enjoy a view of the lake, definitely from its "point of view". Later on, you will be guided to a local seasoning cellar, where a full tasting of wine and local, delicious varieties of cheese will be served. A day between amazing art and taste.

The two sides of lake Maggiore are amazingly different: Westwards, the sweet sines of the gulf on which Stresa and Baveno lay, in front of the charming Borromean Islands with their botanical gardens and villas. Eastwards, the deep waters in which high and wooded cliffs tumble down. This private tour will allow you to enjoy this beautiful diversity, taking you to the discovery of a hidden jewel, built sheer up on the water, close to the town of Laveno Mombello: the Hermitage of Santa Caterina, offering priceless works of art and a breathtaking view on lake Maggiore. This unforgettable experience will end with an exclusive aperitif, served onboard on your route back.

The sunset on lake Maggiore paints the mountains around of amazing shades and fires up the water; at this time of the day, the blooming flowers in the garden of the Borromean Palace of Isola Bella become as one with the Sun reflections on the beautiful sculptures. This private tour will allow you to enjoy these unforgettable moments; after a short transfer by a fashionable vintage taxi-boat, a private guide will lead you across the island, which is actually a whole work of art; after a while, as the evening begins to fall, you will enjoy an exclusive aperitif in front of lake Maggiore.