Lake Maggiore from the Swiss end. In the foreground Ascona

Lake Maggiore (in Italian: Lago Maggiore), also called Lake Verbano, is the most westerly of the three large Prealpine lakes of Europe and the second largest after Lake Garda.

It has a surface area of about 213 km², a maximum length of 54 km and, at its widest, is 12 km. The lake basin has tectonic-glacial origins and its volume is 37 km³. Its tributaries are the Ticino, the Maggia and the Toce rivers, and its outlet is the Ticino River. Its jagged banks are surrounded by the Prealps of Piedmont and Lombardy. The western bank is in Piedmont (provinces of Novara and Verbania) and the eastern in Lombardy (province of Varese), whereas the most northerly section extends thirteen kilometres into Switzerland. The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with beautiful gardens growing rare and exotic plants.

If you are (o would like to be) a tourist, then you can find a lot of info on the Portale del Lago Maggiore, run by the local Trading Chamber.

Towns and villages on the lake

• Locarno
• Ascona
• Stresa
• Verbania
• Arona
• Luino
• Alps

Islands

• Brissago Islands
• Borromean Islands