Top Lake Maggiore Food & Drink

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.

This is a great choice for travelers looking for an authentic dining experience at Lake Maggiore. Rather than going to a restaurant, enjoy the special experience of eating at a Cesarina’s home. It’s a great way to try a variety of different dishes, as you’ll enjoy a 4-course meal, including starter, pasta, main course with side dish, and dessert. As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to assist your Cesarina with preparation stages, and learn the secrets of the regional recipes.

Learn to prepare several classic Italian dishes at a private home in Ticino Natural Park, located 36 miles (60km) from central Milan. Help to make a 3-course lunch with menu options that are tailored to the tastes of the participants. Have lunch accompanied by wine, dining at a table in the forest (weather permitting), and look for local wildlife such as fox, hare, and bird life.

Valli Ossolane gained its DOC title in 2009, in the period of 2009–2010 when several DOC titles were added to the already impressive wine portfolio of Piedmont, north-western Italy. It covers red and white wines from the Verbano–Cusio–Ossola province in the far northern reaches of Piedmont. Meet the winemaker, a passionate wine lover who traveled around the world to study and learn the most famous wine regions. You will spend time walking in the vineyard and he will tell you about the wine culture in Ossola valley with a 700-year history. You will taste 3 different type of wine from the winery and he will explain to you more about the process from grapes to wines. He will give the answer to every question about Ossola wine or Italian wines. Coming to his winery, you will have a chance to enjoy the wine with the wonderful view of the Alps and see Domodossola from above.

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 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.

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

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.

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 a wine 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 cellar, you will have the opportunity to taste the wine with the wonderful view of the Alps and see Domodossola from above.

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.

Cooking has always been my passion since I was a child and thanks to the teachings of mom, dad, but above all grandmothers, I developed this art, remaining tied to the flavors and tradition of the past.

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.

Italy has a vast and varied culinary heritage, and our local hosts are proud to share its hidden secrets. Share your passion for Italian gastronomy with other lovely guests, immerse yourself in the vibrant local market and enjoy an authentic hands-on cooking class. You'll visit the local market with your Cesarina host, who will teach you all about how to select the best ingredients with the seasons. Then, you'll return to their home, warm up with an Italian Aperitivo and enjoy the class. You'll learn how to make one iconic Pasta type, typical of the city you are visiting, and the famous Tiramisu. After the class, you will enjoy everything you've prepared with local wines. This experience is the perfect choice if you want to encounter the real Italian regional gastronomy through genuine connections, food, and friendship.

Immerse yourself in a private pasta and tiramisu-making class in a welcoming home, learn the secrets of the region's most famous pasta dishes and tiramisu and taste the fruit of your labour for lunch or dinner accompanied by local wines. During this private lesson, you will learn how to prepare 2 pasta recipes and the tiramisu dessert from scratch. Your Cesarina will reveal the tricks of the trade of these iconic recipes. Have fun putting your cooking skills to the test and amaze your friends and family once home with an Italian meal! This experience is suitable for families with children of all ages. Le Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country in more than 120 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Hospitality, experience,passion and fun are essential ingredients in all my encounters, besides the fact that everyone who tries my kitchen always remains extremely satisfied

Don't lose the opportunity to become a "pizzaiolo" (pizza-maker) and a great tiramisu maker! Enter a local home, connect with an expert home cook and discover how Italian mamma and nonnas used to prepare awesome pizza at home. With this private hands-on cooking class, you will learn how to make pizza and tiramisù from scratch from a real Italian family. To complete your feast, enjoy what you have prepared for lunch or dinner with a selection of local wine included. Have fun putting your cooking skills to the test and amaze your friends and family with a pizza party once you come back home! This experience is suitable for families with children of all ages. Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country in more than 120 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

The traditional recipes of lake Maggiore are a well balanced encounter of seafood and each cuisine: rice," polenta", and vegetables meet perch, bleak, eel and trout. This exclusive experience, taking place on the only permanently inhabited one among Isole Borromee, in the central part of the lake, will allow you to learn the secrets of making fresh pasta and dumplings, besides learning how to match your dishes with the local, prestigious wines. At last, you will be delighted by your self-prepared food, during an unforgettable lunch.

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.

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.

Have you ever been to a local market and traditional food shop in Italy, full of ingredients you'd love to experiment with? This is your chance to visit a market with a local expert, choose your most inspiring ingredients, and create and name your very own two recipes.  Go food shopping with your Cesarina and choose 3-5 staple ingredients that capture your imagination before immersing yourself in a private cooking class at their home. With their expert guidance, you will learn how to prepare your chosen ingredients and make your own two Italian creations. Cultivate your creativity and confidence in the kitchen by adding an Italian flair to your dishes. Then, taste everything you have prepared accompanied by a selection of red and white local wines. Le Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of 600+ home cooks all over the country in more than 120 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Passion for food and children are the ingedients to make this experience unique and unforgettable. Even parents will have a great time with their children

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.

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.