An Afternoon in Lake Iseo and Monte Isola, Northern Italy

I will admit that I had not heard of Lake Iseo but am very happy to have discovered this beautiful place thanks to the popular One Girl One Rucksack One World travel page on Facebook. 

I had booked cheap flights to Bergamo during the Easter holidays (well, Pesach at my school) and knew I would visit Lake Garda but once I saw the photos of Lake Iseo and Monte Isola, I had to spend a day there.

In fact, it was so beautiful, I hope to return again maybe for 2-3 days.

I was staying in Brescia as a convenient base in Lombardy and getting to Lake Iseo was simple. There is a direct train from Brescia to Sulzano which takes half an hour and costs around £4. £4 to get to see this stunning place!

Lake Iseo

Lake Iseo is located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, divided across the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia, and is the fourth largest lake after:

1) Lake Garda

2) Lake Maggiore

3) Lake Como

4) Lake Iseo

5) Lake Lugano

6) Lake Idro

I arrived at the lake from the south end of Sulzano, yet Pisogne towards the north of the lake looks equally beautiful.

Obviously, Lake Iseo is smaller than the stars of Garda and Como and is less popular with tourists, therefore far less crowded. April was a lovely time to visit with temperatures between 20-27 celsius with a cool breeze coming from over the lake and humidity was quite low.

The lakeside is just a 2 minute walk from Sulzano station and the blue of the lake water hits you right away (photos do not do it justice).

There, you will find a ticket office for the boat over to Monte Isola.

Lake Iseo at Sulzano

A return ticket to Monte Isola cost around £6 and the trip only takes around 10 minutes, if that.

It goes without saying that Italy is an incredibly beautiful country, and you tend to walk around in a permanent sense of awe at every sight, sound, smell, and taste you come across.

Once disembarked on Monte Isola, I felt giddy at how beautiful this little island was and that I was getting to spend the afternoon here.

Monte Isola

Monte Isola is known as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and it rightfully deserves its reputation.

The island is small and very walkable, especially given that cars are not allowed there! In fact, Monte Isola is a great place for hikers with a range of trails from flat to uphill.

View of Monte Isola from the ferry across Lake Iseo

Once on dry land, I fancied an espresso but walked around a bit first, taking in the stunning sights.

Yes, there are a few souvenir shops where you first get off the ferry but I bought my obligatory magnet and knew that was done; once you follow the curve of the island round past the harbour, there are no more and it then feels far less touristy.

People rent bikes and cycle down the long, smooth lanes, alongside parents pushing babies along in prams. It is pleasant to walk around Monte Isola; a nice break away from the bustle of Italian cities.

A really good espresso overlooking the lake; I later painted this photograph in watercolour!

Re-energised, I set off on a walk without a plan just following the road round the island taking in the sights.

I'll drop a few photos here before coming to lunch:

Lunch was at Trattoria La Spiaggetta which was one of those meals you tend to think back on, not just for the food itself but for the view, the service, the general uplift and experience of it all.

A view does not get much better than this whilst dining, and I know some people can feel a bit intimidated dining alone but with a view like this, you become totally absorbed in the environment where it does not matter.

I find Italy to be a really good country to eat alone in  (apart from the odd patriarchal remark about being "soletta" which happened recently in Genoa) because Italians place such value on food that they generally wouldn't question why somebody would choose to dine alone.

Trofie al pesto genovese with a beautiful glass of local Lugana white wine

The women running the trattoria were so friendly and they also had their cute pet cat wandering around, who I later found sleeping outside on the roof near the entrance (which is one of my favourite photos I have taken this year).