There is something magical about being on a lake, especially when you're in the north
of Italy, on Lake Iseo, dotted with picturesque villages along the shore, some like this one
on an island in the middle of the lake.
You can easily get around by boat, which lead out from the beautiful town of Iseo, located
right along the shore with a marina, piazzas, little lanes and shops and restaurants.
Lake Iseo is not as well known or as busy as the other lakes up here in the Italian
Lake District.
Like its famous neighbors of Lake Maggiore, Lugano, Como and Lake Garda.
You can reach Iseo conveniently by train, such as from the nearby city of Brescia, just
25 minutes away.
That costs less than 5 euro, and you will enjoy some beautiful scenery along that short
ride, with the train station located right in town, just about a 300-meter walk down
to the waterfront.
Starting out by crossing right over the tracks.
Notice I've arrived early at 8:30, which was easy to do because I've been staying in Brescia
for a few days, and this early start is very helpful in beating the crowds that show up
later in the day, especially for getting on the excursion boat.
I'm so early, the ticket office has not even opened yet.
By midday, as you'll see later, there is a long line here waiting to buy their tickets.
With that early start, there is time for a stroll around Iseo town.
It's not a big place, maybe 500 meters wide at most.
But in that typical Italian style of a lakefront village, it is beautiful.
With its central piazza surrounded by porticos and sidewalk restaurants.
Bicycling is a popular sport here because it's a terrific way to get around and see
the region, with bike routes along the shore and up in the hills.
This Piazza Garibaldi in the center of the town features a statue of that great hero
of Italian unification, Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Many Italian towns have a statue of Garibaldi, but this was the first one, unlike in most
other places, here he is not sitting on a horse but standing facing the City Hall.
The bicyclists have had their little break in the piazza, and now it's time to move along
on the ride.
You would also find the piazza a good place for a snack.
Maybe just a cornetto in the morning, or sit down at a table for some waiter service.
Mostly in the morning, people are just having coffee and a roll.
Then later in the afternoon, it's time for some drinks, either a glass of wine or that
favorite the spiritz.
Of course, dogs are always welcome at the table and seem happy to be here.
Some shops are still opening as it's still early in the day and the back streets are
rather quiet, it's a nice place to go take a walk behind the piazza where you'll soon
find Piazza Mazzini, a smaller plaza with an outdoor washbasin still functioning.
It's an unusual survival of a tradition that had been widespread, especially important
in old days when many homes had no running water.
As you wander through these narrow cobblestone streets, you'll be immersed in old world charm.
Then be surprised by a whimsical gathering of colorful umbrellas hanging above.
We'll see more of those charming back lanes later, but now it's time to get to the waterfront,
enjoying more scenes of that picturesque marina.
Purchase a ticket for the boat ride.
Fortunately, at this hour, it's not very busy, so it's easy to get that ticket, then wait
online for a few minutes and get on board for the main adventure of the day., a cruise
on the lake, and then a visit to a little hamlet on the island in the middle of the
lake.
Casting off and away we go.
Lake Iseo is located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, and it's surrounded by
numerous charming towns and villages.
There are sixteen coastal municipalities of the lake with another seven hillside municipalities.
The lake is 25 kilometers long, with a maximum width of five kilometers, making it much smaller
than its more famous neighbors such as Lake Como, Maggiore and Lake Garda.
That smaller size of the lake gives it a special charm where you feel like you can see the
entire lake at once, embraced by the mountain all around you.
And yet the island in the middle, Monte Isola, is the largest lake island in all of southern
and Central Europe, dwarfed only by some larger lake islands in Scandinavia.
One of the first stops is at Sensole, a small hamlet on the island of Monte Isola, and then
the boat continues around, making numerous other stops.
You can take a boat cruise along the entire length of the lake where there are as many
as 23 different places that the boat will stop, which could take about 3 hours cruising
from one end of the lake to the other.
However, on this cruise, we're just going from Iseo town to the island of Monte Isola,
and then to the western shore, and then back to the island, then back to Iseo.
Here is the main destination for the boat ride, the little hamlet of Peschiera Maraglio,
on the island of Monte Isola, where most people are getting off.
However, the boat is going to go around the island and make a few more stops and then
it will come back here, so that's where I'll be getting off because I want to see the entire
little circuit the boat can make in this part of the lake.
We'll get back to that cute little port of Peschiera shortly, then get off the boat and
have a walk around.
But for now, we continue on our voyage.
Looking back at that island of Monte Isola, which has a mountain 1300 feet high.
Making a stop now at Sulzano, which is on the east shore of the mainland, and it's a
place that you could get to by train, and then it would only take you 5 minutes by boat
to reach the island because it is much closer than the town of Iseo to the island.
So you can take a long boat ride on the lake from one end to the other in 3 hours or ride
only 5 minutes from Salsano to the island, a distance of only 600 meters.
These pastel-colored buildings along the shores of the island and the mainland are so attractive
and so Italian-looking that it really feels like we're along the shores of the Mediterranean
rather than up here in northern Italy.
Then we come in for another stop on the mainland with just a few people getting on, probably
locals, because not only is this a ferry boat for tourist excursions, but it's a basic way
that locals get out to the island.
After all, there are no bridges that go out to the island, so they take the ferry.
Now, this next stop is back on the island at the small hamlet of Carzano, not a very
hot tourist destination, so again, only a few people getting on or off.
The boat continues along this relatively narrow and yet picturesque passage then continues
around the island to the northwest end, arriving at Siviano, which is the island's largest
village, an attractive place but not as picturesque as Peschiera, that we'll get back to shortly.
The ferry continues to the other side of the lake along the west shore, which has a major
stop and a larger town with a lot of people getting on.
This town of Tavernola has a lakeside promenade old clocktower, Romanesque church and other
attractions.
Continuing along, we pass a couple of small private islands, including Isola di Loreto,
with its own little castle in neo-Gothic style.
We've been making the complete circuit around the island of Monte Isola, and you can see
how it's attractive to stay on board the boat rather than getting off at that first stop
back at Peschiera.
And there's no extra charge for staying on the boat if you've got the time.
So enjoy the scenery.
And then we arrive at Peschiera, which is the main attraction perhaps of the entire
visit to Iseo, with its delightfully picturesque waterfront promenade lined with boats on one
side and little cafes on the other.
It's a quiet place with no private cars allowed but watch out for the mopeds that locals are
allowed to drive.
Perhaps a bicycle is more your speed, and you can rent one here for an hour or the whole
day if you really want to explore the island, which does have small roads that go around
it and up into the hill.
Most visitors are happy just to walk along the shores of this quaint village for an hour
or two and maybe have a meal, have a drink, then catch the ferry back to that main town
of Iseo.
The ferries leave about every 20 minutes, so you don't have to worry too much about
getting to the dock at a certain time.
Just go there and wait and a boat will show up.
There's a Tourist Information Office in the village where you can get some free maps and
brochures and they can help you find accommodations if you want to spend the night.
There are several small hotels here and guesthouses.
On the map you see Peschiera's location at the southern end of the island, which is three
kilometers long and has several small roads.
There are still some fishermen based in this little village of Peschiera, whose name means
fishpond with several different varieties of fresh lake fish available in some of the
restaurants.
They even have a display of how they dry the fish, but those are just little wooden models.
It's almost time for us to depart this heavenly island, but first you will be tempted to sit
at a garden terrace and have a drink or perhaps a gourmet meal in a picture-perfect setting
in the gardens of Castello Oldofredi.
It's a deluxe hotel, and you don't have to be a guest to enjoy this delightful terrace
restaurant with a casual snack bar.
It's located adjacent to the ferry dock so you can keep your eyes on the water and time
your last sip of your drink so that you get over to the dock just in time to get on the
boat.
You'll notice there are quite a few passengers on board, but it's not overly crowded.
There are seats for everybody.
Partly because we're here late in the season.
This visit took place on the last Sunday of October, which is perfect timing because the
area is not so crowded as during the summer.
Stopping again at Sensole, and the weather, as you can see, is just delightful.
The lakes of Lombardy have a particularly mild climate, so coming in the off season
is ideal.
We are completing our journey around this part of the lake and coming back to our home
base of the town of Iseo, where we see that perfect waterfront promenade with no cars
allowed in that peaceful area.
As we get off, you'll notice the boat dock is a lot more crowded than what we saw this
morning upon boarding.
We are now at midday on a Sunday and rush hour has begun.
It's not that much of a crush after all, it's the end of October.
If you want to come in the summertime, it's going to be a lot more busy.
So perhaps plan your schedules so that you come during a weekday rather than on the weekend,
then be patient while waiting online.
But we are done with all that and ready to get back into Iseo town for some explorations.
From the boat dock we are on a lovely waterfront plaza, then return to Piazza Garibaldi and
have a walk in the little back lanes.
Iseo offers a captivating escape for travelers seeking a taste of authentic Italy, often
overshadowed by its more well-known cousins, Lake Como and Lake Garda.
Iseo hides a charm all its own with a serene atmosphere.
With Spritz, you get a snack, typical of most of the delightful cafes of Italy.
With that pretty meal, you might not have to spend time and money for a lunch.
Instead of sitting for a big meal, take a little walk in the charming back lanes of
Iseo where you might run into the neighborhood cats who will come out and greet you.
Not just one, but two cats, so friendly.
We'll see them again at the end.
Capital of the lake, Iseo is a lively commercial and touristic town with numerous restaurants,
elegant shops and various opportunity for entertainment, but has kept the ancient medieval
village layout with its characteristic structure of alleys and tower houses and dramatic brick
arches tunneling under buildings connecting the various lanes.
Vicolo Portelle is one of the main side streets branching off from Piazza Garibaldi, which
is just around the corner where you will be surrounded by restaurants.
A hand-written menu in Italian on a blackboard out front and a wall of books in the aisle
as you enter is a sure sign this is going to be a nice place to have a bite or a spritz,
that will be served with a snack.
We are in a literary paradise, The Cafe Letterario Eden, a community gathering place for locals
where visitors are also welcome and can sit outdoors under the portico or out in the piazza.
When you walk around the bend on the edge of the piazza to via Marolte, you'll come
upon a beautiful small church.
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Mercato, so called because it's next to the market square, built
in the 14th century with Gothic and Renaissance elements and frescoes, altars and decorative
details inside.
Back out on the piazza, we're having our final looks at this beautiful town center.
It's really been a rewarding visit with the town, the promenades, the boat ride and the
island in the middle of the lake.
And now we've got a pack of friendly little dogs on leashes, taking a stroll with the
mistress and greeting their friends who work at the piazza.
Remember, we've got more of those cats to show you in a little while, but first we're
going to make that short walk back to the station and take another train ride.
This time, we'll be heading north from the town of Iseo, riding along the lake to enjoy
the beautiful scenery, and get a little lost.
There's something special about riding along on a train on the shores of a lake, with greenery
in the foreground and mountains in the back, and the tranquil water in the middle, sometimes
with an olive grove on the hillsides.
Occasionally, your view is blocked by the homes built right up to the water's edge,
or the train deviates inland for a while.
But then, like magic, the lake reappears.
My plan was to ride along the lake for about half an hour, enjoying more of this glorious
scenery, and then get off at the little village of Pisogne and see what that has to offer.
The marina is a sure sign that we have arrived at Pisogne, and then the people start getting
up and gathering their things and everybody is getting off the train, which should be
a little warning that you should get off too, join the crowd exiting the train.
But I was enjoying the ride so much I stayed onboard hoping to see more scenery.
Unfortunately, there was no more lake and I had a little glimpse of some fields and
hills and then ended up at the little village of Darfo.
From the looks of it, this is not a tourist destination, especially on a Sunday when most
of the shops are closed.
So it's catch the next train heading back south, but we're running out of time to see
Pisogne, which is a cute little town with a waterfront for recreation and narrow pedestrian
lanes.
But I didn't get off because I'm running short on time needing to get back to the town of
Brescia where I'm staying.
So all I got is a few pictures from the tourist information website.
Iseo caters to all types of adventures.
Hike or bike along well-maintained trails that hug the shoreline, taking in the ever
changing scenery.
Rent a motorcycle or kayak or paddleboard to explore the lake from a different perspective.
For a touch of adrenaline, try windsurfing or kite surfing.
Earlier, I promised we'd end up with a few more scenes of those cute cats, photographed
back in the center of Iseo town.
Whenever you see free-ranging cats roaming around in the streets, you know that you are
in a quiet and peaceful, safe place, friendly to cats and visitors.
I have many more videos about the lakes, the towns, the cities of northern Italy.
Look for them in the collection, including Bologna, Verona, Simone, Lake Garda Bellagio
on Lake Como, Bergamo, Sestri Levante, Savona, Mantua, with an endless supply of new videos
coming up in the future about Italy and the rest of Europe.
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