Travel: Italian Lakeside Life

Italian Lakeside Life

By Jan Lee

As the day begins and the sun turns the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to gold, my husband Dave and I take a leisurely stroll. With our little dog Magic, we walk along the lakefront to our favorite cafe, where for $4 we enjoy steaming cappuccinos and fresh buttery croissants.

Many of our days start like this...

About a year ago, we sold our home and began a new chapter in our lives in northern Italy. We rented an elegant two-bedroom apartment one block from our favorite lake, Maggiore, for just under $1,000 per month.

Verbania, Italy, where we live, is home to about 31,000 people.

It sits on the western shore at the southern end of the long lake, which snakes up into Switzerland.

An esplanade skirts the lakefront, with cafes and bars galore. A large, tree-studded park hosts concerts in the summer and there’s a sandy beach for swimming and sun bathing. All the amenities you could ask for are here, including a major hospital, doctors, dentists, and pharmacies.

We find life here affordable and the health care system is good. When I do my weekly shopping for groceries I never spend more than $100. Health care is free for European citizens, which covers my husband, as he is a British citizen.

Since I am originally from the West Coast of the U.S., I don’t qualify. However, I can purchase a voluntary Italian health card for one year for about $500, a fraction of what insurance would cost in the U.S. This card gives me the same free access to doctors and hospitals that my husband has. The quality of care is excellent, with Italy being ranked number two, behind France, by the World Health Organization in health care standards.

We live comfortably here and regularly go to concerts, the ballet, and exhibitions. The finest art in the world is on our doorstep, and the history and architecture of this country would take several lifetimes to enjoy. Inexpensive, high-speed trains have taken us to Verona, Florence, and Turin... Next year we’ll explore Rome.

The climate is mild year-round with the exception of July and August, which can be in the high 80s F or low 90s F. There are beautiful gardens where you’ll find rare and exotic plants. One of the most renowned is Villa Taranto, only a 10-minute walk from our front door. This garden was the dream of a Scottish sea captain who imported trees and plants from around the world and built his villa there. A spectacular water garden is the centerpiece, with masses of color and views to the Alps.

Close by, on the island of Isola Bella, is another wonderful garden—a multi-level, manicured garden with a history that spans several centuries. Here white peacocks strut around displaying their amazing plumage.

If you tire of gardens, you can ride cable cars to craggy mountaintops or take ferries to historical islands with elegant baroque palaces. Last month we took a day-trip to Switzerland on the Centovalli Railway through deep gorges and lush green valleys. The ticket cost slightly less than $100 each, including a three-hour ferry ride back to Verbania from Locarno.

Small, picturesque villages are plentiful on the lakeshore. One of my favorites is Cannobio, which takes only 15 minutes by bus from where we live and is very close to the Swiss border. There is a lovely cafe-lined waterfront promenade and a stunning 15th-century cathedral. Ferries run frequently from here to the Swiss artist colony of Arona and to the larger town of Locarno, in Switzerland, which holds an international film festival each August.

We eagerly await each day here and all the discoveries it will bring...not governed by clocks, deadlines, or spent in traffic.