Isole di Brissago Garden Guide

The Isole di Brissago are among the most unusual garden visits on Lake Maggiore. Located in the Swiss part of the lake, the larger island is home to a botanical garden where subtropical and exotic plants grow in a sheltered island climate.

The garden benefits from the moderating influence of the lake. This allows a wide range of plants from warmer regions to be cultivated, creating a garden that feels different from the villa gardens of Como and the Borromean Islands. It is botanical, international and strongly shaped by climate.

For travellers exploring the Italian Lakes, the Brissago Islands add another dimension to the journey. They show how Lake Maggiore’s microclimate extends beyond Italy into Switzerland, and how island settings can create distinctive conditions for plant collections.

Why the Brissago Islands matter for garden travellers

The Brissago Islands matter because they are a clear example of climate-driven garden-making. The garden’s identity comes from what can be grown there: plants from the Mediterranean, Asia, the Americas and other mild or subtropical regions.

It is not a formal Italian villa garden in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a botanical island collection, valuable for anyone interested in plant adaptation, microclimates and the garden possibilities of sheltered lakeside sites.

What to look for

• subtropical and exotic planting
• the effect of the lake climate
• palms, camellias, magnolias and other mild-climate plants
• island views across Lake Maggiore
• the contrast with more formal Italian villa gardens
• the way paths organise the botanical collection

Garden character

The Brissago Islands have a distinctive international botanical character. The garden is less about aristocratic display and more about plant diversity, climate and setting. It is a valuable counterpoint to Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Villa Taranto.

Visiting the Brissago Islands with GardenTours.com

A visit to the Brissago Islands adds variety to an Italian Lakes garden tour. It connects Lake Maggiore’s Italian and Swiss shores and deepens the botanical theme of the journey.