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LAGO
MAGGIORE
(lake Maggiore)
Lake
Maggiore (in Italian: Lago Maggiore or Verbano, the
Roman Lacus Verbanus) is the most westerly of the three
large prealpine lakes of Italy and the second largest
after Lake Garda. It lies approximately at
45°57′N 8°38′E.
It
has a surface area of about 213 km², a maximum length
of 54 km and, at its widest, is 12 km. The lake basin
has tectonic-glacial origins and its volume is 37 km³.
Its
main tributaries are the Ticino, the Maggia, the Toce
(by which it receives the outflow of Lake Orta) and the
Tresa (which is the sole emissary of Lake Lugano). The
rivers Verzasca, Giona, and Cannobino also flow into the
lake. Its outlet is the Ticino which, in turn, joins the
river Po just south-east of Pavia. |
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| The
lake’s jagged banks are surrounded by the Prealps of
Piedmont and Lombardy. The western bank is in Piedmont
(provinces of Novara and Province of
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) and the eastern in Lombardy
(province of Varese), whereas the most northerly section
extends thirteen kilometres into Switzerland, where it
constitutes the lowest point above sea-level in that
entire country.
The
climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing
Mediterranean vegetation, with beautiful gardens growing
rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those
of the Isola Madre, Isola Bella and the Isole di
Brissago, that of the Villa Taranto in Verbania, and the
Alpinia botanical garden above Stresa. |
