The smallest and most human of the Borromean Islands, Isola dei Pescatori is a real village with a real community, not a palace or a garden. The island is a tangle of narrow alleys between old stone houses hung with fishing nets, a small piazza with a church, and a handful of restaurants and craft shops facing the water on both sides. You can walk the entire island in ten minutes.
It makes a good contrast to the grandeur of Isola Bella. Where the palace island is all Baroque excess, this one is domestic and unpretentious. Come in the afternoon after visiting Isola Bella — the day-trippers thin out and the light turns golden on the lake. The regular ferry from Stresa calls here, or you can combine it with Isola Bella on the same ticket.