Verbania is the main town on the western shore of Lake Maggiore, a merger of several old settlements — principally Pallanza and Intra — that together make up the largest municipality on the Italian part of the lake. Pallanza, on a gentle promontory facing the Borromean Islands, is the more graceful half: Liberty-style villas, a lakefront promenade, and a wide piazza give it the unhurried feel of a classic Italian resort.
The main reason to come is the Villa Taranto, a short walk north of Pallanza, whose botanical gardens are among the finest in Italy. A Scottish officer, Neil McEacharn, bought the estate in 1931 and spent the next four decades assembling over 20,000 species of plants from across the world. The dahlia valley, the giant Amazonian water lilies, and the spring display of tulips and azaleas draw visitors from April to October. The gardens are well-maintained and the setting — terraced slopes dropping to the lake with the Alps behind — is exceptional.
Intra, the other half of Verbania, is more workmanlike: the ferry terminal, the market, and the shops are all here. The lake crossing from Intra to Laveno on the eastern shore is one of the regular car-ferry routes, and the view from the water back to Verbania and the mountains is the best way to appreciate the town's setting.