Lago d’Iseo’s laid-back vibe!
Lago d’Iseo, you had me at hello. 💚
I’ve been to many Italian lakes. Como, Garda, Maggiore and Lugano to name a few. I love all of these places because let’s face it, it is Italy. They are all beautiful and the food is yummy. That being said, Lago d’Iseo is my favorite Italian lake because it is a little smaller, more laid back, and stunning. Not to mention its proximity to the Franciacorta wine region. (more on this in the next post)
Hope everyone had a wonderful summer. I have a million photos of our trip that I cant wait to share with you!
Until Next time,
Michelle
A video of Monte Isola from the water’s edge.
Sunset from our terrace at Costa Paradiso
What to do while staying in Lago d’Iseo.
After our afternoon spent in Bergamo (our visit to Bergamo) we arrived at the lake just in time for a dip in the pool and some lounging around. This was the perfect opportunity to discuss our trip. After a swim and a snooze we came up with the following key points:
1. Get out on the water!
Get out on the lake by boat, canoe, or kayak. It doesn’t matter. In the end, we chose to rent a small motorboat. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) for us, the weather turned a bit nasty. As we turned the corner on one of the small islands the sky turned black, the sea became rough, and we ended up in a downpour. Although we probably should have been scared, we never laughed so hard in our lives. Luckily we were close to Monte Isola and managed to pull into one of the FREE slips available to boat renters. After a few attempts to park, we sloshed in our soaked sneakers to the nearest restaurant and had some amazing locally made salami, cheeses, and a glass of Franciacorta. This was my favorite day!
For boat rentals: https://www.nauticabertelli.it Where we ate on Monte Isola: L’isola dei Sapori
2. Spend the day exploring Monte Isola
Monte Isola is the island in the middle of the lake where we were hiding out from the storm. After the sun came out, we were able to explore the Island. There are many ways to explore the island. They have some very nice bike tours and walking tours. If you are a go-it-alone kinda person, they have a minibus system and a path that circles the island. Here is the official link for touring Monte Isola, Monte Isola Info link.
3. Visit the Franciacorta wine region.
Literally, 10 minutes from the lake is the absolutely beautiful wine region of my new best friend Franciacorta Sparkling Wine. Sorry prosecco…you’ve been demoted. When you try it, you will understand. (again, check back in for a new post about Franciacorta).
There are several wineries that offer tours and tastings. They are all lovely. We visited:
Bersi Serlini https://www.bersiserlini.it
Barone Pizzini (organic) https://baronepizzini.it
Le Cantorie http://www.lecantorie.com
4. Just relax and take it all in.
Where you stay is very important. This lake is meant to be seen! Make sure you book a hotel, or in our case, a B&B directly on the lake. Our spot was really magical. We carved our time every day to just sit by the lake and enjoy the view. The lake is so peaceful and the nature puts you in an amazing mind space.
We stayed at:
Costa Paradiso B&B.
https://www.costaparadisoiseo.it
Our stay here could not have been better. Mariangela (the owner) was so helpful and lovely. She is from the area and knows everybody! Her help choosing restaurants and getting reservations on point and her knowledge of what to do were just perfect.
Little note. You should like dogs. She has 2 adorable dogs (not yappy) and the property is situated between the road and the lakeshore so during the day you can hear the noise from the road. It is not overwhelming and at night there was very little noise. We slept like babies.
