Maccagno Fantastico
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This beautiful resort town enjoys a lovely lakefront position along the northerly eastern shore of Lake Maggiore and retains an ancient and noble history, once being known as a skilled craft and fishing village under the Mandelli Counts before being granted freedom to become a free miniature state with its own mint for several centuries before the powerful Borromeo family took control.
Today its colourful past can be seen with the lower part of Maccagno noticeably more ancient then the modern upper part of the town, with medieval passageways, noble townhouses, an imperial watch tower and the sanctuary of ‘Madonna della Punta’. Visitors can enjoy the many pizzerias and fine restaurants, its lakefront promenade which leads to a modern art museum, a forest, play area and beach. For swimmers the Lidos of nearby Locarno and Ascona are recommended. Carnival festivities also feature during the summer months and play up to the town’s famous culinary expertise with the famous ‘Rice and Sausage’ festival. Maccagno offers a wide choice of sporting activities including tennis, hiking, mountain biking, volleyball, rock climbing, scuba diving and sailing. For golfers there is a choice of 6 golf courses in a 40 km radius of the town. A frequent ferry service also operates from the town taking visitors to the beautiful towns of Cannobio, Stresa and to the incredible and elegant gardens found on the Bromero Islands. From the town and just 7 minutes drive away, visitors can also take the mainline train from Luino to explore the local area. The bustling town of Luino also offers a wide choice of supermarkets, shops and amenities as well as boasting the largest weekly market in Europe! The cosmopolitan Swiss city of Lugano makes for an enjoyable day trip and is conveniently located just 40 minutes drive away. Lugano boasts many fine boutique designer shopping boulevards and antique and fine art shops as well as many lovely cafés and fine restaurants which line the elegant piazzas. The nightlife is also buzzing with fantastic bars, a choice of nightclubs and modern casinos. Lake Maggiore is also within easy reach of neighbouring Lake Como. The smaller and extremely beautiful lake is just a 65 minutes drive away and offers many pretty villages and villas to explore. For winter sports the Ski resorts of Alpe Forcora, Andermatt and St Berradino are ideally situated 1 hours drive away. Milan Malpensa airport is also easily accessible from Maccagno, being just an 80minute drive away and an inexpensive train service operates from Milan Central Station to nearby Luino and taking between 1-2 hours. | |
