Mottarone
1,491 metres of open panorama over the lakes, all the way to Monte Rosa on clear days.
It doesn't take much to leave the lake behind and head up into the mountains. Mottarone is right there, between Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore, and at 1,491 metres it's the local mountain for this corner of Piedmont. From the hotel it's a day out, the kind you go for when you're in the mood for fresh air, quiet and a bit of woodland.
What stays with you about Mottarone is the view. On clear days you can see seven lakes from the top (Orta, Maggiore, Mergozzo, Biandronno, Comabbio, Monate and Varese), and to the north the mountains, with Monte Rosa closing the horizon. Turn south and the plain opens out, and when the air is clean you can even pick out Milan.
It's not just a viewpoint. On the side facing Lake Maggiore is the Alpinia Botanical Garden, with its mountain plants and a terrace that's worth the climb on its own. In summer the mountain is all trails, on foot or by mountain bike; in winter, with the snow, you can ski in peace, well away from the busier resorts.
You get there by car, following the panoramic road up through the woods, and it's worth stopping now and then, because the lake seen from above is another thing entirely. It's the right day out for anyone staying with us who feels like a change of altitude: up on the mountain in the morning, back at the hotel in the evening, taking it easy.