What to see and what to do in Ispra

Ispra is a picturesque tourist destination, overlooking the Lombardy shore of Lake Maggiore. Due to its beaches, the lakeside and the accommodations it offers, it is frequented by many Italian and foreign tourists.

Ispra is home to the JRC, the Joint Research Center, which occupies about a third of the municipal territory. It is one of seven research institutes established in five EU countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain).

This helps to make Ispra a municipality with a large number of foreign citizens.

In Ispra we can find luxurious villas of great value: an example is Villa Rocchetta, built in 1935 for Elena Consonno and available on request for the organization of events or weddings. Also worth mentioning is Villa Ranci Ortigosa De Corti, where the author Costanzo Ranci lived, Villa Sagramoso Brivio, built between the center and the lake during the nineteenth century, and Villa Quassa, located on the southern coast of the lake towards Ranco. Luigi Cadorna lived in Villa Quassa as a child. Villa Quassa has one of the largest parks on Lake Maggiore capable of hosting monumental trees.

The municipality of Ispra in the center of the city is also surrounded by a park with a romantic flavor, the park of Villa Castelli. Ispra, along with Germignaga, Maccagno or Caldè, has played an important role in treating and producing lime in the past. This is precisely why there are still today the old kilns, the large brick kilns used to cook limestone and obtain lime.

The proximity to the lake was sought as the transport of lime took place by water to Milan.

Besides the ovens, there were all the structures needed in the production process, real businesses. Records indicate that lime was also provided to the Fabbrica del Duomo in Milan. By the turn of the century, there were approximately ten enterprises working with lime. The intensive operation of the kilns took place at the beginning of several decades, around the first half of the 20th century. The last furnace closed in 1960: today several have collapsed, some have been converted into luxury private villas and some are still visible along the road "Ring of the Furnaces".

What should be seen and visited in Ispra

Church of San Martino

The Church of San Martino Vescovo is the parish church of Ispra. It is located right in the center. The current parish church, which incorporates part of the seventeenth-century one, was built between 1712 and 1742 and consecrated on 13 June 1749 by Casimiro Reina Bubens, titular bishop of Capsa and delegated by the archbishop of Milan Giuseppe Pozzobonelli.

In 1759 the main altar was rebuilt and in 1909 the frescoes were finished.

Castelbarco Mausoleum

The Mausoleum of Castelbarco is a sepulchral monument with a polygonal plan located in Ispra in front of the cemetery. The external part is in white granite and the interior in red granite, coming from the Baveno quarries.

The entrance towards the street is preceded by a four-column pronaos surmounted by a triangular tympanum and the side facing the lake recalls the main facade, with four columns leaning against the wall. The building is spread over two levels. The upper chapel is covered by a large dome; a staircase leads to an underground chapel, where the sarcophagus of Antonietta Castelbarco is kept, placed on September 3, 1864. In front of her chapel is her husband's and in the lateral spaces those of other family members.

Outside the Mausoleum towards the lake, a staircase leads directly to the lakeside of Ispra.

What to do in and around Ispra

Taking the Walk of Love...

Taking the Walk of Love which is a scenic path that runs along the lakeside of Ispra starting from the boat dock at the base of Via Verbano. Here you can also find the Tourist Office where you can ask for all kinds of tourist information. The route runs along the main sand and gravel beach of Ispra, passes next to Caffè Vespucci and then moves closer to the lake: it passes by a nineteenth-century dock with a metal bridge, along the coast passing over some rocks and finally take a metal walkway, built on the waters of the lake close to the rock. The route ends near the residential area of ​​Ispra near the furnaces: from here it is possible to go back on the same path or continue along the more demanding “Ring of the Furnaces”.

The Walk of Love takes this name because on the wall at the beginning of the path there are some tiles with writings. They are romantic poems chosen through a literary competition launched by the Municipality of Ispra and dedicated to Mario Berrini. The subject of the poems is obviously Love. The competition has continued every year since 2007.

Taking the Ring of the Furnaces...

It is a circular path suitable for walking but not cycling, which partly retraces the Walk of Love on the lakeside of Ispra and then continues in the area of ​​the furnaces.

The route is 7 km in total, with a difference in height of about 200 meters and an average travel time of about 2 hours in peace. It crosses areas of dirt path, steps and asphalt road. The starting point is always the lakeside of Ispra where there are car parks: you go along the lake, capable of offering extraordinary views, go up through a stepped path in beaten earth and wood to the residential area dominated by the presence of the furnaces where it is It is possible to admire the Fornace in Salvalada, the panoramic Fornace Pinett and the Fornace della Punta, located near the Spiaggia delle Fornaci. From here starts a wrought iron staircase that climbs up the Monte dei Nassi passing through the hinterland and the center of Ispra to finally return to the lakefront.

The path is adequately marked with special signs and not suitable for strollers or prams.

But not only that, you can also...

• play golf: for golf enthusiasts, Ispra has the Golfino del Monzeglio. It is a golf driving range that has been open since 1 April 2013 and is associated with the Italian Golf Federation. The course consists of a putting green with 6 holes in natural grass, a driving range of 140 meters with 9 uncovered and 2 covered positions, 4 “par 3” holes of approximately 100 meters. In addition to individual entry for those who already have knowledge of this sport, the Golfino di Monzeglio also organizes individual or group courses with professional instructors
• relax on the beach: along the entire lakeside promenade there are many corners of lawn or gravel directly overlooking the lake where you can stop for some well-deserved relaxation in the shade of some plants. But there is no shortage of real beaches. An example is the Lido Euratom beach, made up of a part in sand and gravel, some rocks and a cemented and sand-covered esplanade. This area is located north of the marina for mooring boats, between the pier that delimits the boat port and the Ispra Sailing Club. It is a beach suitable for families and children who like to play on the shore or in shallow water. To the south of the marina, on the other hand, there is a large lawn behind which there are car parks, free in winter and paid in summer. On this lawn overlooking the lake there are stone benches. On the lakefront there are also two bars, the Caffè Vespucci, behind the Sailing Club of Ispra, and the Caffè del Lago, at the foot of the steps leading to the lakefront from the Castelbarco Mausoleum. Along the ring of Fornaci there is another beach called Spiaggia delle Fornaci: it is quite small and not suitable for families with children because access to the water is not gradual but through rocks

Tips about where to sleep in Ispra

These are just some of the accommodation facilities in Ispra. You can find all the hotels, B & Bs and campsites where you can spend a stay or a holiday in Ispra on Lake Maggiore here:

How to get to Ispra

It is possible to reach Ispra:

• by car: the city center is crossed by the SP69 which runs along the lake from Sesto Calende to Laveno-Mombello and is connected to Varese by the Val Bossa SP36. From Milan with the A8 in less than an hour you can reach Lake Maggiore. From the highway, just take the Sesto Calende-Vergiate exit and then take the SS629 which, skirting Lake Comabbio and Lake Monate, leads to Ispra in 15 km. Exiting at Sesto Calende-Vergiate it is possible to take the SP69 already in Sesto Calende, skirting the lake and passing through Angera: this second option is a few km longer than the previous one
• by train: it is not possible to reach Ispra directly by train. However if you go to Ispra you will notice the presence of a train station. The Ispra station, located on the Luino-Oleggio line, has been closed to passenger service since 15 December 2013

Ispra is 22 km far from Varese, 28 km from Milan Malpensa Airport and about 69 km from Milan. In Ispra there is a pier for the docking of the Navigazione Laghi boats, active mainly in the spring-summer period to connect Ispra to the main towns of Lake Maggiore such as Stresa, the Borromean Islands, Santa Caterina del Sasso or Arona. From Ispra through the SP69 you can reach Angera in 5 km, Leggiuno in 10 km and Laveno Mombello in 16 km.