What is interesting in our area? The Love Trail, in Ispra

There are many reasons why you should explore Ispra, a town in Varese Province, on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore: from the landscapes, which are beautiful at every time of year, to the various quarters, to the centre, where you will find a number of small, old shops and several lively businesses. Among the particular features of this place, we recommend you follow a path that combines the beauty of nature with the typical atmosphere of costal towns.

The Love Trail (Passeggiata dell’amore) runs along the shore, providing a number of views: the beach, the small port, a dock, the furnaces, a boardwalk along the lake which surrounds the cliffs… It is an easy walk (albeit not completely accessible), especially “for couples”, with words of love painted on tiles, the poems and short stories that have won the “Write about love” (Scrivi l’amore) competition organised by the association “Amici di Mario Berrino” in Ispra. To walk the trail, from the centre of Ispra, head towards the lakeside and continue north, following the shore before coming back to the starting point.

THE FURNACES

What characterises the lakeside of Ispra are the “Furnaces”, some of which are still clearly visible, even from the shore and from the lake. They are evidence of the tradition of extracting limestone, which characterised this and other places on the  Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore. Some of the furnaces have been renovated and have become parts of private residences; others have remained interesting memories of industrial archaeology.

QUASSA PARK

It is possible to walk along almost the entire Ispra shore, to the north, along the “Love Trail”, and to the south, towards Ranco and Quassa Park, an area of green that lies between the two municipalities, and breathes air into the lower Lake Maggiore. Except for some short stretches, from Ispra, it is possible to cross the whole park along the paths and cycle lanes which allow you to reach even the lake portion of Sasso Cavalazzo in Ranco. The tree-lined avenue, which links the Quassa Estate to the provincial road, is particularly evocative, especially in autumn.

HOW TO GET TO ISPRA

 

By bus: Autolinee Varesine, Line N20

By car: THE ROAD SP 50 from Varese, through Gallarate

 

 

Near the trail:

TIGROS SUPERMARKET, Ispra

 

Via E.Fermi, 439

Ispra (Varese) 21027

Italy

0332 782374

Open every day

from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sundays, from 8:30 a.m.

 

 

Translated by Alessia Castagna and Nicole Dall’Osto

Reviewed by prof. Rolf Cook