This was another fabulous day out on Lake Maggiore. We took the ferry-boat from Stresa to Verbania/Intra which only took about 35/40 minutes. As always when travelling on Lake Maggiore the scenery was stunning including these beautiful villas along the way.

 

Verbania is a city and commune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about 91 km (57 mi) north-west of Milan and about 40 km (25 mi) from Locarno in Switzerland. Verbania is another “garden” on the lake with its many magical gardens and breathtaking landscape.

The little town of Intra, in a beautiful situation on the Borromean Gulf, is part of the municipality of Verbania

This is where the open air markets happen each Saturday. The all-day market is near the ferry dock in Intra, which makes it an easy walk of a few minutes into the markets from the ferry. We learned about these markets at our hotel and by all accounts are very popular, attracting locals, tourists in the area and also visitors from Switzerland. It is a great atmosphere and very entertaining.

I have been to many many open air, street markets, in Italy but this is by far the best I have visited. The list of products one can buy at these markets is endless from top quality, fashionable shoes, clothing, handbags to the very reasonably priced items. Just about everyone’s taste could be satisfied with something for everyone.

The local produce is in abundance including local cheeses, meats, breads, dolce, dried fruits, fresh fruit and vegetables etc.  We did not stop for lunch so we munched on some lovely treats while wandering around. We were at these markets for over 3 hours but did not get to see them all as they are so large with many stalls.

This is the best selection of hand-made dolce that I have ever laid my eyes on. How do you choose? I just said, I will have one of this this this this etc and walked away with a nice size bag of assorted dolce and a big smile. I enjoyed these delightful dolce (sweets) over the next few days. Take a look at the size of the loaf of fresh bread that the man is starting to cut.

 

After we left the markets we took a stroll around this pleasant little town with its cafes and variety of little shops and stopped for coffee in the main piazza.

There is so much to see and do in this lovely area of Verbania. I must return one day.