Golf Club des Iles Borromées

Few golf settings in Europe match the drama of playing above Lake Maggiore, where the Alps crowd the northern horizon and the Borromean Islands float like mirages on the water below. Golf Club des Iles Borromées occupies the hillside terrain above Stresa on the western Piedmontese shore, a course defined as much by its panoramic position as by its layout. The views across to the Swiss border are genuinely distracting in the best possible way.

The course winds through wooded slopes typical of this pre-Alpine zone, where the microclimate supports lush, almost Mediterranean-feeling vegetation — camellias, azaleas, and chestnuts that shift dramatically with the seasons. The terrain demands elevation changes that reward accurate ball-striking over raw power, and approach shots frequently demand precise club selection when the eye is being pulled toward the lake rather than the flagstick.

Brovello-Carpugnino sits within reach of some of Italy's most storied resort golf, with the grand hotels of Stresa just a short descent away. For visiting golfers, the combination of Belle Époque lakeside elegance and genuine mountain-influenced golf character makes this a destination well beyond its regional reputation.