The successful edition of Isole di Luce 2024 - The Circle of Lights - which has just concluded, was, in my opinion, not only a great opportunity to admire the islands in a new light but also a testing ground and a great teacher, as well as a huge opportunity.
The Classic Three Islands Tour
Let me take a step back for those who haven't had the fortune or opportunity to admire this wonder: the "classic" Three Islands tour begins with one of the two Borromean Islands, Isola Bella or Isola Madre, includes a lunch stop on Isola dei Pescatori, and continues with the second Borromean Island. (You may have read "Borromean Islands" to describe this tour, and yes, it's commonly accepted now, but in reality, Isola dei Pescatori has never been a Borromean Island: keep reading to find out why!)
This tour format funnels all visitor flows onto a single island and "forces" them to stay there for a couple of hours, creating, during peak season, exactly the opposite of what Pescatori is: the island becomes a place for a rushed stop where the only thought is finding a place to eat, and the desire for discovery, as well as the opportunity to experience this wonderful place, do not find adequate space in such a short time. The island deserves to be experienced calmly, with the kind of calm that allows you to savor its past, which can still be read and felt in its alleys and in the eyes of the few residents proudly remaining as "islanders."
An Ambitious Project
"Isole di Luce" is part of an ambitious project, promoted by the Lake District Tourist Board, the tourism promotion company of our territory, funded by the Piedmont Region, which saw, for the first time in this second edition, the participation of Terre Borromeo.
The visionary goal is to de-seasonalize tourist flows on Lake Maggiore by encouraging visits to its iconic places during periods other than the high season, allowing visitors to savor their authenticity.
The Success of "The Circle of Lights"
The idea of presenting those destinations, which in the common imagination are purely summer, in a new light has been hugely successful: personally, having taken stock at the end of the event, I guided more than 150 people in less than two months to discover "The Circle of Lights," leading them to explore two fishing villages that have undergone a profound transformation, where fishing, except in very rare cases, can still be perceived in the place names, architectural layout, and some decorative elements.
Memories of Isola dei Pescatori: Traditions and Daily Life
Today I tell you about Isola dei Pescatori, but soon I will dedicate an article to Isola Bella, which enchants with its timeless charm, to explore its stories and hidden wonders. Pescatori, as we "locals" call it, is the island where until less than half a century ago the voices of resident children filled the streets and became the soundtrack of daily life: I can imagine them racing down the "big slope" with sleds in winter or bicycles in summer, risking ending up in the lake (pleasant in summer but perhaps less so in winter!), or playing cops and robbers or hide and seek among the narrow alleys where secret hideouts were everywhere, or playing soccer on the island's tail, quote: "here, nets are never lacking..."
I imagine the girls scattering rose petals in the streets in May - the month of the Madonna, so dear to the islanders - and the boys helping the "grown-ups" repair work tools or free the nets from fish. I "observe" them entering the elementary school where all classes, from first to fifth, would share the same room and the same teacher, or going to get fresh bread from the baker. There they are, attending mass on Sunday or secretly listening to the "grown-ups' affairs" when the Fishermen's Union met. Or again, helping their mothers wash clothes in the lake.
The Inevitable Change
I have never seen this island: I am too young, and when I was born, the slow and irreversible transformation process had already been underway for a few decades. It didn't happen in a couple of years; it took several decades to transform the island from a fishing village with no utility connections to a tourist spot. A succession of events, a chain reaction where progress has chipped away at the authenticity of the place. Speed, practicality, and modernity have taken over those hours marked by the sun's reflection on the lake rippled by the wind.
The Island Today
Motors replace oars, fiberglass takes the place of wood, plastic fibers supplant natural ones, and so the carpentry and the furnace disappear, which still exist, but only for those who know where to look and what they were for. Gradually, the community activities dwindle: the school closes, the parish is absorbed by that of Baveno, the sports association disappears, and the fishermen's union is depopulated. There are also fishing closure periods and the desire for a life "on the mainland," where opportunities abound for those who know how to seek them, and thus the inevitable depopulation process runs its course.
An Authentic Experience
Isola dei Pescatori, so rooted in its origins that it is known more by its nickname than its real name - who would ever search the web for Isola Superiore? - cradle of eclectic, innovative, and visionary characters, today escapes the distracted eye of those who cross it in search of the best restaurant or the perfect shot, but it is still there! It is hidden, it is obscured, but it is there: I discovered it by studying it thoroughly for "The Circle of Lights," listening to it in the lively tales of Ivan, Marco, and Stefano, the fishermen, or seeing the sparkle in the eyes of Marina and Giovanna, true islanders who have lived on the mainland for years, but will forever have a place of honor in their hearts for their beloved island. Marina e Giovanna, isolane doc che da anni vivono sulla terra ferma, ma per sempre avranno nel loro cuore un posto d’onore per la loro amata isola.
My desire as a guide, as a local, and as an insider is to help you discover it in all its authenticity, making you relive its past and feel the vibrancy of its lived-in village, where some traditions of the past are still alive today: the procession for the patronal feast, as well as the enchantment of the offerings, are unmissable events in the hearts of the islanders.
My Invitation
You'll fall in love with its alleys that tell centuries of adventures, you'll be amazed by the views of the lake where the waves reflect the sun's rays, giving you eternal moments of peace capable of nullifying space and time, you'll be captivated by listening to the stories of the islanders, and you'll be thrilled to discover how on this 350m long rock, visionary and successful characters were born. The island pride, which for centuries protected the island from Borromeo's expansionist ambitions, is still alive and can be felt in every corner of this place suspended in eternity: it is there, you just need to look for it between a restaurant, a souvenir shop, and an artistic workshop. My mission? To make you feel it, live it, and fall in love with it!
Join Me on This Journey
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