Brissago Islands

The two Brissago Islands are natural jewels in the Swiss part of Lake Maggiore and were once owned by Richard Fleming, a wealthy Anglo-Irish officer of the St. Leger family. He married Russian-born Antonietta Bayer who later took the title of Baroness Antoinette Saint Leger. In the late 19th century, the islands became a haven for painters, sculptors, musicians and writers. The baroness created the gardens on the larger island (Isola Grande or St. Pancrazio) at considerable expense. In 1927, ownership changed to Max Emden, a business magnate from Hamburg. He had a palazzo, dock and Roman baths built and enlarged the variety of exotic plants species. The larger island is for the main part covered with subtropical plants from various countries and continents and was eventually opened to the public in 1950. Around 1500 species of plants benefit from the lake’s mild climate. The smaller island (Isola Piccola or Sant’ Apollinaire) has been left untouched, to allow the vegetation to develop as nature intended. The Brissago Islands are now the Canton Ticino Botanical Park. A regular boat service provides access to the islands.