Italy Travel Interlude - The Palazzo Borromeo

One of the day trips we took while in the Lake Region of Italy, was a boat trip over to Isola Bella (The Beautiful Island). This was the island of the gorgeous gardens in this post Rosy shared a while back.  

Along with the gardens, we also toured the Borromeo palace.

The rocky island was acquired by Carlo Borromeo in 1630. However the true architect was his son, Vitaliano, who oversaw the expansions of the Palazzo Borromeo, along with the gardens. Inspired by Baroque architecture and decor, you feel like you are going back in time as you walk about the, almost overly decorated, rooms.

This is the Salone Nuovo, the largest room in the palace. The blue walls and domes ceiling are meant to portray a sort of of celestial feel.

The circular room also had beautiful views of Lake Maggiore

Salla di Napoleone

The bedroom where Napoleon slept when he and his wife Josephine visited the Palazzo Borromeo.

The palace hosted various political events including the Stresa Conference in 1935, when heads of state gathered to discuss Germany's violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

The most interesting part of the Palace however, was in the lower chambers.

Beautiful grottos made of pebbles and volcanic rock, lined with shells were constructed to help "beat the heat" during the summer months.

Presently, these grottos are home to a mix of ocean themed decor along with antique horse bridles and other artwork of the past.

The Palazzo was beautiful but the gardens were the highlight of the island for me. 

However,

 Sunny will be back tomorrow to show you what may have been more stunning than both the gardens and the palace!!

We are joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for the 

Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!