Our third stop is in Luino, the urban centre of the northwestern region of the Province of Varese and the main city on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, famed for its historic centre dotted with Art Nouveau buildings and for its delightful lakefront, which extends for almost 2 km to give the city an almost Mediterranean feel.

A strategic starting point for excursions into the nearby mountains and the region’s postcard villages, the town also owes its cultural liveliness to the literary atmosphere that has always hung over it: Hemingway mentions Luino in his acclaimed novel A Farewell to Arms, the town was the birthplace of the poet Vittorio Sereni and the writer Piero Chiara, and was home to Nobel Prize-winning playwright and actor Dario Fo. 

What to see and do in Luino:
•    A walk along the lakefront is an absolute must in Luino, with majestic plane trees and the beautiful architecture of the palaces marking out the old Napoleonic port.
•    Overlooking the lake itself, the 15th century Church of Madonna del Carmine, the 18th century private Chapel of the Serbelloni family and the Palace Verbania, home the Municipal Archaeological and Paleontological Museum. 
•    You can help but feel relaxed as you wander around the town’s historic centre, with its artisan shops, Renaissance and Baroque palaces and enchanting streets that are waiting to be discovered.  
•    The lively Mercato di Luino (on Wednesdays) is a centuries-old traditional market that is an absolute must for any and all visitors.