Many enchanting villages and historic villas overlook Lake Maggiore, and Luino is among the most beautiful towns where one can enjoy the lake atmosphere and stroll along the relaxing lakeside promenade.

Among the large trees “with lake view”, plane trees have always been the most widely used in these latitudes, and the same town a few kilometres from Switzerland was famous for its tree-lined avenues with huge specimens of this species.

Unfortunately, many have been lost in recent decades for phytosanitary reasons, but a few splendid representatives have remained to remind us of the deep connection between the plane trees and the lake populations.

In Piazza Garibaldi, along the central Viale XV Agosto and a very short distance from the lake, several large plane trees stand out, three of them with considerable trunks well over 4 m in circumference.

These give, with their wide foliage, a pleasant shade to the beautiful little square, which is very lively with its tables. With their exquisite shapes and the colours of the large leaves, they are a landmark for those who want to visit the town and enjoy a nice walk along the shores of the lake.

(Ph: Luca Pernechele)