This small town, standing on the Western coast of Lake Maggiore in the so-called Borromea Gulf, is one of the most visited touristic sites of entire Piemonte. Its territory includes three of the four Borromean Islands: Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola Superiora, also named Isola dei Pescatori. The first recorded file about the town is dated 998, but even in the Roman age, the way leading from Milan to the Sempione pass ran by this site.

The villa was built in 1870 by count Alessandro Orsetti and later enlarged by lady Rosamund Marke Wood, the new owner since 1900. Later, the villa was bought by a Scottish official, Neil McEacharn, who Transformed the exteriors in the gorgeous botanical garden we can visit today: 18 hectares, hosting rare species of plants such as waterlilies, rhododendrons, azaleas. The villa cannot be currently visited, being the seat of the Prefecture of the local municipality.