With a surface area of just 65 square kilometres, Lake Iseo (Lago d’Iseo or Sebino) is the fourth largest in the entire Lombardy region, but tiny compared to its big brothers, Lake Como, and Lake Garda. It’s in the vicinity of Bergamo and Brescia, in the Val Camonica, and is a perfect place to plan a day trip from Milan. You can also enjoy the idyllic Monte Isola, the largest lake island in southern Europe, with 11 kilometres of coastline and a population of almost 2,000 inhabitants. Ideally, you should hire a boat to explore the small villages and natural landscapes around the shores of Lake Iseo.
Lake Iseo, near Bergamo
In Iseo, the small town on the edge of the lake that gives it its name, you can buy anything you need. You can also have a coffee in one of the village’s secluded cafés, while you relax and gaze out over the lake’s large body of water and admire the idyllic Monte Isola.
In addition to Iseo, you can find the following towns on the shores of Lake Iseo: Sarnico, whose church of San Nazario preserves very interesting frescoes; the touristic Lovere, famous for the medieval layout of its historic centre; Riva di Solto, Marone, and Sale Marasino, as well as the tiny islands of Loreto and San Paolo, which are privately owned.
Lake Iseo, although close to Milan, isn’t as popular as its neighbours, Lake Garda and Lake Como, but it has a charm that makes it very attractive and special. Here you can also try some of the fish typically found in the lake, cooked on the grill or in the oven. The most common are tench, lake trout, whitefish (a type of salmon), and eels. Most are served with polenta.
What to see at Lake Iseo, Italy
Monte Isola
This is the largest inhabited island in Europe and is located in a lake. There are hardly any cars here and people get around by motorbike, bicycle, and motorboats, or small boats. It covers an area of five kilometres and the island’s most popular tourist destination is Peschiera Maraglio.
Siviano
It’s famous for the manufacturing of its peculiar and sturdy fishing nets. In fact, there’s a museum that explains how the weavers used to make the nets by hand. Some say that this activity has been carried out on the island since as far back as the year 1000. Today the work is done by machines, but because of their reputation, many people from all over the world order nets from here for sporting events and security purposes. In fact, Monte Isola’s nets have been used in several football World Cups, such as in Germany in 2006.
Loreto Island.
You can only see it from afar because it’s privately owned, but it’s worth seeing because its silhouette looks like something out of a fairytale. It’s a small piece of land on which there is a 19th century neo-gothic castle. It seems that in the late 400s the island was acquired by the Sisters of St. Clare of Brescia to build a convent there, but the structure was later abandoned and the property has often changed hands, among nobles, royalty, and navy captains, among others. Some say that George Clooney tried to buy it.
Carzano
This village is located on the island of Monte Isola and is famous for its colourful festival, which is held every five years and is decorated with beautiful paper flowers. This is the Festa di Santa Croce, which dates back to 1836, when cholera ravaged the population, especially in Ried and Carzano. The citizens asked the Holy Cross for clemency and promised, in return, to honour it once every five years. The epidemic disappeared and since then, the inhabitants have never stopped celebrating the event, and it has been going on for 200 years. The next edition is scheduled for September 2020.
Clusane
We highly recommend you stop in this small fishing village and try Lake Iseo’s star product: fish. You can taste the best fresh fish in the area here. In the restaurant Trattoria al Porto, for example, they serve different fish from the lake, such as perch or pike. Every July, they celebrate Baked Tench Week, with a special recipe that consists of stuffing the fish with cheese, bread, and spices and serving it with polenta.
Franciacorta
The area between Brescia and Lake Iseo is a wine-growing area with many wineries that produce the famous Franciacorta sparkling wine. It’s a white wine with a denomination of origin whose production process is similar to that of cava and champagne.
Useful information
How to get to Lake Iseo:
- By train. The FNM train runs on the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo route. It runs every hour.
- By bus. There are several buses that run from Bergamo to Lovere and Sarnico.
- By car. From Milan, it’s around 90 kilometres. The eastern shore of the lake is bordered by two roads. The one along the shore is the most beautiful and the most congested. The highest one is lined with tunnels, but is much faster. If you intend to stop in Iseo, it’s best to park your car near the train station and take a ten-minute walk to the centre.
- By boat. The company Navigazione Lago Iseo has ferries that run around the entire lake, stopping at the small villages scattered around the perimeter of this beautiful body of water.
