As for Monte Isola, which features a
couple of good hotels if you
want to stay a night or two, is accessible by ferry from
the town of Iseo and the
town of Sulzano, and draws a
lot of tourists in the
summer and shoulder seasons,
although most are Italians
and other Europeans.
Like most of the other sites
on and around Lake Iseo,
Monte Isola has not been
"discovered" by North
Americans. It is,
however, a great place to
stretch ones legs with a
fabulous walk or bike ride around the
edge of the lake and up its
meandering paths and roads
to its very peak.
Except for a very few
authorized vehicles and
buses, no cars or trucks
move on Monte Isola...adding
to its quiet charm and
breathable air.
Travelers must use their
feet or a bicycle to get
around. You can not
bring a bicycle on the ferry
however; they must be
rented in local shops in
Carzano, Peschiera
and Sensole.
The backbone of the mountain
on the Island divides it
into two halves. The
south eastern side is steep
and heavily wooded while the
western side has gentler
slopes, many of them
terraced and cultivated
mostly with olives,
vineyards and chestnut
groves. The small
population is concentrated
in the towns of Siviano,
Carzano and
Peschiera Maraglio, but
there are other, smaller
villages and a smattering of
single farms and homes.
The peak of the mountain is
surmounted with a shrine -
the Madonna della Ceriola.
In the village of Porto,
the main attraction is the a
Villa built by the wealthy
Ferrata family during
the 16th century but
recently restored. At
its back it has a large
vineyard and olive orchard,
and inside it boasts a
private domed chapel and a
handsome loggia.
Above Porto is the larger
town of Siviano where
you will find a Baroque
style parish church finished
in about 1745 dedicated to
Santi Faustino e Giovita.
Its interior is light and
harmonious, illuminated with
frescoes, paintings and
other decorative elements.
The town, complete with
narrow alleys and staircases
that navigate the slopes, is
dominated by a square tower
built by another wealthy
family, the Martinengos.
Siviano is connected by
narrow roads to other towns
and villages including
Masse, Olzano and
Cure - from which the
path to the shrine of
Madonna della Ceriola
comes and goes.
In Sinchignano there
are a couple of villas worth
noting and just south of the
village is a villa with
parts dating from the 15th
(the portal), 16th (portico,
courtyard and cottages) and
17th (stairs and
ballustrades).
The fortress at
Martinengo (15th century
with work done in the 16th
century) is easily
accessible from Menzino.
It features a square plan in
the midst of which stands a
cylindrical tower or "keep".
Once in a serious state of
dilapidation it has now been
refurbished as an elegant
private home.
Sensole sits on the
shores of a small cove.
The cafes and gelaterias
attract tourists and locals
alike, and their pleasant
chatter comingles nicely
with the tackle tinkling on
the boats bobbing on docks
in front of the town.
One follows the asphalt path
south to the old fishing
village of Peschiera
Maraglio, along the lake
mostly, but sometimes
swerving inland interior
between light-dappled olive
groves. There are some
lovely 16th century homes
and buildings here and small
church, consecrated in 648,
and dedicated to Santo
Michele. From here
the ferry shuttles people
and goods between the
village and Sulzano
on the eastern shore of Lake
Iseo.
Heading north along the
eastern shore of Monte Isola
you will eventually arrive
at Carzano whose main
streets parallel the lake
shore. Along the main
street, toward Siviano,
the Baroque church of
Santo Giovanni Battista
sits on its octagonal
foundations. The two
storied Villa Martinengo,
built by the powerful
Martinengo family, has a
portal surmounted with the
family coat of arms.
Moving uphill from Carzano
one finds the villages of
Novale, Olzano
and Masse (again).
Remember, one is
moving in a circle!.
Novale is a nicely
concentrated little village
where the locals are not
nearly so curious about the
tourists as the tourists are
about them. Not quite
jaded, but amused.
Same goes for Olzano and
Masse. In the latter,
the parish church, also
Baroque is dedicated to
Santo Rocco.
Higher still is Cure,
and walking along the path
to get there will take the
traveler to places where
lake views disappear and one
feels as though on the
mainland. Here there
are small valleys, fields,
vineyards and,
inevitably, olive orchards -
all of which makes for a
spirit-raising euphoria.
You can also take a bus to
Cure, but the euphoria you
feel may not be as profound.
Cure, of course, is
impossible picturesque -
with its houses clustered
around narrow, paved streets
and alleys. The houses
have arched doorways and
balconies.
Yet further up is the shrine
of Madonna della Ceriola at
600 meters above sea level.
The shrine dates from the
16th century, although it
was enlarged in the 17th and
a bell tower was added in
the 18th. It has a
barrel nave, an altar of
inlaid marble, images of
Mary and infant Jesus and
luminous frescoes by unknown
artists. The shrine is
very much in use today...as
a place of worship, as a
place where people make
vows, or repent for vows
made and broken.
The precincts of the shrine
offer jaw-dropping views of
the downward falling slopes
of Monte Isola, of Lake Iseo
and of the bounding
countryside on all sides of
the lake. If you've
walked to the shrine and are
tired, your energies will be
replenished and the journey
down will be easy. If
you've bused up... well, the
views are still tonic for
the soul!
