Lake Maggiore's three Borromean Islands sit less than two kilometers from Stresa's shore, yet the gap between them has preserved distinct identities for five centuries. Isola Bella, once a barren rock named Isola Inferiore, was transformed beginning in 1632 when Count Carlo III Borromeo commissioned architect Angelo Crivelli to build a palace and ten terraced gardens that would rise forty meters above the waterline. The project took forty years and required barges to haul soil, stone, and citrus trees from the mainland. Today the Palazzo Borromeo holds seventeen rooms open to the public, including the Sala della Musica where Napoleon and Joséphine slept in August 1797, and a grotto-level chamber lined with volcanic tufa and white river stones arranged in geometric mosaics. The palace library contains sixteen thousand volumes, and the Galleria Berthier displays Flemish tapestries woven in the 1680s. Isola Dei Pescatori, the only permanently inhabited island in the archipelago, measures 350 meters end to end and supports a population of fewer than fifty residents. The island's layout—a single narrow lane running north to south, bordered by stone houses with slate roofs and wooden balconies—dates to the medieval fishing economy that gave the settlement its name. Parish records from 1519 document the Church of San Vittore, though the current structure was rebuilt in the eighteenth century. The island has no vehicular access. Fishermen still moor their boats along the eastern quay, and washing lines cross the alleyways in the morning. The boat tour connecting Stresa, Isola Bella, and Isola Dei Pescatori operates daily on a hop-on hop-off schedule. Navigazione Laghi, the public ferry service established in 1826, runs the primary routes, supplemented by private operators offering island-hopping passes. Crossings between Stresa and Isola Bella take ten minutes; the leg from Isola Bella to Isola Dei Pescatori adds another five. Most tours include a stop at Isola Madre, the largest of the three islands, known for its botanical garden and white peacocks. Departures from Stresa's Piazza Marconi pier run every thirty minutes between April and October, with reduced frequency in winter. Ticket options range from single-route passages to multi-island day passes. The conservation fee for Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens—27 euros per adult—is separate from boat fares. Combined-entry tickets covering both transport and palace admission are available through select operators. The majority of visitors board between 10:00 and 11:00 to secure morning entry slots at Palazzo Borromeo before the queues form. Return ferries to Stresa continue until 17:30 in peak season.