At the end of the Camonica Valley,Oglio it wedges itself between the mountains and lets its waters relax before resuming its journey: here is the Lake Iseo also called Sebino, one of the largest in Italy. In the middle of its basin it is located Monte Isola which seems to emerge from the lake with its green sides on which small villages are nestled.
The island in the lake ...
Talking about islands and you think about their nature, the scent of the sea and the movement of its waves inevitably resounds in the mind. Often we dream of staying on a remote island who knows where and enjoying the silence surrounded by the blue of the waters. Clear and crystalline waters that let the gaze penetrate to the end. However, there are islands that are not found in the sea but enclosed in a lake.
In the northern part of the Italian peninsula, in Lake Maggiore there are the Borromean Islands, perhaps among the best known; in Lake Iseo, on the other hand, in Lombardy, here is Monte Isola. The name clearly recalls its condition as an 'island' and evokes its altitude: a mountain that emerges from the lake. And here is a fantastic landscape, far from the sea and in the heart of a very suggestive landscape. In a short time here you can go from the 'banks' to the 'mountain'.
From the coast to the mountains
The island, located in Lake Iseo, in the province of Brescia, it is the largest of the Italian lake islands and the only one to be an autonomous municipality: Monte Isola o Montisola. It is also the most inhabited with a population exceeding 1700 inhabitants. Furthermore, among the European lake islands, although not the largest, it is certainly the most important in terms of height: the highest point reaches 600 meters above sea level.
On the top of the mountain is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola. Until 1928, the island was administered by two different municipalities: Siviano and Peschiera Maraglio. The following year they united and formed the new municipality of Monte Isola or also Montisola. To the south and north, there are two islets: those of St. Paul and Loreto, forming with the much larger Monte Isola, a small archipelago guarded in the waters of the Sebino.
Monte Isola
The Municipality of Monte Isola embraces the territorial surface of the whole island. The two small islands of Loreto and San Pietro are also part of it. There are several inhabited centers that have developed over time, each with its own history. On the shores of Lake Iseo there are some inhabited areas with their small port that allow the connection with the mainland on the Brescia and Bergamo shores. Particularly Peschiera Maraglio is connected with Sulzano while Carzano with Sale Marasino.
Also close to the coast are Sensole and the Port of Siviano. The island, however, climbs rapidly upwards, and here in a hilly area, gently lying on the sides of the island: Siviano and Menzino. And going up again, in the higher areas, you will find other pretty villages such as Mass, Without them e Cure. The latter, in particular, is the closest to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola.
