It starts with a colour. Not gradually, not politely — suddenly, overnight, the hillsides above Cannobio erupt in bright, defiant yellow. The mimosa is blooming. Entire slopes draped in golden clusters, the air thick with a honeyed sweetness that drifts down to the lakefront. Women walk through town on the morning of 8 March clutching sprigs of it — la Festa della Donna — and every bar, every shop doorway, every table at the market carries a vase of those impossibly cheerful pom-poms.
This is how spring announces itself on the Italian lakes. Not with a single fanfare but a rolling crescendo — mimosa first, then camellias, then wisteria and azaleas, and finally, spectacularly, eighty thousand tulips. If you time it right, you can follow the blooms from late February through to May, lake to lake, garden to garden, Spritz to Spritz.
February–March: The Mimosa Coast of Lake Maggiore
The western shore of Lake Maggiore, from Cannobio south through Ghiffa and Verbania, enjoys a microclimate so mild that Mediterranean plants thrive at an almost Alpine latitude. Mimosa — the acacia dealbata, technically an Australian immigrant — has made itself utterly at home here. By late February, the trees along the lakefront roads begin their transformation, and by early March, entire patches of hillside glow like someone has spilled liquid sunshine down the slopes.
Cannobio is ground zero. The little town on the Swiss border, with its Sunday market and painted palazzo facades, becomes a study in yellow and blue — mimosa against lake, sunlight against stone. Locals snip branches from their garden trees to gift on Festa della Donna, the 8th of March, when Italian tradition calls for men to give women sprigs of mimosa as a symbol of strength and solidarity. It is one of those small cultural moments that, if you happen to be here for it, makes the lakes feel less like a destination and more like somewhere you simply belong.
Where: Cannobio, Ghiffa, and Verbania — western shore of Lake Maggiore
When: Late February to mid-March (peak first two weeks of March)
Best time: Visit around 8 March for Festa della Donna — the town is full of mimosa and festive energy
Getting there: Cannobio is 25 min north of Verbania by car, or reachable by ferry from Luino and Laveno
Insider tip: The Sunday market in Cannobio (every Sunday morning along the lakefront) is one of Maggiore's finest — combine it with the mimosa walk along the Orrido di Sant'Anna gorge just south of town
March–April: A Thousand Camellias on Two Lakes
As the mimosa fades, the camellias take the stage — and on these lakes, they have been doing so for centuries. The mild, humid climate and acidic soil create conditions that camellia growers elsewhere can only dream of. Lake Como's Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo is home to a Camellia Wood with over 250 varieties, some specimens more than 200 years old. In March and early April, the garden paths wind through clouds of pink, white, red, and striped blooms — each one with the porcelain perfection that made Japanese emperors covet them.
On the Maggiore side, the trail leads to Locarno — just across the Swiss border — and its Parco delle Camelie. This lakefront park holds 950 varieties of camellia across 10,000 square metres, recently awarded the International Camellia Society's Garden of Excellence designation. Every March, the Camelie Locarno exhibition transforms the park into a celebration of the flower, with guided tours, expert talks, and a market of rare cultivars. The 2026 edition runs from 18 to 22 March.
Back on Lake Como, the Melzi Gardens at Bellagio offer a more intimate camellia experience — a shaded avenue of ancient specimens that leads down to the water's edge, with views across to the Grigne mountains still dusted in snow. There is something about seeing camellias bloom against a backdrop of Alpine peaks that distils the entire character of these lakes: Mediterranean warmth meeting mountain grandeur.
Address: Via Regina 2, Tremezzo (CO)
Blooms: Camellias: March–April. Azaleas and rhododendrons: mid-April–May
Hours: 10:00–18:30 daily (mid-March to mid-October)*
Tickets: €12 adults, €8 reduced (6–17 years)
Website: villacarlotta.it
Insider tip: Visit on a weekday morning in April — the azalea display is staggering and you will have it nearly to yourself
Note: *Opening dates and hours vary annually. Check the website before visiting.
Address: Parco delle Camelie, Via del Parco, Locarno (CH)
Blooms: Camellias February–April; Camelie Locarno exhibition: 18–22 March 2026
Hours: Park: open daily, free access. Exhibition: 09:00–17:00 during event days
Tickets: Park: free. Exhibition: check camelie.ch for pricing
Website: camelie.ch
Getting there: Locarno is 30 min from Verbania by car via the scenic lakefront road, or reachable by Centovalli railway
Insider tip: The Centovalli railway from Domodossola to Locarno is one of Switzerland's most scenic train journeys — make the camellia visit a day trip and take the train
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April: 80,000 Tulips at Villa Taranto
If there is a single image that captures spring on Lake Maggiore, it is this: a labyrinth of tulips stretching toward the lake, eighty thousand blooms in every colour the Dutch bulb growers could dream up, backed by the snow-topped peaks of the Lepontine Alps. Villa Taranto in Verbania is often called the mini-Keukenhof, but that does it a disservice — Keukenhof does not have this view.
The botanical gardens were created by a Scottish captain, Neil McEacharn, who bought the estate in 1931 and spent the next three decades importing over 20,000 plant species from around the world. Today the Tulip Weeks in the second and third weeks of April are the undisputed highlight. The Labirinto dei Tulipani features 65 varieties, from the near-black Queen of Night to the enormous orange Big Chief — reportedly the largest tulip cultivar in existence. Paths wind between colour blocks so vivid they look retouched.
Villa Taranto opened for the 2026 season on 6 March, with full daily hours from 19 March. It remains open through November, but mid-April is the moment. Arrive early, before the coaches, and walk the dahlia terraces down to the lake in near-silence.
Address: Via Vittorio Veneto 111, Verbania Pallanza (VB)
Hours: From 19 March: 09:30–18:30 daily (last entry 17:30)*
Tickets: €12 adults, €7 children (6–14), free under 6
Tulip Weeks: Second and third weeks of April (exact dates vary — check website)
Website: villataranto.it
Getting there: Verbania Pallanza is served by ferry from Stresa (20 min), Baveno, and Laveno
Insider tip: Combine with a visit to Isola Bella — the ferry connects Pallanza to the Borromean Islands, and a joint morning of tulips and baroque gardens is a perfect spring day on Maggiore
Note: *2026 season: weekends only from 6 March, daily from 19 March. Verify on official website.
The First Spritz: Terrace Season Returns
There is a moment, somewhere in March, when it happens for the first time that year. A waiter unfolds a chair onto the pavement, wipes down a table, and sets out a menu holder. The terraces are open. Within an hour, every waterfront bar from Como to Cannobio has followed suit, and suddenly the lakes look the way they are supposed to look: people in sunglasses, aperitivo glasses catching the light, the lake flat and silver in the afternoon sun.
The first Spritz of the season is an event in itself. Italians take it seriously — not the drink, which is simple enough (prosecco, Aperol or Select, a splash of soda, an olive if you are on Maggiore, an orange slice if you are on Como) — but the ritual. The choosing of the table. The angle of the sun. The unhurried pace of it. On Lake Como, the terrace of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo catches the afternoon light beautifully, while the piazza bars of Bellagio offer front-row seats to the ferry traffic. On Maggiore, the waterfront at Stresa — looking out to Isola Bella — is the classic choice, but the tiny bars along Cannobio's harbour are where the locals go.
This is the season when the lakes shake off their winter quiet and start to hum again. The ferries add routes. The grand hotels throw open their shutters after months of renovation. Villa d'Este polishes its chandeliers for the spring galas. And everywhere, on every terrace, the sound of glasses clinking and Italian being spoken at pleasurable volume signals that another year on the lakes has begun.
Your Spring Bloom Calendar
Late February – mid-March: Mimosa along Lake Maggiore's western shore (Cannobio, Ghiffa, Verbania). Peak around Festa della Donna, 8 March.
March – April: Camellias at Villa Carlotta (Lake Como), Parco delle Camelie Locarno (Lake Maggiore), and Melzi Gardens (Bellagio). Camelie Locarno exhibition: 18–22 March 2026.
Early – mid-April: Cherry blossoms appear around both lakes, particularly beautiful along the Greenway del Lago di Como from Colonno to Griante.
Mid-April – early May: Tulip Weeks at Villa Taranto (Verbania). Azaleas and rhododendrons explode at Villa Carlotta. Wisteria cascades from lakefront pergolas across both lakes.
May: Late azaleas, roses beginning, and the full glory of the Borromean Islands gardens. Terrace season in full swing.