Reach the shores of Lake Iseo with E-VAI, with the utmost respect for nature.
Monte Isola is the largest lake island in Italy, once you disembark from the boat you will be able to wander through alleys, medieval villages and extraordinary landscape views only on board scooters, bicycles and buses available to citizens and tourists.
In fact, cars are not allowed on the island. a choice linked to liveability and environmental sustainability which aims to preserve the lush nature and quiet villages. It is no coincidence, in fact, that Monte Isola, or Montisola, if you prefer, has been included among the areas of particular environmental and natural importance in Italy.
E-VAI leaves their electric cars on the mainland
Here then, Montisola is officially the only place in Lombardy where cars E-VAI they cannot arrive, despite being 100% electric.
All that remains is to park the electric car in one of the municipalities where there are embarkations for Montisola, e get on the first boat departing and, in a few minutes of navigation, reach the landing docks near the coastal villages of the lake island.
Despite its limited size (barely 11 km in extension) and the equally small number of inhabitants (less than 2.000), the island has, in fact, 11 medieval villages on its territory, located both in the coastal areas and on the mountain, which reaches a height of 800 meters.
Once on the island, we will therefore have to pay a visit to Monte Isola, the municipality of the same name recognized among the “The most beautiful villages in Italy”, which also includes the two smaller islands of San Paolo and Loreto.
From here, you can reach, on foot, by bicycle or by bus, the highest and most evocative point of the island, the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola: a 15th century baroque church, built at the behest of San Vigilio, the then Bishop of Brescia, who converted the inhabitants of the area, building a chapel dedicated to the Madonna and replacing the cult of the goddess Isis with the Marian faith.
And if, inside, the Sanctuary houses some frescoes and the oak tree stump on which the effigy of the Madonna is sculpted and from which the church takes its name, outside it you can instead enjoy a breathtaking 360° view on Lake Iseo and Franciacorta.
Fishing villages, mountain villages and local traditions
But the municipality that gives its name to the island is not the only one, as mentioned, because the territory is dotted with ancient medieval villages, many of which were once populated by fishing communities. Here the roads are surrounded by olive groves, groves and the evocative setting of the lake, elements capable of offering unique landscape views.
Worth visiting, therefore, they will be Carzano e Peschiera Maraglio, both strategically positioned right on the lakeside, Novel, a small group of houses above Carzano, which offers a balcony with a magnificent view of the lake, and Sensole with its characteristic lemon plants.
Then, acting as a counterweight to the coastal villages, there are the mountain villages di Olzano, Masse, Cure and Senzano, where, listening to stories about local legends and participating in traditional village festivals, you can taste them typical products for which Montisola is famous: between local salami, extra virgin olive oil and the typical dried sardines, it can certainly make an excellent aperitif.
The Monte Isola Flower Festival
Among the festivals held on the island there is one in particular that is more well-known than the others: the Monte Isola Flower Festival, also known as the Festival of the Cross of Carzano.
An anniversary that dates back to the 17th century to remember the plague and which is held every 5 years in mid-September, on the days when the procession with the Holy Relic of the Cross of Christ takes place.
A party that attracts every year over 70 thousand visitors and which colors the villages of Carzano and Novale with more than 200.000 splendid paper flowers made manually by the inhabitants.
Christo stopped in Monte Isola in 2016
But we cannot talk about Monte Isola without remembering the year of its international consecration, 2016, when the very famous Bulgarian artist Christo, he installed "The floating Piers". The artistic installation consisted of a floating bridge that connected Sulzano to Montisola, and which for 15 days allowed tourists from all over the world to walk on the waters of the lake for free and reach the island, for the first time, without the aid of boats.
An event that, on the one hand, gave great international visibility to the lake island, on the other hand it also demonstrated how the excessive influx of tourists of those days could actually create inconvenience to life on the island and disturb its peace.
Further confirmation, if ever it were still needed, that this precious jewel on Lake Iseo must be protected in every way and that even the ban on car access to Montisola, which we talked about, is fully justified and absolutely appreciable even by those, like E-VAI, makes the convenience of traveling by car a strong point.
