Just over the border from Switzerland lies this little charming town on Lake Maggiore called Verbania. It is a really sweet place with gelaterie (ice-cream shops) that sell beautifully flower-shaped ice-creams in a variety of flavours and a couple of lakeside beaches. The Italian joie de vivre adds to the amazing lake views, making this place feel like Lugano or Como without the huge price tag at the local restaurants and bars. The low-key feel of the town mixed with the romantic alleyways and a handful of boutiques makes for a perfectly relaxing place to spend a long week-end. I took this pictures not long after a violent storm, so the lake doesn’t normally look this gloomy. However it is quite hazy over the lakes from time to time.