Lake Orta in the context of "Lake Maggiore"

The Italian Lakes (Italian: Grandi laghi prealpini, lit. "great pre-alpine lakes") are a group of large lakes lying on the south side of the Alps, in the basin of the river Po and the Mediterranean Sea. As their name suggests, they are essentially located in northern Italy; however, they are also partly located in southern Switzerland. They are all glacial lakes that formed after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The group is composed of (from west to east): Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Lake Varese, Lake Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Iseo, Lake Idro and Lake Garda. The three largest are all well over 100 km; they are: Lake Garda (largest in Italy), Lake Maggiore (largest in southern Switzerland) and Lake Como (deepest in Italy).

The lakes are located in the Italian regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, and in the Swiss canton of Ticino. They are all located at least partly in Italy, while two of them (Maggiore and Lugano) are partly in Switzerland.

The province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Italian: provincia del Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italian: [verˈbaːno ˈkuːzjo ˈɔssola]) is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. It was created in 1992 through the fusion of three geographical areas which had previously been part of the province of Novara. The area flanking the western shore of Verbano (or Lago Maggiore) forms the eastern part of the province; Cusio (or Lago d’Orta) and its environs form the southern part; while the north and west of the province consist of the Ossola, a region of Alpine mountains and valleys. The ISO code for the province is VB.

The province has a total population of some 160,000, distributed over an area of 2,255 square kilometres (871 mi), with the biggest population centres being its capital Verbania on the shores of Lago Maggiore, Domodossola the main town of the Ossola, and Omegna at the northern end of Lago d’Orta.

Lake Maggiore (UK: /mæˈdʒɔːreɪ, ˌmædʒiˈɔːreɪ/, US: /mɑːˈdʒɔːreɪ, məˈdʒɔːri/; Italian: Lago Maggiore Italian pronunciation: [ˈlaːɡo madˈdʒoːre]; Western Lombard: Lagh Maggior; Piedmontese: Lagh Magior; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (pronounced [verˈbaːno]; Latin: Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake on the south side of the Alps divided between the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy to the south, and the Swiss canton of Ticino to the north. Located halfway between Lake Orta and Lake Lugano, Lake Maggiore extends for about 64 kilometres (40 miles) between Locarno and Arona. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland.

The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with many gardens growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of the Borromean and Brissago Islands, that of the Villa Taranto in Verbania, and the Alpinia Botanical Garden above Stresa.

A broletto in medieval Italy communes was the place where the whole population met for democratic assemblies, and where the elected men lived and administered justice.

Broletto is an ancient Italian word, from Medieval Latin "broilum, brogilum", which probably derives from a Celtic word. Its first meaning is "little orchard or garden"; hence the meaning "field surrounded by a wall".