This is the ideal time to see the water lilies and lotus flowers on Isola Madre. These marvellous flowers will be in bloom throughout the summer until September, and visitors will not want to miss their magical combination of bright colours and fragrance.

Water lilies are perfectly at home in the mild climate of Isola Madre, and in return produce abundant blooms. They have their timetable – the hardy and tropical varieties in the ponds of the island’s splendid gardens open up from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon, displaying their explosion of colour, ranging from white through bright yellow, golden yellow, pink, orange and crimson.

One of the ponds is reserved for the lotus flowers; there is a grand total of forty varieties of this exquisite flower in the botanic garden, from the private collection of a Piedmontese nurseryman and lotus expert.

The lotus flower, a symbol of spirituality in all oriental religions, is a perennial water plant originating in Asia, Australia and the tropical zone of North America. Its main features are its distinctive funnel-shaped, water-repellent leaves and scented flowers, with colours ranging from pale pink to red, white to yellow, apricot pink, orange yellow, and some multicoloured blooms.

This summer (2010), if you photograph these flowers, you can send the photos to the website of the Borromean Islands and the Rocca di Angera; the best photos will be put online with the author’s name and the date when the picture of the bloom was taken.