Lake Maggiore is a pre-Alpine lake of 212 km2 and 65 km in length, about 50 km northwest of Milan, straddling Piedmont and Lombardy in Italy and the Canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

Only its northern end is Swiss (about 40km2), the rest is Italian.

Like the other large Alpine lakes, it was partly carved out of a pre-existing river valley by an Ice Age glacier, and its northern shores are quite steep.

It is a tourist mecca, named Major because it is the most important lake in Italy after Lake Garda.

The most famous destinations are Locarno and Brissago in Switzerland, Arona, Stresa and Verbania in Italy.

Useful links

Ticino (Swiss Canton), Piedmont and Lombardy (Italian Regions) (iSwitzerland Guide) - Wikipedia