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The vast Borromeo Palace and its grounds dominate the island. The palace is largely 17th century, but wasn’t finished until 1959. The sumptuous rooms have stucco ceilings and are filled with inlaid dressers, Murano chandeliers and fine paintings.

The palace’s most important room is named for its collection of antique instruments. On 11 April 1935, Mussolini met here with Laval of France and Ramsay MacDonald of Britain in an attempt to stave off World War II.

This detail-rich series of 16th-century Flemish works is based on that popular theme for medieval tapestries: the unicorn (which is also a Borromeo heraldic totem).

Artificial caves were all the rage in the 18th century. They were decorated with a sort of grand, intricate pebble-dash in black-and-white patterns.

The “Private Chapel” was built in 1842–4 as a mausoleum for a pair of late Gothic/early Renaissance 15th-century family tombs as well as the 1522 Monument to the Birago Brothers, carved by Renaissance master Bambaia.

This pyramid of terraces is topped by a unicorn, the edges lined by statue-laden balustrades. A few pairs of white peacocks strut over the clipped lawns.

This summer villa was built largely between 1518 and 1585. Today it is a museum with mannequins in Borromeo livery and paraphernalia from puppet theatres.

The surprisingly lush and extensive gardens around the Villa Borromeo are filled with exotic flora. Take the time to walk around the island, past the azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias famous since the 19th century.

Isola Madre gardens

Europe’s largest cypress spreads its 200-year-old, weeping Oriental strands of needles over a gravel courtyard to one side of the Villa Borromeo.

The Borromei pretty much left this island (also known as Isola dei Pescatori,) alone when they were converting its neighbours into sumptuous garden-palaces, allowing the island’s fishing hamlet to develop more naturally into a tourist draw today.