Blue Flag 2026 in Piedmont: Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta Take the Honors

In Piedmont, 2026 sees 4 municipalities awarded the Blue Flag, the international recognition the FEE grants each year to destinations that meet strict criteria for bathing water quality, environmental management, services and safety. Piedmont has no sea coast, yet its inland waters still earn the Blue Flag: four towns have been honored this year, all sitting on the region's two great lakes, spanning the provinces of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Novara — Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta. It's a rare case in Italy, where the FEE flag certifies water quality far from any coastline.

Where Piedmont's Blue Flag beaches are

The 4 award-winning municipalities break down by province like this:

Province	Blue Flag municipalities 2026
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola	3
Novara	1

Upper Lake Maggiore: Cannobio and Cannero Riviera

The northern Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, right up against the Swiss border, enjoys a mild microclimate that has favored olive and citrus growing for centuries. In Cannobio, the Cannobino stream has carved out the Orrido di Sant'Anna, a limestone gorge several meters deep that drops down to the lake and is now a popular spot for canyoning and hiking. A little further south, Cannero Riviera looks out over the ruins of the Castelli della Malpaga, crumbling fortifications built on rocky islets just offshore — one of the most photographed views on the lower Verbano shoreline.

Verbania and the Borromean Gulf

Verbania is the provincial capital of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, formed in 1939 from the merger of Pallanza, Intra and the surrounding villages, and it overlooks the Borromean Gulf, the inlet of Lake Maggiore home to the famous Borromean Islands. This is also where you'll find Villa Taranto, the botanical garden created in the 1930s by Scottish captain Neil McEacharn, home to more than 20,000 plant species and varieties across roughly 16 hectares — one of Europe's richest botanical parks, and one of the reasons the town's water quality is monitored so closely.

Lake Orta: Gozzano

Lake Orta, also known as Cusio, is the only major Italian lake entirely within Piedmont's borders, unlike Lake Maggiore, which is shared with Lombardy and Switzerland's Canton Ticino. About 13 km long and up to 143 meters deep, it closes off to the south at Gozzano, a town that preserves the Romanesque Collegiata di San Giuliano and holds the only Blue Flag in this part of Novara province.

Full list and map

You can browse the full list of 4 Blue Flag beaches in Piedmont, with amenities, accessibility info, a map and sea temperature, on the dedicated Piedmont page. Each entry shows the municipality, the awarded localities and the services found nearby.