It starts from the area in front of the building of the Museo del Merletto (Lace Museum), where you will be able to admire the best ‘pizzo d’Irlanda’ lace creations made by the women of the island. After your museum visit, start walking down Via Guglielmi in a northerly direction, and you will soon reach the chiesa del Buon Gesù and the nearby little building called ‘Casa del Capitano del Popolo’. The Casa del Capitano del Popolo houses the Documentation Centre of Isola Maggiore, where important works of art are on display, with panels and graphic reconstructions that will explain the island’s complex reality.

The itinerary continues on Via Guglielmi at the chiesa di San Salvatore, which can be reached by climbing the monumental staircase before it. Back on Via Guglielmi, take the lakefront path, leaving the island beach on the left. The trail now skirts the shore and leads to the places of remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s presence, where a relaxing and contemplative stop is a must.

The next part of the trail runs on the island knoll, with some uphill sections. From the shore, take the steps that lead into the forest, ascending to the last Franciscan site (the small chapel that protects the rock considered to be the saint’s bed). A short distance away take the ‘Trail of the Holm Oaks’, which proceeds northward with a series of gentle climbs and descents.

When you reach the first crossroads, turn sharply to the left, climbing up to another fork. Here you will keep to the right, and you will reach the ruins of the old windmill. The itinerary continues on to the top of the island, among the olive trees, to the pieve di San Michele Arcangelo: an outstanding monument that has beautiful frescoes.

From the pieve head north once again and descend to take the trail that leads to the ruins of the chiesa di San Leonardo. Once you pass the remains of the building, the path comes out onto the main road that goes up to the pieve. Take it downhill to the entrance of Villa Guglielmi (former Franciscan complex, currently not accessible) and to the paved Via Tre Martiri, which leads back to the village.

Back on Via Guglielmi, the tour concludes by going through the southern part of the village. Two special monuments stand out here: the medieval palace and the church that was once home to the Oratorio della Buona Morte. Before re-embarking for the mainland, we recommend stopping on the pier, and taking a look at the surrounding shoreline. During periods of shallow water, we can observe the remains of ancient port structures emerging from the water.