Isolino Partegora (known locally as ''Isulin'') is an islet situated at the centre of the gulf of

Angera Angera (, ; la, Angleria) is a town and ''comune'' located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. In Roman Empire, Roman times, it was an important lake port and road station. Formerly known as Anghiera, Angera recei ...

Lago Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...

, the only island on the lake to fall within the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

. Most of the shoreline consists of marshy cane thickets, although there is a sandy beach at the southern edge of the island. The islet is about 96 by 36 m in size, with an area of roughly 3500 square metres. ''Sass margunin'', or ''margunée'', is a submerged erratic block lying some tens of metres to the west of the island. Near the shore facing the island is the Oasis of Bruschera natural park. The park occupies an area of approximately and is one of the last remaining

flooded forest Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes. Freshwater swamp forests are found ...

s in Lombardy. It is said that the saints

Giulio Giulio () is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Giulio Alberoni (1664–1752), Italian cardinal and statesman * Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar * Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002), Italian ...

and Giuliano stopped on the island. Tradition also identifies Partegora as the location of the martyrdom of Arialdo Alciato, the

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

ese

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

and Patarine reformist who was assassinated in 1076 at the prompting of his

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Guido da Velate Guido da Velate (also Guy or Wido) (died 1071) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1045 until his death, though he had simoniacally abdicated in 1067. He had been chosen as successor to Aribert by the people in opposition to the choice of the nobless ...

. In 1776

Alessandro Volta Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (, ; 18 February 1745 – 5 March 1827) was an Italian physicist, chemist and lay Catholic who was a pioneer of electricity and power who is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the ...

, while a guest of the Castiglioni family in Angera, discovered

marsh gas Marsh gas, also known as swamp gas or bog gas, is a mixture primarily of methane and smaller amounts of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and trace phosphine that is produced naturally within some geographical marshes, swamps, and bogs. The surfa ...

, or methane, here.

References

Islands of Lombardy Islands of Lake Maggiore in Italy {{Lombardy-geo-stub