Paragliding over Lake Maggiore from Mottarone

Paragliding from Monte Mottarone is a tandem flight launching from the 1,491-metre mountain that rises between Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta above Stresa in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province of Piedmont, north-west Italy. A celebrated viewpoint reached by road or by the Stresa-Mottarone cable car, the summit looks out over both lakes, the Borromean Islands, the Po plain and, on clear days, the chain of the Alps from Monte Rosa to Monviso, making it one of the most scenic launch sites in northern Italy. Tandem flying is the accessible way into the sport: the passenger is clipped into a harness in front of a qualified pilot and needs only to take a few running steps at launch, then sit back and soar above the lakes and forests with the pilot in control throughout. Flights are operated by FIVL-affiliated tandem schools and pilots - FIVL being the Italian free-flight federation that licenses tandem ratings - who brief each passenger before take-off. Operators typically set a minimum age of around 5 to 8 with parental consent, accept passengers across a broad weight range of roughly 25 to 100 kilograms, and ask those with back, heart or injury concerns to check first. The tandem wing, harness and helmet are provided; passengers bring closed sturdy shoes, a warm layer because air is cooler aloft, and sunglasses. A booking usually runs two to three hours including transfer to the launch and the wait for the right window, with about 15 to 30 minutes airborne depending on conditions. Before take-off the pilot briefs the launch run, body position and landing, carries a reserve parachute and radio, and chooses the launch and landing fields to suit the wind. Paragliding depends entirely on the weather, needing light, steady wind and good visibility, so the season runs roughly April to October and flights are postponed in rain, strong or gusty wind, or low cloud, with the calmest air usually in the morning or late afternoon. Soaring silently above the blue sweep of Lake Maggiore and its islands makes a Mottarone tandem flight a standout adventure of the Piedmont lakes.