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Melted cheese, golden light over the Borromean Islands and only your group on board: how it works, cheeses, wines and prices for your fondue on the lake.
Melted cheese slowly steaming in the caquelon. Golden light over the Borromean Islands. The lake murmuring softly beneath the bow. Your cheese fondue on Lake Maggiore doesn't take place in a crowded restaurant – but on a traditional gaff cutter, just for you and your guests.
Cheese fondue is a traditional Swiss dish that has brought people together around a table for centuries. You dip pieces of bread into the melted cheese, share stories and enjoy the warmth of the moment. Few people know that this experience also works on Lake Maggiore – in the middle of the water, surrounded by mountain silhouettes and illuminated lakeside towns. But that's exactly what the Striga Constanze offers.
Lake Maggiore lies in a border area between Italy and Switzerland, where Swiss fondue tradition and Piedmont's cheese culture meet naturally. Fondue is mainly prepared in Switzerland, but on Lake Maggiore cheese fondue specialities are particularly popular – a connection that develops its very own character on the water.
On board the Striga Constanze – a 9.20 m gaff cutter, built in 1979, with 55.7 m² of sail area – fondue becomes something no restaurant can offer: a private, skippered experience for a maximum of 12 people, far from crowded promenades and loud motorboats. The fondue is adapted to the mild climate of Lake Maggiore, so that a special atmosphere arises even in the cooler season.
Cheese fondue is a must when it comes to summer and winter cuisine. The fondue trips are planned especially from November to February, when the evenings are long and the lights on the shore are particularly atmospheric. The season starts on 1 March 2027 – booking in good time is recommended.
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Many visitors to Lake Maggiore find good restaurants, lively promenades and well-known activities. What they rarely find: a quiet place where they can enjoy a cheese fondue with friends or family – without strangers' conversations at the next table, without rush, without compromise. Locarno, Ascona and Stresa do have fondue chalets and restaurants, but in winter they often offer a rustic setting for many guests at once. Fondue is typically enjoyed in the cooler months – and that's exactly when the lake lacks an intimate setting that belongs entirely to your own group.
The Striga Constanze is the answer to this problem: a floating fondue experience, unhurried, private and focused on atmosphere rather than entertainment. Cheese fondue is often served in cosy alpine hut settings – here the gaff cutter itself becomes the hut on the water.
The experience is aimed at everyone looking for something special:
Couples looking for a romantic alternative to the crowded restaurant in autumn/winter 2027 – whether an anniversary, a honeymoon extension or simply an opportunity to unwind.
Groups of friends who want to experience a special evening with cheese fondue, wine and lake panorama – for a birthday, as a pre-Christmas get-together or simply because it's time.
Families with children planning a cosy boat trip in the cool season – with stories about the Cannero castles and the pirate brothers Mazzarditi that captivate children.
Companies looking for a quiet year-end celebration or a small team thank-you (up to 8 guests at a fixed price, up to 12 guests on request) – a company finds an alternative here that stays in the memory.
Wind brushing across the sails. Water gently lapping against the hull. And in between, the scent of melted cheese rising from the caquelon – cheese fondue is prepared in a round ceramic pot, right on board, while the lights of the lakeside towns slowly draw closer. The dish and the place complement each other because both rely on the same principle: togetherness, warmth and mindful enjoyment.
In 5 steps
The procedure is deliberately kept simple. No complicated programme, no entertainment – just a clearly structured evening that revolves around you and your fondue.
The 2026 season has ended. You can now make reservations for cheese fondue tours from 1 March 2027. The easiest way: a short WhatsApp message to +39 333 3802 383 or via the online enquiry form. Reply usually within 24 hours, without obligation.
Recommendation: plan fondue trips above all for the later months of the season – October 2027 to February 2028 – when the evenings are cool and the lights on the shore glow in special colours.
You can choose between 3, 4 or 7 hours – for cheese fondue, 3 to 4 hours in the evening is ideal. Concrete route suggestions:
The route is adapted to weather, wind and light. The focus is always on a safe, quiet anchorage for the fondue.
In advance we agree whether you'd like a classic cheese fondue – the cheese blend for fondue often consists of Gruyère and Vacherin, as in Swiss fondue moitié-moitié – or a variant with regional cheeses such as Toma del Mottarone, Formaggella del Luinese or the fine Bettelmatt for a surcharge. Regional cheeses refine the fondue preparation and give the dish an unmistakable character.
Drinks: prosecco for the aperitivo, Piedmontese wines such as Ghemme DOCG or Gattinara from the region around Novara and Vercelli, or a fresh white wine with the fondue – cheese fondue is often prepared with white wine, and the same wine is also excellent in the glass. Non-alcoholic alternatives are available too.
Note on intolerances: please state lactose, gluten or other allergies when booking so that the recipe and side dishes can be adapted. Fondue is a meat-free dish anyway – vegetarian guests are well catered for.
Arrival at the harbour – Laveno-Mombello by default – approx. 15 minutes before departure. A short welcome on board, a friendly safety briefing, and off we go.
The trip begins at blue hour. The skipper steers the Striga Constanze to a quiet stretch of the lake while the fondue pot is prepared. Ingredients such as fresh rosemary and thyme round off the fondue, which slowly begins to melt in the caquelon. The approaching night, mountain silhouettes, the lights of the lakeside towns – and that aroma.
The fondue is served. Everyone sits comfortably in the sheltered area – below or on deck, depending on the weather. Bread variations are popular accompaniments to fondue: light country bread, wholemeal bread, crispy baguette pieces. Plus pickled figs and pear slices as sweet companions – a combination that surprises the palate.
On request, soft background music, room for conversation, for a marriage proposal, for a short speech. Or simply silence.
The return trip by night: the chain of lights around Lake Maggiore, the quiet gliding across the water, a relaxed arrival in the harbour. A meal that becomes a memory.
In Locarno and Ascona there are already event ships with fondue cruises – Ticino providers who focus on large groups. Fondue chalets and boat tours can also be found in Switzerland. But these offers are often public, with fixed departure times, many people on board and little room for individuality.
The Striga Constanze works differently: a small group, a flexible route, personal contact with the skipper, and a boat that is an experience in itself.
Traditional gaff cutter, red sails, just your group. 3, 4 or 7 hours.
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for up to 8 guests at a fixed price, up to 12 on request
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The area around Lake Maggiore is a region with a surprising variety of cheeses and specialities. Swiss fondue tradition meets the culture of Piedmont and Lombardy here. Ticino alpine cheese fondue uses local cheeses from the surrounding valleys – and on the Italian side, too, there are top-class cheeses that take a fondue blend to a new level.
Bettelmatt is a high-quality alpine cheese from the region, produced in the high Alps of the Ossola Valley near Baceno and in the Formazza Valley. Only a few cheesemakers produce it, exclusively in summer from raw cow's milk on alpine pastures above 1,500 m. Rich butteriness, intense herbal notes – unsurpassed as a highlight ingredient in a fondue blend.
Toma del Mottarone is a popular cheese from the region. A semi-hard mountain cheese from the Mottarone, yellowish straw-coloured, aged 2–3 months. Ideal as the base of a northern Italian fondue variant.
Formaggella del Luinese is a delicate soft cheese with protected origin from the Verbano area. Mild, buttery, harmonises wonderfully with white wine fondue.
For guests who want a lighter, more aromatic note. Used in small proportions, it brings fine herbal notes to the blend.
Comes from the Novara and Varese regions in the immediate vicinity of the lake. Not classic in fondue, but an exciting addition as a variation for the bold. The dairy in Crodo also produces top cheeses that can enrich the fondue.
Fonduta alla Valdostana is another Italian fondue variant with Fontina – on request this recipe can also be integrated into the evening.
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The fondue tours build on the transparent fixed prices of the Striga Constanze. One price for the entire private group – plus a fondue surcharge per person for cheese, bread, side dishes and drinks.
Suitable for couples and small groups who want a focused evening round with cheese fondue.
Recommended for groups who want more cruising time or a longer anchor break in addition to the meal.
For groups who want to spend a whole day on the lake – e.g. a family celebration or a small company outing – with cheese fondue as the highlight at sunset.
Up to 8 guests at a fixed price, up to 12 guests on request.
Results count for more than descriptions. Here are two example scenarios that show what a cheese fondue evening on the Striga Constanze can look like.
A couple, October, glassy water. The Striga Constanze glides slowly past the Borromean Islands as the sun sinks behind the mountains. The fondue pot is already steaming when the lights of Stresa come on. He pops the question – in the moment between two bites, in the warm glow of the lanterns. The skipper discreetly keeps his distance. No audience, no staging, just a very personal moment on the water. Privacy makes the difference.
A small team from Switzerland – 6 people – travelling to Lake Maggiore for a day. In the afternoon a short sightseeing round along the coast, past historic villas and the monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso. In the evening: cheese fondue on the lake, with Ghemme and Gattinara from Piedmont. A short review-of-the-year speech on board, under the open sky, with a view of the chain of lights along the shore. Not the usual Christmas party – but something that lasts.
Honesty is part of it. The Striga Constanze is not a party boat, not an "all you can eat" event ship. The focus is on enjoyment, peace and mindful experience.
Good preparation increases the enjoyment. Here is a compact checklist.
Guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland can easily reach Lake Maggiore via the Gotthard, San Bernardino or Brenner. Milan Malpensa airport is close by – from there it's about 45 minutes by hire car.
The meeting point is by default the home port of Laveno-Mombello. On request, boarding in Brebbia, Feriolo, Cannero or Cannobio is also possible. Recommendation: allow at least 30 minutes' buffer before the planned departure time.
No-obligation enquiry, reply within 24 hours. Weekends in the 2027 season go fast.
Season 2027
From a crowded restaurant to your own floating fondue parlour – that's the difference the Striga Constanze makes. Melted cheese, still water, mountain silhouettes and an evening that belongs only to you.
The 2026 season has ended. Reservations for 2027 are limited – the sought-after autumn and winter dates in particular go quickly.
It's that easy: Message us on WhatsApp at +39 333 3802 383 or use the online enquiry form. Tell us your preferred date, the number of people and your preferred tour length (3, 4 or 7 hours). Reply usually within 24 hours – without obligation.
Your cheese fondue on Lake Maggiore is waiting. Secure your place before the dates are taken.
Skipper of the Striga Constanze
Ciao! Questions about the route, departure harbour or date? Just message me – I reply personally.
