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Lombardia · Lago Maggiore · Varese · Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca

Maccagno

also known as Lido di Maccagno, Centro Velico Maccagno, Lago Maggiore Maccagno

advanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Hazards
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Lido di Cannobio 4 km · Pino-Tronzano 6 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Novthe months riders and schools name How windy5-40mixed LaunchLarge beach.no access rules on record Waterlake22.5°C in summer · 6 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedMilan Malpensa (MXP)

When it fills in

Tramontana blows in the morning; the spot can also come good as the day warms and again toward sunset.

Maccagno is a Lake Maggiore spot on the Lombardy shore, close enough to the Swiss border that the wind arrives from another country. The morning Tramontana comes down from Cannobio and hits Maccagno; anything from NW through N to NE works, sideshore and gusty.

You launch from the beach at Centro Velico Maccagno, where a wide concrete ramp runs down from the parking and the bottom is pebble and stone. When it blows hard the lake throws up short, steep chop, which is why this reads better for intermediates and above than for anyone learning.

The stretch north of Maccagno toward Pino gets good wind too. What you will not find is the infrastructure of Garda or Como: no kite school or rescue operator is based here, and the kite-specific documentation is thin. Best months are April to November, with a narrower May to September window also in circulation.

The wind

locals call it Tramontana / Maggiore

Direction

cross-shoreNW to NE

Character

mixed

fills in: Tramontana blows in the morning; the spot can also come good as the day warms and again toward sunset.

Typical strength

5-40

Wind is frequent here by lake standards, and gusty with it. Strong wind builds short, steep chop.

April-November are the best months. A narrower May-September window also circulates, and the two have not been reconciled.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and northerly

Direction to shore

Sideshore.

Dominant direction

NW to NE, especially N

Forecast

Month by month

Jan5
Feb4
Mar6
Apr, riders' month17
May, riders' month2
Jun, riders' month0
Jul, riders' month2
Aug, riders' month6
Sep, riders' month5
Oct, riders' month2
Nov, riders' month7
Dec5

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.

5%Jan
4%Feb
6%Mar
17%Apr
2%May
0%Jun
2%Jul
6%Aug
5%Sep
2%Oct
7%Nov
5%Dec

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · season highlighted

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Readings
Jan	5%	8%	8%	5.8 kt	E	09:00	6.1°C	62
Feb	4%	5%	5%	5 kt	E	07:00	7.6°C	57
Mar	6%	11%	8%	6.4 kt	E	11:00	9.1°C	62
Apr	17%	22%	20%	8.1 kt	E	14:00	12°C	60
May	2%	3%	3%	6.3 kt	E	14:00	16.9°C	62
Jun	0%	8%	5%	6.8 kt	WSW	16:00	21.2°C	60
Jul	2%	8%	6%	6.9 kt	WSW	14:00	24.5°C	62
Aug	6%	13%	11%	6.9 kt	E	07:00	24.7°C	62
Sep	5%	8%	5%	6.7 kt	E	07:00	19.3°C	60
Oct	2%	5%	5%	5.4 kt	E	07:00	16.6°C	62
Nov	7%	10%	10%	6.3 kt	E	08:00	9.7°C	60
Dec	5%	10%	8%	5.9 kt	E	08:00	6.6°C	62

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

lake

Standing depth

false

Tides

false

Temperature

22.5°C summer · 6.1°C winter

Wetsuit

Full suit in spring, shorty in summer. Water at nearby Cannobio averages about 22.5 C in summer and 6.1 C in winter.

Freshwater Lake Maggiore spot on the Lombardy shore near the Swiss border. There is a beach at Centro Velico Maccagno with a wide concrete ramp and a pebble/stone bottom.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

The beach and ramp make access easier than at Valmadrera, but gusty northerlies, a pebble bottom and chop mean this is not a beginner kite spot without local instruction.

The scene

What riders come here for

strong windchopLake Maggiore freeridenortherly sessionswindsurf crossover trips

Few kites and no scene to speak of, with ordinary summer lake tourism around the lido.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Large beach.

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Lido di Cannobio, 4 km

Lido di Cannobio Pino-Tronzano

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Launch

The beach at Centro Velico Maccagno, with a wide concrete ramp and parking right behind it. Ask in town for the lido.

Space

Large beach.

Rider tips

Watch the morning Tramontana forecast and whatever local eyes you have on Cannobio and Maccagno.
Bring boots or reef shoes; the entry is pebble and stone.
Rig for gusts and expect short chop once the wind gets up.
Ask at the lido or at Centro Velico Maccagno whether kites are allowed that day before you pump.

Getting there

Airport

Milan Malpensa (MXP)

Route

Follow signs for Luino, then carry on north along the lake toward Switzerland; after about 4 km you are in Maccagno, and the lido is what to ask for.

Staying

Hotels and restaurants in town, two campsites between Maccagno inferiore and superiore, and more rooms down the lake at Colmegna.

No-wind days

Lakefront walk to La Madonnina · old town Maccagno · short hikes toward Pianca, Venere and Forcora · Cannobio · Lake Maggiore sightseeing

Photos

Palestra di roccia "Il Cinzanino" from harbour — Schoschi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Maccagno suitable for beginners?

No, gusty northerly wind, a pebble bottom and short steep chop mean it should not be treated as a beginner kite spot without local instruction.

What is the wind like at Maccagno?

A morning Tramontana enters from Cannobio and is reported as gusty and sideshore, with strong wind building short, steep chop.

When is the best time to kite Maccagno?

April through November is listed as the season, with some sources narrowing it to May-September.

Where do you launch at Maccagno?

Launching is from the beach at Centro Velico Maccagno, which has a wide concrete ramp and parking directly at the lido.

Last updated: August 2026