In ancient times, it was the extreme point of the short northwestern arm of Lago Maggiore, formed by glaciation.

Monte Orfano (790 m) rises from the southwest shore of the lake; the limestone rocks of which it is composed are heavily quarried.

On the opposite side of the lake the mountains form the beginning of the Corni di Nibbio chain which divides the Val d'Ossola from the Valgrande and its National Park.

Nevertheless, today the lake, where the use of motorboats has long been forbidden, is one of the least polluted in Italy; it has become a tourist destination particularly popular with people from Germany and the Netherlands.

Species found in the lake include, pikeperch, common whitefish, brown trout, Arctic char, bleak, chub, Danube roach (Rutilus pigus), common carp, rudd, tench, triotto (Rutilus aula), savetta, or Italian nase (Chondrostoma soetta), twait shad, northern pike, perch, black bass, pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), eel and burbot.