In the summer of 2009, Stresa entered itself into a national contest in Italy, that being for the award of 'Comune Fioriti,' Floral Community... I'm so pleased and proud to report that this past Sunday, when the winners were chosen in a ceremony in Pre-Saint-Didier, in Valle d'Aosta, Stresa was crowned the winner in the category of cities with 3,000 to 20,000 people. And if that isn't accolade enough, during the presentation a special honor was also bestowed upon Stresa. Each year, as part of the competition, two communities are chosen to represent Italy in the larger European "Entente Florale" competition. Stresa was one of the communities chosen for this, the other being Salsomaggiore Terme, in Emilia, which was the winning town in Italy in the touristic category.

This is no small competiton. 'Comune Fioriti' was started ten years ago, and has grown in stature each year, now attracting 25,000 participating cities annually from all over Europe. The goal is two-fold, to both make these cities more beautiful to those who visit, and to give pleasure also to those who live there. I've always known how beautiful Stresa is in the summer, with flowering gardens along the lungolago and windowboxes on so many balconies; now, Stresa has been officially recognized for these efforts and for its beauty.

The other winners were the village of Fossa, Abruzzo, for communities with fewer than 3,000 residents, Savigliano, Piemonte, for cities of more than 20,000, as well as the previously mentioned Salsomaggiore Terme.