There are little pieces of Baveno all over the world. Baveno is the next town over from Stresa, only 1.5 miles to the east along the lake. Like Stresa it has its piazza, elegant hotels on the lakefront, beautiful churches, but it is famous for one thing in particular that Stresa does not have. Baveno Pink Granite. The Vittorio Emanuele Galleria in Milan is built with Baveno Pink Granite. So are the columns of the Paris Opera House, the Church of St. Charles in Vienna, and the statue of Christopher Columbus in New York City. Many other well known landmarks around the globe in fact, have chosen this granito, granite, because of its distinctive appearance and color.

Baveno pink granite is indeed quite pink. It’s found in abundance on the eastern side of the Mt. Mottarone mountain mass, from the mountain called Mt. Camoscio all the way to the Baveno shoreline. Look at the photo I use on the top of this blog. I’ve taken the picture from Isola Bella, looking towards Isola Pescatore and Baveno. On the far left of the photo you can see the edges of the quarried mountain, cut away in large sections and plateaus. I can’t tell you that the work isn’t a bit of a visual mar on the otherwise perfect view, and it’s why I cropped my photo at that spot, but Baveno has made this sacrifice willingly, the granite has brought the town prosperity and fame.

Although there is evidence of its use as early as the 1500s, quarrying in earnest began in the 1800s, and the industry brought hundreds to Lago Maggiore, looking for employment. Many who live here today can claim ancestors who worked those quarries. And therefore Baveno is proud to have this natural resource. So much so that a statue along the lake, built of Baveno pink granite of course, celebrates the scalpellino, the stonecutters, who made it all possible with their hard labors. And so much so that plans are in the works for a museum, scheduled to open next year, dedicated to the precious pink stone and its part in the history of this region.

Where can you see this granite here? The statue of course, as well as the path along the lake in Baveno. And keep your eyes open for it in your surroundings, you’ll start to see pink buildings everywhere. So it’s another thing to look for in your travels, not only here but worldwide. If you see the Baveno pink granite, take comfort that you are close to a little piece of Italy, a piece of Lago Maggiore.

The walkway along the lakefront in Baveno is paved with Baveno Pink Granite.

If you’re interested in a closer look at the quarry and you have a car, you can reach it in this way: From the A26 motorway, exit for Baveno. From the district called "Tranquilla", in the upper part of the Oltrefiume hamlet, drive up the asphalt road which offers a broad view over the famous quarries.

In addition to the Baveno Pink Granite there are over 60 other types of minerals found at the quarry, some named after Baveno itself, such as Bavenite and Bazzite. The site is geologically important, and studied extensively.

Nel frattempo, in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a little teaser, some photos from the previous time I was there, of the grottoes in the Borromeo Palazzo on Isola Bella. The strange series of six rooms, the idea of Vitaliano the Sixth, were planned in 1685 with the help of the architect Filippo Cagnulo, but they weren’t completed until almost 100 years later.

Who is the sleeping lady in the photo at the top of this post? More about her, and all of Isola Bella, when I return there very soon.

Isola Bella Web site: www.borromeoturismo.it

Mottarone has already been covered, you can read about it here, and then link to it’s own homepage. But if you’d now like to explore some other areas there are many choices available to you. Let’s separate the choices into two categories, ski resorts in the Italian Alps, and ski resorts in the Swiss Alps. In addition, for the purposes of this post, let’s limit the discussion to resorts to the north of Stresa, not those to the west, towards France. That will be another topic for another day.

Andiamo a sciare! Let's go skiing! First let’s talk about resorts in the Italian Alps. All of these locations can be reached taking the motorway for Domodossala. I suggest these particular resorts for their excellent conditions, full services, and because they offer a high quality at a reasonable price. Overall in fact, I find skiing in Italy and Switzerland to be far more economical than in the United States. For example, a one-day adult lift ticket at Vail this season is going for near $100; this makes skiing prohibitive for most families. By comparison, a full-day adult lift ticket at San Domenico this season is 21 euro/27 on the weekends, and parking is free. You’ll find all services, including rentals and food, to be also proportionately lower. But the snow, and the views, on the other hand, well, there’s nothing lesser at all about them.

Here are three places I like in the Italian Alps near Domodossola, all about 45 minutes from Stresa:

San Domenico: A full-service resort easily reached from Milan and Lago Maggiore, in the Italian Lepontine Alps. Here's their English Web site: www.sandomenico-ciamporino.it

Domobianca: Only 10 km from Domodossola, offering 17 km of ski trails for all levels from green to double-black. English Web site: www.domobianca.it

Macugnaga: Skiing in sight of magnificent Monte Rosa, in a beautiful Italian mountain village filled with Walser atmosphere. English site with information and links: www.j2ski.com

This is an excellent link to these Italian ski resorts, as well as others. http://www.sullaneve.it/comprensorio-sciistico-valli-dell-ossola.htm Near the bottom of this linked page you’ll find links to San Domenico, Domobianca, Macugnaga and other local resorts. While the site does not have an English version, I found that the Google translator does a pretty decent job. Click on a resort, then copy and paste the URL into Google, search, and then click the Google translate feature on the search results page.

Now, further afield to Switzerland. To reach these resorts in the Swiss Alps we’ll continue on this road past Domodossola, crossing into Switzerland over the famous Simplon Pass. Without traveling too much further, there are resorts I think worthy of a visit. Here are two in particular that are approximately two hours from Stresa:

Leukerbad: A true year-round vacation resort, with natural thermal hot-springs and every type of winter activity. http://www.leukerbad.ch/en/welcome.cfm

Fiesch-Eggishorn: A large resort with 99 kilometres of piste, ski runs, best suited to the intermediate skier or snowboarder. http://www.eggishorn.ch/jwa/en/news.jsp

These Swiss resorts are doable as a long day trip from Stresa, but should you want to make a longer skiing vacation Domodossola is a good central location in which to stay to visit a variety of these resorts. Another plus... you'll be close to the wonderful PremiaTerme Hyperthermal Spa, when you need to soothe those muscles.

Federico Ashton - Pecetto of Macugnaga and Monte Rosa, 1887

The true star of Lago Maggiore is, always was, and always will be, its natural scenery and splendor. No matter what beautiful palaces have been built, no matter how many restaurants there are serving delicious regional food, no matter the markets and the shopping and the music festivals, the true attraction here is the lake and the mountains themselves. Remove the natural elements and I'm not certain that people would travel here for the aforementioned sights, but remove the palaces and restaurants and markets, and people would still come, senza dubbio, without any doubt, just to sit and marvel at this incredible landscape.

Guido Boggiani - Chestnut Wood Above Stresa - 1884

It's a love affair, this museum... On the part of Massara, but also it's evident in all of the works here. Through the eyes of dozens of different painters, sculptors, and artists of various media, the visitor sees how so many others have seen, and then depicted, this local landscape. Of particular interest to me are the scenes that include people, structures or street scenes. I know, one can argue that they are not truly landscapes, that the buildings intrude, but Massara believed that they were, and I enjoy the glimpses of a time before photographs, into those moments captured.

Achille Tomanetti - Ploughing at Miazzina

“In nessuna età come la nostra, inquieta e variabile, si è sentita più profondamente la misteriosa affinità che lega l’anima umana al paesaggio”

"In an era like ours, restless and variable, in one is it felt more profoundly the mysterious affinity between the human soul and the landscape."

Just enough news to digest with a cup of cappuccino...

If you’re in town on March 8 grab your sneakers and join in the second-annual Lago Maggiore Half-Marathon. The event, which last year attracted over 1,500 runners, begins at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Stresa, and follows a beautiful and flat course along the lake.

Work has begun on the so-called “Ice-Hotel” in Macugnana. Macugnana is a fascinating and historic village, at the foot of Mt. Rosa, with a strong Walser Swiss influence.Mark your calendars, by next winter one should be able to stay overnight, or visit the bar, in this ice palace.

The Stresa Carnevale festivities begin. First, costume parades this weekend for young and old. On Tuesday, it is a double festival in Piazza Cadorna, the piazza will be filled with tables offering traditional polenta and salami, and well as regional chocolate specialities. Later, King Falcett and his court will make their procession through town.

Dates have been set for Stresa for New Orleans, the annual summer Jazz festival. From June 25 to July 5, one can hear six different jazz bands performing along the Lungolago in Stresa. This event was born in 2006, to bring attention to, and raise money to replace, the many instruments lost to poor New Orleans musicians during Hurricane Katrina.

In the next couple of weeks I plan to write about a few more museums and winter activities, partly in preparation for my own upcoming trip on March 15. Come back and take a look. And as always, if you have any suggestions for topics, questions, or things to share, please send them in.

Thanks, as always, to Stresa 2.0, www.stresaduepuntozero.blogspot.com, for my news information.

Dolls – At the Rocca Borromeo, in Anghera across the lake from Stresa, there is the Doll Museum, an extraordinary collection of over 1,000 dolls, toys, books, dolls' furniture and table and board games, one of the most important museums of its kind in Europe.

Dolce – Stresa has two of its very own dolci, One is the Margheritine di Stresa, which was originally made for Princess Margherita di Savoia for when she would stay at the Ducal Villa. It’s a buttery cookie with a white meringue topping. The second Stresa sweet is the Baci di Stresa. It’s a combination of dark chocolate and hazelnut, swirled over a soft cookie. These are famous and not inexpensive; I have brought both back for my classmates in the U.S. to enjoy.

Ducal Villa – Princess Margherita’s home in Stresa. But before that the luxurious residence, built in the late 1700s by Giacomo Bolongaro, a wealthy Stresiani, was where the rich, famous, and royalty would stay when visiting Stresa. Ducal Villa and its gardens are open to the public now and houses the International Rosminiani Study Centre.

Dickens, as in Charles – Stresa has had so many fans, and one of them was British writer Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens said of Isola Bella during a visit in 1844, "For however fanciful and fantastic the Isola Bella may be, and is, it still is beautiful," words that are still true to this day.

Dolcetto – Dolcetto, the wonderful red wine produced in Dogliani, in Piemonte. Try Dolcetto with some of the traditional Northern Italian dishes, such as brasato and polenta, because as they say, “When it grows together, it goes together.” Or just sample a glass for aperitivo at a local café.

Dangerous curves - Although they scare me sometimes I love the switchbacks and tight curves on the mountain roads that lead in and out of Stresa. And I'm proud to say I learned, (well, practiced), driving a manual car on those roads.

Duomo – No, Stresa doesn’t have its own Duomo. But if you go up to the top of Mt. Mottarone, either by car or with the cableway from Stresa, on a clear day you can see the golden statue on top of the Duomo in Milano. It’s a breathtaking view.

Dam a Tra – This is a wonderful little restaurant in Verbania, the next town over from Stresa. They specialize in regional Piemontese dishes, so expect to find here things like brasato al carema, truffle dishes, and the wonderful bonet dessert. The name Dam a Tra is Piemontese dialect; the words mean “Trust Me”.

Dormelletto Cane Thicket Preserve - For nature lovers there is the cane thicket natural park at Dormelletto. This large, protected area, the last of its kind on the western side of Lago Maggiore, serves an important natural function in the filtering and cleaning of the lake waters, as well as providing a habitat for over 100 species of birds and fish. For those of the human species there are bike trails, a beach, and campsites.

Drives – There are so many scenic drives one can take from here. There are local ones, such as to the top of Mottarone, or along the lake. And longer, day trips, such as to the wine country of Piemonte, or through the Swiss Alps in Ticino, Switzerland. It’s even easily possible, and I have done it, to take a drive to Chamonix in France, or down to the Ligurian coast, and be back to Stresa in time for dinner.

That’s ten, and you know what? I could keep going… Thanks again to girasoli of shaved ice and gelato for the idea. I know it’s given me some new thoughts on future posts for the site, and I hope it’s given you some ideas of things to visit. Who knows, maybe this will become a recurring feature, there are 25 other letters after all… Any other 'D' ideas? Dimmi... :-)

Ten things I know you will love to do in and around Stresa in the winter:

1. Ski Mt. Mottarone

2. Visit PremiaTerme, a natural thermal spa.

3. Take a day trip to the Egyptian Museum in Torino.

4. Get a ticket to La Scala in Milano.

5. Visit some cathedrals in peace and quiet.

6. Spend an evening ice skating in Locarno.

7. Shop for fashion discounts at Foxtown Factory Stores.

8. Take a snowshoe adventure tour.

9. Participate in a wine tasting.

10. Take a cooking class.

Do you have a favorite winter activity?

What do you think of when you think of Northern Italy in the winter?

As I write this I’m looking out my window in Pennsylvania at a field of ice. First there was snow, covered by freezing rain, warmed by the sun a little, frozen down again, and what we have now is a landscape that looks like flows of white lava, frozen in place. I love it. I’ve always loved living in the northeastern United States, where I can experience picture postcard perfect representations of each season, exactly as they were meant to be.

Now let’s jump across the ocean to Stresa, Italy. L'inverno, the winter, is much the same there as here. It’s cold, there’s snow now and then. The summer crowds are gone, the beaches are closed, and the gardens on Isola Madre and at Villa Taranto lie dormant. There are the palm trees along the lake, however, the only item which seems so out of place to me. To my thinking they should have been boxed up in September, packed away in a warm warehouse somewhere until April. I worry about them. Well, comunque, anyway, palm trees apart, it’s winter. Which means that in Stresa, this is a season to ski, to visit museums, or to catch the annual sale days in Milan. It’s time to try some famous caldo cioccolata, brasato and polenta, and warm up in a natural hot springs spa. Over the next few weeks I’ll write about several of these places. Spring and summer will be back soon enough, for now, I say let’s have us some winter fun.