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Friday, February 27, 2009

Baveno Pink Granite

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.


The statue is called Picasass, the Piemontese dialect word for stonemason.
Pica... meaning hit, and sass... meaning stone.



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.



Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Grottoes Of The Palazzo Borromeo


One place that I plan to revisit during my upcoming trip to Stresa is Isola Bella. The island is the most popular of the three Borromean islands, and the number one tourist destination for visitors here. I need to see it again, as there was simply too much for me to absorb in one visit, and so I plan to write in depth about all of the Borromean islands while there, fresh in my mind.


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.



The ground-level rooms served the same purpose then as they do now. They provide a cool and cavern-like refuge from the heat during the summer, and they are a connecting passageway between the palace proper and the gardens behind. Every inch of space, even the ceilings and archways, are completely covered. Note the cement shell motif used as decoration above the doorway as well as on the ceiling and walls.

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



Sunday, February 22, 2009

Skiing Near Stresa


I’ve received a few mails from readers who are planning to visit the Stresa area this winter with the intention of skiing. I’m pleased to see there is such interest in this, and that people recognize the year-round appeal here. In light of these mails I thought it would be a good idea to gather together some information and sites that may prove helpful.

Mottarone has already been covered, you can read about it here, and then link to its 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, toward France

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 at the time of this writing 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 website: www.sandomenico-ciamporino.it
Domobianca: Only 10 km from Domodossola, offering 17 km of ski trails for all levels from green to double-black. Website: www.domobianca.it
Macugnaga: Skiing in sight of magnificent Monte Rosa, in a beautiful Italian mountain village filled with Walser atmosphere. English website with information and links: www.j2ski.com
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.



Friday, February 20, 2009

Museo del Paesaggio -- The Museum of the Landscape

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

Antonio Massara was a man who understood this very well. Born in Miena in 1878, Massara lived his entire life around these lakes. His deep passion for the area, and his conviction to convince others to appreciate it as he did, led him to two great projects in the early 1900s. He started a magazine, Verbania, and in 1909 he founded a museum, originally called “Museo Storico e Artistico del Verbano e delle Valli adiacenti”, The Museum of the History and Art of Verbania and of the Adjacent Valleys. By 1914 the name evolved to Museo del Paesaggio, The Museum of the Landscape, which it remains today.

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."
These are Antonio Massara's own words, spoken in the turbulent years of the early twentieth century. Little did he know they would have such lasting meaning. I think, what he is trying to tell us, if I may speak for him, is to stop, pause, appreciate this. When you leave the museum and head back outside, if you look around you and see the paesaggio, the landscape, in a whole new way, then Massara has succeeded in his goal.

Web site, English version: www.museodelpaesaggio.it

The Museo del Paesaggio is now housed in three locations along the banks of Lago Maggiore in Verbania:

- Palazzo Viani – Dugnani, Verbania Pallanza, via Ruga, 44;
- Palazzo Biumi – Innocenti, Verbania Pallanza, salita Biumi, 6;
- Casa Ceretti, Verbania Intra, Via Roma, 42. This library houses the collection of the 15,000 books of the museum.

Verbania Pallanza and Verbania Intra are two different boat stations on Lago Maggiore about 2 km apart. It is an easy walk from one station to the other. Verbania can be reached in 15 minutes by car from Stresa, or 30 minutes by boat.

Open Year-Round: 10.00 to 12.00, and 15.30 to 18.30, closed Mondays.
Tel. (+39) 0323 556621

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Stresa-Mottarone Cablecar



I do believe that the journey is just as important as the destination. With that in mind, I believe that every visitor to Stresa should treat themselves to a journey on the Mottarone funivia, also known as the Stresa-Mottarone cablecar. Since 1970, with the closing of the old tram, the cableway has been the easiest, fastest, and most stunning way to reach the summit of Mt. Mottarone. Here's what you'll want to know:

The funivia station is at the Carciano boat station. Walk east for 1 km (0.6 mile) along the lake to arrive there from the center of Stresa. There is also ample parking if you're coming by car. Or arrive from other points on the lake by boat to Carciano. Tickets are purchased right at the base entrance to the cableway.

Each cablecar carries 40 passengers. In summer the cars make the trip every 20 minutes. Always check the schedules posted near the stations for the exact time of the last departure and descent from the top. Also check for any unexpected closures, due to bad weather or maintenance.

There are two stops on the cableway. The midstation stops at the Giardino Alpinia, the Alpine Gardens. With a round-trip cableway ticket admission to the gardens is included. Here walk through gardens blooming with 500 varieties of alpine plants from April through October, and stop for a moment at the benches which overlook the lake. There is also a cafe near the gardens.

The top station reaches 1,491 m (4,892 ft) atop Mt. Mottarone. The summit is a 15-minute walk from the station, and offers a 360 degree panorama of the Po Valley, the Alps, of seven different lakes, and on a clear day, all the way to Milan. Here, there are several different cafes and restaurants to choose from. Note that the final walk to the summit is steep, and that it will be much cooler atop Mottarone than down below. There is also a chairlift that can bring you to the very top; the cost is included already in your cableway ticket.

Together, the funivia, the Alpine Gardens, and Mottarone offer four seasons of activities. In the winter, Mottarone is a world-class ski resort. In spring, revive yourself walking among the flowers in the gardens. In summer, mountain bikers bring their bikes up the cableway for the thrilling ride down the well-marked trails. Hikers do the same, just taking a bit longer to reach the lake. And in autumn, there is no better spot from which to see the fall foliage. Enjoy these photos, all courtesy of the stresa-mottarone Web site, where you'll find up-to-date rates and schedules in English.

Cableway Web site, schedules, and rates, in English: www.stresa-mottarone.it
Giardino Alpinia Web site: www.giardinoalpinia.it


Monday, February 16, 2009

Who Is Piemonte's Maschera? Gianduia, That's Who...

Thanks for all those who responded to the poll question: Which of the following is the maschera for Piemonte? The correct answer is Gianduia. This guy, seen in the drawing to the left, has been the Piemontese ‘maschera’, mask, for Carnevale since the late 1700s. He’s know to be a peasant who became a merry gentleman, a lover of food and wine, and gentle and honest like the Piemontese countryside he is from. He’ll always be wearing his long brown jacket with the red trim, his yellow vest, red socks, and he wouldn’t go anywhere without his tri-corner hat. Gianduia was loved so much by his fellow countrymen that a famous chocolate in Torino was named for him, the gianduiotti, in the very shape of that hat. You’ll see Gianduia next week, along with Arlecchino, Pulcinella, and all the other masks representing the different regions of Italy, in every festive mask parade for Carnevale.
Look for another poll soon!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

News Bites -- Little Bits Of News From Stresa


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.


Saturday, February 14, 2009

Baci di Stresa

Those romantic Italians... They know all about kisses. And for the festa di Santo Valentino, Valentine's Day, Stresiani don't need to look any further than right outside their doors for a romantic gift, because they have their very own type of kisses right here, the Baci di Stresa. The Baci di Stresa cookie can be found in any pastry shop in Stresa, but this simple recipe is also easy to make at home. Here are the ingredients:

100 g. of flour
100 g. sugar
100 g. ground hazlenuts
80 g. softened butter

Even without doing the grams to ounces conversion you can see this is easy to do because it uses equal amounts of all, and just 20% less of the butter. So make as many as you want.

Mix all the ingredients together, roll into a tube shape and wrap the tube in plastic, then let the dough chill in the refrigerator for two hours.

After two hours, cut small pieces from the dough and roll it into 1" diameter balls. Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet or baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes at 160 C. (325 F) The cookies will flatten out during baking.

Allora, when the cookies have cooled melt some dark baking chocolate in a double boiler, and use a small amount of chocolate to bond together two cookies.

As if they are bonded in a kiss...

Happy Valentine's Day a tutti...

This photo was taken in Verbania, and I suppose that's why they didn't use the Baci di Stresa name. However, there are the traditional Baci di Stresa on the left, and other variations on the right. Wherever the kiss is from is nice after all...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Very, Very, Very Simple Fahrenheit To Celsius Conversion Guide


It's hard enough packing for a vacation when you're not familiar with the climate in your destination. It's even harder when the temperature in that place is recorded using the Celsius (or Centigrade) scale, and you're accustomed to using Fahrenheit. Unless you're one of those people who can do this equation for the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, 9/5 (C+ 32) , in their head (and honestly, can anyone?) you, like me, will need a better system.

I have memorized just a few key numbers as a guide. Freezing, 32 degrees F, of course is 0 C. 20 would require a light jacket or sweater, by 25 you'll be taking that off. And 30 degrees C would be that sweltering hot day when it's just miserable to be outside. So how do I remember this since I can't do the equation? Mnemonics of course... little hints to help me remember. Here we go and please don't laugh at me.

Below 0: Simple but effective. brrrlow zero. It's cold.
32. This one I know.
20, 20, a sweater is plenty
25, 25, ahhh... great to be alive...
thirsty, thirsty 30

Okay, it's pretty silly sounding, but it works for me. Practice these a few times and you'll know what to grab when you leave the hotel room. Speaking of the hotel room, the only other temperatures I try to remember are where to set the thermostat. If you have air conditioning in your hotel room 25 C is a comfortable temperature to start with, and then adjust according to your own likings. In the winter, an average indoor temperature is 20 C.

Today, as I write this, the temperature in Stresa is 4 C. Better bring that coat.

If you do need a more precise conversion, also helpful when reading recipes, here's a Fahrenheit to Celsius Converter.

Do you have any tricks of your own like this you use to remember? Silly or not, if it works, it's good.

Graphic from Quote.com

Monday, February 9, 2009

PremiaTerme Natural Thermal Spa


When you’ve had enough of winter, when you’re chilled right through to your bones, when even the thought of spring skiing in the sunshine still seems too cold, there is a remedy. Take a day trip to PremiaTerme, a full-service spa located about 45 minutes north of Stresa in Cadarese, in the beautiful Valle Antigorio. The pools are fed from hyperthermal natural hot springs, which can enter the pool at 42 degrees Centigrade (107 degrees Farenheit). Premia offers some interesting services and I can’t wait to try them. For example, in the ‘dry’ area there is the familiar ‘Finlandish’ sauna, but there is also a biosauna, and then there is the Bagno di Fieno, Bath of Hay, in which one rests on bales of hay, so that with the intense heat the body absorbs the many beneficial natural byproducts the hay gives off in the humidity.

To cool down after your sauna, how about a Tropical Shower, in which the misty rain of a tropical forest is reproduced, or, the Fountain of Ice, which produces a gentle snowfall! This is to give you the sensation of running from a hot Jacuzzi into snow to cool down. I’ve done that… And love it… but I want to try this!

In the ‘wet’ area there is the standard Turkish bath, but also a Bath of Herbs, in which each 15 minutes different herbs are pumped into the air, for a varying sense of different essences and perfumes. And here, to cool down, take your choice of the Doccia Gigante Soffione, which consists of large pipes of powerful water, the Doccia a Secchio Cascata, which dumps a bucket of water onto you all at once, or the Doccia Scozzese, which massages you with alternating jets of hot and cold water. This sounds like a water park for adults!

When you’re so relaxed that you don’t want to move, go and rest a bit in the Chromoterapia, the light-therapy room. I’ll tell you how PremioTerme describes this:
The cromoterapia consists of a bath of colors, for relaxation and the recuperation of your power. The pure colored lights, in the four colors of the spectrum, allow a recuperation without comparison, in some, a deep sleep.
The spa is easy to reach by car. Only 45 minutes north of Stresa, it is perfect to combine with a ski or winter vacation, a rainy day, or really, anytime you'd like a spa day. There is also a large outdoor pool, with areas of powerful jets.

For current information:
PremiaTerme Web site: www.premiaterme.com

On a GPS system you’d want to search for Strada 659 in Cadarese, where the spa is very visible from the road.

(photo from PremiaTerme Web site)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The River Cree

While researching various places in Stresa I often come across old photographs of the city. 

Stresa, although 1000 years old, is not your traditional 'timeless' Italian town. Things here are constantly updated and renovated for the multitudes of tourists who come to visit, and so there are few indications of how life was here long ago.

Maybe that's why the old photographs fascinate me so, a little glimpse backwards in time...

This photograph from the mid-1800s captures a moment of everyday life, women meeting and washing linens in the water of the little River Cree, although there doesn't seem to be very much water in this photo. Only a couple of streets away from this scene, Stresa was already a tourist destination for the wealthy, the famous, royalty and politicans.

The River Cree was covered over beginning in 1910. A railroad was constructed to travel the length of the street to bring tourists from the lake to the summit of Mt. Mottarone. However, the railroad is also gone now. Where the Cree ran is now called via Roma, and at the end of via Roma is the begnning of Piazza Cadorna. The River Cree still flows though, just hidden underneath the feet of the people sitting there.


Thursday, February 5, 2009

Video Library



View Down From the Mottarone Cableway
This video was published on Facebook by Stresatours CMA. It's the view descending the mountain, just as the cableway travels over the ridge and Stresa and Lago Maggiore come into glorious view below. Amazing view, but you'll enjoy it even more when you do it yourself!

Lago Maggiore Aerial Video

This video was produced by one of the local tourism bureaus. From the air you get a nice overview of the lungolago, some of the villas in Stresa, and then a fly-by of Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori.


Lago di Mergozzo

This video gives an aerial and on-the-ground view of one of my favorite spots, little, lovely Lago Mergozzo. We've visited Mergozzo already in a couple of posts, and you probably know it's one of my favorite spots around here.


Spot Giapponese

I recently came across this video advert for Stresa, from a Japanese TV station! I can't even be sure who made the video, but it's well-made, and it's nice to see that Stresa is known and promoted even on Japan.



Sacri Monti

This beautiful video, produced by il Distretto Turistico dai Laghi, highlights three sacri monti in the Stresa area; those at Orta San Giulia, at Ghiffa, and at Domodossola.




last updated 2018

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

World Nutella Day!


As the sign in the photo above says, Che Mondo Sarebbe Senza Nutella, What Kind of World Would This Be Without Nutella? Good question indeed... I’m very very excited about Nutella today. First of all, because Nutella, that delicious chocolate/hazelnut spread from Italy, now has its very own holiday. True. Thanks to bloggers Michelle at Bleeding Espresso, www.bleedingespresso.com, and Sara at Ms. Adventures in Italy, www.msadventuresinitaly.com, who together started it all two years ago, today, February 5, will mark the third annual celebration of WORLD NUTELLA DAY! Second, I’m proud to say that I'm participating in the World Nutella Day celebration, by submitting this post. And third, this is especially exciting to me because Nutella happens to be from right here, in Piemonte.

Yes, folks, it all started right here, in Alba, Piemonte, in the 1940s, when cocoa was in short supply due to WWII rationing. An innovative pastry maker, Pietro Ferrero, (and let’s assume he was also a chocoholic), devised a way to use the plentiful hazelnuts in the Piemonte area to blend with the available amount of chocolate. The first version he created, called Pasta Gianduja, was thicker and heavier than now, formed into a loaf that could be sliced. It seems there was a bit of resistance to this first product; mothers discovered their bambini would eat only the slices of chocolate, and not the bread or pasta it was served with. Innovative Pietro made a creamier version, one that would have to be spread onto bread. He called it Supercrema Gianduja. It wasn’t until 1964 that it was renamed Nutella, for “Nut”, and “ella”, a soft Italian ending.

Good job Pietro… Nutella is now available in more than 75 countries and outsells all brands of peanut butter in the world combined. Che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella? Let's not even think about it!

More Nutella facts and other fun information are available on their USA website: www.nutellausa.com

World Nutella Day site: www.nutelladay.com

Don't forget to check out other participating blogs also, for more Nutella recipes and fun.

And go read Michelle's and Sara's blogs right now! Michelle tells the Top 10 Signs You're Addicted To Nutella, and Sara can tell you What Type Of Nutella Lover You Are. You need to know these things...


Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Egyptian Museum In Torino

It’s not what you think of when you think of Italian museums, and yet, Il Museo Egizio, The Egyptian Museum, in Torino, may be one of the best museums in Italy. It holds the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt, and it should be absolutely on the to-do list of any egyptophile. Just remember, long before there was a Roman Empire, long even before the Etruscans built their cities, the Egyptians were flourishing along the Nile. How amazing…

Why is it here then? The Italian part of this Egyptian history is this: Beginning in the early 1600s Torino’s wealthy Savoy family began hoarding every mummy and artifact they could acquire. Several kings, including Carlo Emmanuelle III and Carlo Felice, commissioned explorers to go and bring back all they could. Some personal collections were added with the others, for example the 5,268 pieces French Consul Bernardino Drovetti had collected, and the 1,200 piece private collection of Giuseppe Sossio, a wealthy Piemontese. By the late 1700s, when the public was allowed to view the massive collection, it was the first Egyptian museum in the world. It still is housed in the original building which had been built for it, at Via Accademia delle Scienze 6. Several complete renovations, such as before the 2006 Winter Olympics, have updated the museum, and the sheer size of the collections, the displays, and the bilingual information (Italian and English) makes this an almost must-see. And so much easier than going to Cairo.

The museum covers 3,000 years of Egyptian history. I recommend you give yourself the better part of a day to discover it.


The Egyptian Museum Web site, for current information - English version: www.museoegizio.it
Torino is about one hour from Stresa on major motorways.


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