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Stresa Sights Chosen as 'Blog Of The Week' By ITALY Magazine
We are so proud and happy to have been chosen this week by ITALY Magazine to be featured as their Blog of the Week.
I was thrilled when contacted by Pat Eggleton of ITALY Magazine to do the interview. And the process of answering her questions was a valuable exercise for me as well. It strengthened and clarified for me my understanding of why I like Stresa, why I love doing this.
Here's my interview. For those of you who have wondered about Stresa Sights and how I got here this may answer some of those questions.
Dana, where are you from originally?
I’m a Brooklyn girl, Flatbush and Canarsie. Then college in Boston, and I’ve lived in New York City and the suburbs of Philadelphia. So I’ve always been in the Northeastern United States. You can imagine what a change Stresa is.
I can indeed! Why did you settle in Stresa?
Can you tell us about the area where you live?
Stresa fascinates me. It is a combination of natural beauty and man-made wonders. Stresa sits on the shore of the Borromeo Gulf of Lago Maggiore, Italy’s second largest lake. To the north there are the Alps. To the west is the wine country of Piemonte and the rice fields of Vercelli. To our east the lake extends all the way into Switzerland. And we can easily reach Milan, just 30 minutes to the south.
What do you love about Stresa?
I love this combination of private town and tourist attraction. Everyone’s always in a good mood because they’re on vacation. But mostly, I love the views. There are palm trees lining the shore, snow-capped Alps behind them, and wind blows the water across the gulf while all sorts of boats cruise past. I’ll never tire of seeing this.
Is there anything that drives you crazy?
It’s been difficult for me to learn Italian here because of the international nature of the city. Everyone wants to speak English with me!
Can you describe some local dishes?
There really aren’t any dishes that are truly particular to Stresa. There are fresh fish from the lake, especially pesce persico, a variety of perch. But mostly Stresa’s cuisine benefits from its wonderful location. There are the best wines of Piemonte, the creative and cosmopolitan cooking styles of Milan, and in the mountains one finds warm, hearty traditional mountain fare such as brasato and polenta, chinghiale [wild boar] stew, and the regional Toma and Bettelmatt cheeses.
When and why did you start your blog?
I started the blog just as a way to record some of my own experiences. However, it quickly became apparent that there was a great need for an English language resource for Stresa. Since then, Stresa Sights has grown into a guide to help people who are planning to come here, and also to inspire those who have never heard of Stresa to think about visiting. I hope, that with the help of the blog, people feel they already have some friends in Stresa before they even arrive.
Who contributes to your blog?
I have had so much help from the wonderful people I’ve met through the blog. Residents, shop owners, readers and travellers have all contributed. Through these connections I’ve been able to sometimes give personalized advice to travellers. It’s this type of personal interaction, being a liaison between the town and the tourists, that has brought me the most pleasure.
What do you blog about?
A lot of the inspiration comes from my readers. For example, the number one item searched for on the blog is directions to Stresa from Malpensa airport. So, one day upon arriving I took photos of all of the exit signs during the drive and posted a pictorial set of directions. It’s still the most looked at post on the blog. I write about events taking place in Stresa, the main attractions, food, shopping, a little history. I’ve interviewed several people in town. Basically whatever captures me about Stresa at that moment and what readers have asked for.
If a tourist has only one day in Stresa, what should they see?
They must visit the Borromean Islands. These three islands, two of which still belong to the Borromeo family, rich and powerful in this region for five centuries, are always a delightful surprise to visitors. Isola Bella boasts the family palace; Isola Madre is a tropical garden stocked with exotic plants and white peacocks and the family’s more casual villa; and the tiny Isola dei Pescatori is, as it was for centuries, a small fishing village. A visitor could take the ferry from Stresa, visit the islands, and still have time for a dinner in the piazza.
Thank you for talking to Italy Magazine, Dana. Happy blogging.
Grazie, and I hope to see you in Stresa soon!
Now let's get back to work!
What's On The Menu At Ristorante Marconi: Porcini Mushrooms
Chef Denis Croce at Marconi knows that it's time to take advantage of this year's harvest of Porcini mushrooms, and you should as well. For the next few weeks, as you stroll around Stresa checking menus and choosing where that evening's dinner will be, keep the Porcini in your thoughts. Look for it posted on daily or seasonal menus, handwritten as a chef's special, and ask your server if the chef is preparing anything with them that day.
Did you know that Porcini harvesters in Italy are now required to carry a permit and are restricted to a quota of 2 kilo per week? In addition, they must carry the harvested mushrooms in open straw or wicker baskets, this allowing the spores to fall to the ground as they go. All this to ensure that Porcini do not risk extinction through over-harvesting. If you drive through wooded areas in the autumn you'll most likely see some mushroom gatherers. It's also not unusual at all to see people selling them along the sides of the road, as I've seen in the foothills of the Alps in Piemonte.
But to be safe, because it is still not recommended to eat any mushrooms unless one is quite sure that it is not toxic, perhaps let the chefs do the choosing and cooking and you the enjoying.
Like Denis at Marconi per esempio... I've added some translations of his creations. Porcini season is now. Eat them now while you can, not dried later or bottled in oil. Look for special dishes like these, and enjoy one of Italy's autumn gifts.
What People Say About Stresa: Roger Glover
ROAD LIFE 3
Stresa, Italy, 21st July 2010
The occasion; lunch in a secluded restaurant under a roof of vine leaves, slivers of sunlight dappling bright patches on the dozen or so customers - a random cast of characters, tourists, locals, mostly couples. It is a family-run business, waiters quick and efficient, sure-footedly dispensing breadbaskets and menus with practiced hands and seasoned smiles.
Diners and their secret lives; young and old, thick and thin, bellies, shorts, summer dresses, muffled conversations, occasional laughter.
A young man, not yet comfortable in his skin, scans around with darting gazes, measuring himself. He and his girlfriend, still shedding her teenage baby fat, eat too quickly and leave, both tripping over the same step, both looking round accusingly at the offending obstacle.
Two man/boys in cool sunglasses and expensive jeans, ignorant or forgetful of table manners, invade each other’s space, pointing and making points.
A motherly mother primly sitting with her slim teenaged daughter in a sheer dress that hints at the promise of future sex.
A couple in their mid thirties, she, beautiful in her olive skin with beginnings of middle age tracing her aquiline features, her conventional looking companion far too intent on her, crowding her – maybe he has not scored yet.
A late middle-aged couple, no longer interested in each other, sit in relative silence, love long since transformed into a comfortable habit.
I am not a local or a tourist, just a musician passing through, therefore a bit of each. I am reading Aravind Adiga and his free flowing writing style invigorates my discreet observations, scrutinizing more of the infinite details of my surroundings than usual.
What am I to them? A man of indeterminate age, long hair, a baseball cap, eating alone, seemingly happy in his own skin and having a leisurely lunch, reading a book held open by an upturned empty plate, soon to settle up and wander out into the glaring Italian sun with a full stomach and a head full of red wine, into his own secret life.
Walks: The Stresa -- Belgirate Path
There is another location in Stresa from which to pick up the trail. If you are starting from Piazza Cadorna in the center of town you will need to find Via de Vit to the right of Cafe Torino, and walk along it, continuing straight when the road becomes Via Alessandro Manzoni. Walk uphill, towards the large Collegio Rosmini property on your right. You will see the entrance to the cobblestone trail on your left.
From here follow the path and the orange/black marks along the way. The brochure tells some landmarks... several villages and churches... Passera, the medieval church and cemetery of S. Albino, a small group of houses in Falchetti, as well as Pianezza and Calogna.
To reach Belgirate should take about two hours. More if you stop to admire and explore churches and towns. The path rises an altitude of 260 meters during the walk, enough to afford you spectacular views of the lake from many spots. As you approach Belgirate, by walking down a steep mule path, you'll encounter the old 12th-Century church, famous for its 15th-century frescoes and its Romanic bell tower.
If you have decided to walk this far, and don't want to walk back to Stresa on the trail again, this is when those euro will come in handy. From the lakefront in Belgirate you can take a train or a ferry back to Stresa (Please check the schedules in advance if you do plan to do this,) or, walk back to Stresa along the main road (but here please note there are stretches with not much of a shoulder to walk on, and heavy traffic. Please do be especially careful if you choose this option.)
Tours: Villa Vita Visits Stresa
Gina has been putting together unique and memorable vacations in Italy for many years now. Many of them are theme-based, such as her photography workshops in Tuscany, or her cooking vacations with Chef Giuseppe near Lucca. You can read about them all on her site.
Stay tuned to see what ideas develop from Gina's trip to Stresa, and in the meantime, please take a look at her website for some great inspiration for your next Italian trip.
Day Trip:White Truffle Festivals In Piemonte 2010
Regarding truffles, I reprint below a post Tim has written on the Slow Travel Italy Forum. Not only does he educate us, but he has printed a very complete calendar of the truffle festivals in Piemonte this 2010 autumn season.
Whereas white truffles can be found in other parts of Italy also Slovenia and Croatia, truffle experts consider the Piedmont truffles to be the finest in both the aroma and texture.
Piedmont’s prized white truffles come from not just the hills around Alba, but also a larger area of central Piedmont roughly enclosed by the Po River to the North and the Bormida & Tanaro Rivers to the south. This zone lies entirely in the Monferrato and Langhe hills, which are famous for Piedmont’s red wines and countless wonderful trattorie and osterie prized by food and wine lovers. The zone is bounded by the cities of Casale Monferrato, Chieri, Mondovi and Acqui Terme, with Alba and Asti in the centre.
Many visitors to Piedmont may not realize is that although the Alba Truffle Fair is the oldest and largest, there are around 40 smaller truffle festivals throughout the zone in the autumn months, many of them incorporating a local harvest festival. The atmosphere and pungency of truffles in these smaller festivals is a real local experience, and except for some of the larger and long-established ones, not touristy at all (and when I say tourists, I mean city-folks from Turin and Milan who head for the “zone” on weekends in droves). The small festivals feature prizes to the local trifalau (probably to encourage them to display their biggest and best truffles), giving you a chance to meet with these normally taciturn truffle hunters.
Its almost autumn in Piedmont and this year promises to be a good year for the prized “Tuber magnatum pico” as we have had a wet and cool August with a balmy September so far.
If you are coming to Piedmont in autumn, here is a list of 2010 Truffle festivals in the provinces of Asti (AT), Cuneo (CN), Alessandria (AL).
Festivals* starred are major Truffle Fairs (Fiere Nazionali) or Giornata del Tartufo, which indicate a big local festival day in which truffles are part of the whole event.
Oct 9 to Nov 14th, every weekend Alba* (CN) International Truffle Fair
Oct 3 Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Scurzolengo (AT); Odalengo Piccolo (AL
Oct 10 Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Bergamasco (AL); Castagnole Monferrato* (AT) Vendemmia del Nonno (AT)
Oct 17 Mombercelli (AT); Tagliole Monferrato* (AL) Sapori d’Autonno
Oct 24 Moncalvo* (AT) :
Oct 31 Moncalvo* (AT);Incisa Scapaccino (AT); Trisobbio (AL); Brignano Frascata (AL); Sardigliano (AL); Bene Vagienna (CN); Mondovi* – Peccati di Gola
Nov 7 Montechiaro* (AT); Nizza Monferrato* (AT) del Barbera & Cardo Gobbo; San Damiano d'Asti(AT); Cella Monte (AL); Avolasca (AL); Serralunga di Crea (AL)
Nov 13 Tortona (AL)
Nov 14 Canelli* (AT); Costigliole d'Asti (AT); Alessandria* (AL) Fiera di San Baudilino; Avolasca (AL);Paroldo* (CN) Fiera dell’Alta Langhe e del Cebano;Murisengo* (AL) Fiera Trifola d’Or.
Nov 21 Asti (AT) Cucina e Cantina*; San Sebastiano Curone* (AL); Murisengo* (AL) Fiera Trifola d’Or
Nov 27 Tortona (AL)
Nov 28 Castelnuovo Don Bosco (AT); Casale Monferrato* (AL) Fiera Crumini; Acqui Terme* (AL); Montegrosso d’Asti; Ottiglio (AL); Vezza d’Alba* (CN) Dei vini Roero; Villafranca d'Asti (AT)
Dec 5 Cortazzone (AT); Santo Stephano Belbo (CN).
Happy truffle hunting and buon appetito.
If, however, you are going to stay in truffle territory rather than in Stresa, take a look at Tim's lovely B&B, Villa Sampaguita, just outside of Asti.
Event -- Let's Get To Know The Plants Of The Giardino Alpinia
On Sunday, September 19, the Association of Friends of the Giardino Alpinia invites all to a free event at the garden. Between the hours of 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and again between 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM, come and enjoy "Let's Get to Know the Plants of the Giardino Alpinia: Illustrations of the Indigenous and Exotic Flowers," and "Art and Nature: Let's Learn the Technique of Naturalistic Drawing" (bring your own papers and pencils). Following the presentations there will be some small gifts distributed. The program will be run by Professor Angelamaria Vicario, and she will be available for a short question and answer period as well.
Participation in the programs is free.
Entrance to the garden is 2.50 euro.
Readers' Mail --- Q&As
A: I, like you, am a magnet for them. They LOVE me. So with that in mind, I will tell you that here is better than average for me. In the evenings, if I am sitting outside at a cafe, especially near to the water, they tend to get my ankles. I have also had food bothered a very little bit by the small bees we call yellow jackets. We've usually been able to distract them by giving them a portion of their own on the other side of the table.
So overall, I'd say yes, there are some bugs, but really very few. The air here this summer was cool and not humid, really fresh and lovely, and in the autumn it should be even more so. I don't know that you will need any mozzie coils, but perhaps carrying bug-off wipes wouldn't be a bad idea, just in case.
A: The Mayor, or Sindaco as he is known here, does perform civil wedding ceremonies. Anyone interested should contact il Sindaco's office through his assistant. Please contact as far in advance as possible to have the best chance of arranging your ceremony on the day that you want. You can contact the tourist services department of the mayor's office at: servizituristicoculturali@comune.stresa.vb.it.
If you need assistance planning a reception or other wedding activities here, many of the larger hotels offer services, there are wedding planners at your disposal in the area, or, contact us here. We'd be happy to help.
Have a question? Don't hesitate to ask! Write to us at stresasights@gmail.com.
Video: Stresa Festival 2010 Season Closes
With the close of the festival season a special part of summer also comes to an end. Let's say farewell with a video.
Piemonte: Beautiful, Colorful, and Tough
I'd like to start by sharing this article, written by Diana Baur, of Piemontescapes , and posted on Bleeding Espresso as part of Michelle Fabio's wonderful Gita Italiana 2010 series. Diana has written an incredibly informative, eye-opening post on Piemonte, of which Stresa, and this end of Lago Maggiore, is a part.
Piemonte: Beautiful, Colorful and Tough
I was in a funky little shoe store in Genoa awhile back. The girl that was helping me, a sweet little pea who had clearly spent every non-working, non-sleeping hour perfecting her tan on the beach in Nervi, asked where I came from. I told her that I was American, but living in southern Piemonte. Her eyes widened.
“Che duro,” That’s tough, she responded. I looked at her in surprise. Had she ever been there? After all, it’s only an hour from Genoa, the town where I live. “Mai!” never – with a an expression that clearly said to me, now why would I ever in a million years go there?
It’s funny how little people really know about where I live. Italians often see Piemonte as the North Pole of Italy, because it’s surrounded by snow-covered Alps. They see it as remote, save Torino, where so many from the central and southern parts of the country once came to work for Fiat, in the days when the company had over one hundred thousand workers from all over the boot.
Non-Italians often only associate one thing with Piemonte – Barolo. And often, it’s knowledge from a safe distance – Barolo is a wine with its price and for which a great deal of time and trial must be invested to truly understand and appreciate.
Of course, none of these paradigms begin to do Piemonte justice. To begin to understand what Piemonte is, it’s actually easier to start with the short list of what Piemonte is not.
Piemonte is not the beach. Unlike so many Italian regions, not a lick of salt water touches Piemonte’s borders. If it’s sandy Mediterranean or Adriatic coastline you are looking for, you would be better off looking elsewhere.
Piemonte is not Renaissance or Baroque Art. Please, oh, please don’t come here looking for Caravaggio or DaVinci. If we have any of these works of art, they are usually on loan from Florence or Rome.
Ok, now that that’s handled we can finally get to what Piemonte actually is.
Piemonte is stunningly beautiful. Ok, this might seem like a subjective statement, but the truth is that the ocean is the only thing we don’t have. We have beautiful lakes, Orta and Maggiore, that are surrounded by the western portion of the Alps (also part of the Piemontese landscape). The Lake Region is a combination of hip, historic, traditional and overwhelmingly majestic.
Speaking of the Alps, the Gran Parco Paradiso is in the shared regions of Piemonte and Val d’Aosta. A short ride from the flatlands of Cuneo will bring you to Limone Piemonte, where the skiing is great and the views are even better. Valle di Susa and Sestriere, Bardoneccia and many other famous ski resorts are all within Piemonte’s borders.
But of course, the most beautiful part to me is where I live, the wine country. We have over 70,000 hectars of vineyard, with over half of them registered as either DOC or DOCG (the largest DOC land registration in Italy). We have vast kiwi, hazelnut, walnut and cherry plantations. The geographic makeup of Piemonte is mixed agricultural combined with woodland, a fact that helps make it so beautiful.
Piemonte is the best food in the country. Ok. Relax, Umbria and Emilia Romagna. You too, Sicily. But seriously, this area takes the best of what Italy and France has to offer, spins the two together and produces some of the most amazing flavor combinations imaginable. It also helps that the selection of over 39 DOC wines to choose from. As the great Marcella Hazan states on her website Made In Italy:
Great wines come from (Piemonte) and it’s not a coincidence that the land that produces a great wine also produces a great cuisine.
Piemonte is part of the economic heart of Italy. It produces 8.4% of the country’s national wealth, is the cradle of the country’s auto production and invests 1.8% of its GDP back into innovation and science every year.
Piemonte is stylish and sophisticated. People often are shocked on their first visit to Torino. They somehow expect an industrial backwater. What they find is a city that is more European than strictly Italian, with fabulous shopping arcades, a gorgeous river promenade, great museums, a lively University district, great restaurants, and perhaps the most interesting café culture outside of Paris.
That sophistication trickles down to all of the smaller cities. Alba, heart of the Langhe wine region, has a wonderful pedestrian shopping district with local products and designers; the same can be said for Alessandria, Acqui Terme, Asti, Verbania, Stresa, Novara, Casale Monferrato, Cuneo and a myriad of other large towns that boast a cultured and colorful lifestyle.
Piemonte is the home of the first Italian. Piemonte is the birthplace of Italy as a singular nation. Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, who designed the contitutional structure for a unified Italian state, and for whom every town in the country has a street named, was Piemontese. Another notable street-name-worthy Piemontese: Vittorio Emmanuele II, the first King of Unified Italy.
Piemonte is close to France and Switzerland. This is not only handy for me, as a bed and breakfast owner catering to an international audience, but it’s handy for Piemonte as well, since it means that the region has a definite international flair. Our dialect reflects our proximity to France, as does our cuisine. The region is steeped in Napoleonic and Savoy history.
In short, with the exception of just a couple of details, Piemonte is what Italy is. Colorful. Strong. Proud. And yes, it’s sometimes tough as well. But that invariably comes with the territory and the culture of a land rich in tradition and history.
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SOME IMPORTANT DATES
Visit The Stresa Tourist Office For Complete Event Schedules
STRESA SIGHTS by DANA KAPLAN
READERS' QUESTIONS
- Where can I buy foreign newspapers in Stresa?
- Where can I eat breakfast in Stresa?
- Where are the public restrooms in Stresa?
- Can I rent a wheelchair in Stresa?
- Should I buy train tickets in advance?
- Are there any day tours to Switzerland from Stresa?
- How can I arrange a civil wedding in Stresa?
- How bad are the summer bugs in Stresa?
- Do I Need A Car In Stresa?
- Is there an Internet cafe in Stresa?
- Is it too isolated staying at an Isola dei Pescatori hotel?
IMPORTANT POSTS AND LINKS
- Top Ten Things to See in Stresa
- Swimming, Hiking, Outdoor Activities
- Weather
- Important Train Information
- Alibus Shuttle From Malpensa to Stresa
- Driving Directions From Malpensa - With Photos
- If You Have Only One Day in Stresa
- Parking a Car in Stresa
- Train Service from Malpensa to Stresa and Milano
- Supermarkets, Food Shops, and Fast Food
- Laundromats
- Linate Airport to Stresa Directions
- Milan Tram System Map and Transport
- Bus Schedule
- Stresa Boat Imbarcadero
- Stresa to Mottarone Cableway
- Boat Schedule - English
- PosteItaliane - Postal service
- Trenitalia Site and Schedule -- English
- Winter Trip to Stresa? Start Planning Here
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