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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Back To Our Mystery (Novel) -- And Bar Nazionale


My view from Ristorante Nazionale in Piazza Cadorna.

In Good Blood, which takes place in Stresa, and which I read while I was recently in Stresa, a kidnapping has taken place. The young heir to the wealthy and historic de Grazia family has been abducted and ransom information has been received. Meanwhile, buried bones have been found on a nearby construction site owned by the de Grazia family. Whose bones are they? And are these events related in some way?

The star of our novel, the forensic bone detective Gideon, who just happens to be in Stresa at this time, is called in to consult on the case. After a stressful day of investigations and interviews he goes alone to relax, and to think, to the Bar Nazionale in Piazza Cadorna.

From the book:

In the evening, with the rain having slackened off, Gideon had a half carafe of local Barolo at the outdoor cafe across the street from the hotel, and then walked the few short blocks to the cobblestoned Piazza Cadorna, to the Ristorante Nazionale, where he, Julie, and Phil had been for dinner on their first night. He sat outside, on the lively piazza, at an umbrellaed table set among potted flowering plants and ordered what he'd had before: pizza quattro stagione, with artichokes, ham, olives, and mushrooms, each on its own quarter; a salad; and a limonata. As it had been the other time, the pizza was perfectly baked in a brick, wood-fired oven, the crust was thin and tender, with just the right dusting of ash on the bottom, and the vegetables were fragrant and al dente.


A nice descriptive passage from the book. The incredible thing was that I was sitting outside at Nazionale when I read this. What a coincidence! And the description in the book is completely accurate. Unlike Gideon however, I was there at lunchtime, taking some time on my own to read and enjoy the piazza. I sat in an area that did not have the umbrellas open, better to feel sun that shines in this direction at midday. I ate a focaccia con prosciutto cotto e formaggio, basically ham and cheese. It was more than enough, almost too large, with delicious fresh focaccia. Like Gideon, I have found Nazionale to be consistent, a great spot for basic and economical meals and snacks, and in a fantastic location. In the mornings it's one of the spots in Stresa where friends meet for more lingering caffes, or in the summer, Shakeratos. At later at night, with its cool blue neon sign under the arched arcade, it's a quiet corner from which to watch the piazza.

Nazionale in the evening, when Gideon ate his pizza there.

Yummm... Mi piace molto focaccia con prosciutto cotto e formaggio.

The exterior of Nazionale, with flowerboxes, umbrellas, and cobblestones.

Read the first post about Good Blood:



Sunday, April 25, 2010

Festa Della Liberazione!




25 Aprile Festa della Liberazione

April 25, 1945, was the day on which Allied troops were finally able to free Italy from Facist rule. Today, the entire country celebrates in some way, to not only commemorate freedom but also to honor their fallen soldiers, especially partisans of the Italian Resistance.

In the (translated) words of C.A. Ciampi, former president of the Italian Republic:

"The 25th of April, it was for the cities of the North the day of liberation. For all of Italy it was the day of the reformation of a united nation, united in the name of liberty. It was revealed, that day, the first rays of the light of democracy. It opened a new era in our history. That we are still living today. An uninterrupted thread of alliance with the ideals and the achievements of the Risorgimento [the Revival] of the fight for liberation and for the rebirth of Italy: a republic, for the free choice of the Italian people. The memory of the conflicts, of the tragedies which we survived, the memory of those fallen for our liberty, they will not be ever lost. We will wear always in our hearts the love for the institution of democracy. We have the want and the knowledge to build this to life together, in peace, for the joys of liberty. Long live the Resistance. Long live the Republic. Long live Italy free and united."


Buona Festa della Liberazione, and Viva L'Italia!



Tuesday, April 20, 2010

La Rocca Angera

This news just in from Trivago. it, the Italian internet travel site, that Lago Maggiore's own La Rocca di Angera has been selected among the 10 most beautiful castles in Italy. 

Looking up from the woods on the approach to La Rocca from Angera.


Sunday, April 18, 2010

Enoteca La Cambusa

The very inviting entrance to La Cambusa, on via Cavour.

Late one afternoon I went to meet Rosaria, the proprietress of Enoteca La Cambusa on via Cavour, just a block back from the lakefront. When I entered the shop she was busy attending to customers. I heard her speaking perfect German with a couple looking at some sweets near the door. Then she moved to the barrels in the center of the shop where a young couple had some questions for her. They were French, and she responded to them in French, accent perfect as well. And when I introduced myself she switched effortlessly to English for me. Already impressed with the selection and look of her shop, I was immediately taken with Rosaria as well. She was getting ready to close up for the day, and so we had some quiet minutes to chat before she needed to leave.

Rosaria, founder and owner of La Cambusa.

Rosaria Bolla and her family have owned and run Cambusa in this same location since 1981, and previous to that there was another location in town that had opened in 1961. The shop is divided into somewhat narrow sections, with shelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling. These hold a stunning selection of wines and spirits, but also local food specialties, pastas, and sweets. These alone would make Cambusa a favorite shopping destination of both locals and tourists alike, but what really makes it special here are the wine tastings that Rosaria offers.

And the very inviting tables inside the shop.

Arrange a time with her for your group and Rosaria will choose a few wines for you. She'll explain them a bit, offer tastings of all to all with little appetizers as well. There are several square wooden high tables scattered around, with stools, for you to use for as long as you like enjoying the wines. The atmosphere in the shop is friendly and relaxed, one never feels pressured to buy, or to leave. If you're not there for a tasting you can still enjoy the tables and the ambience. Simply buy a bottle off the shelves and if you'd like to stay and enjoy it there Rosaria will open it for you and provide you with as many glasses as you need. And you'll probably get a bit of education and some great conversation also. (What a great idea for a rainy afternoon when you're wondering what to do!)

Rosaria proudly showed me a magazine article written about her in a Disney publication. It features a great photo of her in her shop, where everyone leaves as a friend of hers. She has built up quite a clientele over the years, with customers and fans from around the world, and when they return to Stresa they contact Rosaria first to ask her what they can bring back to her from their own countries.

I didn't stay for a bottle that day, as Rosaria was leaving. But you can be sure I'll be there the next time. Like everyone else who enters Cambusa, I feel I left with a new friend.

Among the local specialties found on the shelves, Fil da Fer.

Cambusa also has a great selection of smaller items, the things that make perfect little gifts to bring home with you if you need to bring for many people without incurring too much cost or weight. They can also arrange shipping for wines and other products bought there.

Enoteca La Cambusa
via Cavour 27
28838 Stresa (VB)
Tel: 00 39 0323 31938
e-mail: contact@winelacambusa.com

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Annual Organ Festival Lists Its Performances

Will you be in Stresa on a weekend between May 15 and June 12, 2010? If so, you may want to remember to stop in to the main church in Stresa, la Chiesa Parracchiale SS Ambrogio e Theodulo, to catch one of the organ concerts just scheduled. This is the twentieth edition of the festival, bringing world renowned organists to Stresa to play the recently restored Tamburini 1965 three-keyboard, 61-pedal organ. The concerts are all free, an opportunity for both residents and tourists to hear the potential of this beautiful musical instrument.

Here are the 2010 concert dates:

Saturday 15 May - Victor Urban, organo (Messico)

Saturday 22 May - Josep Vicent Giner, organo (Spagna)

Saturday 29 May - Lindy Rosborg, organo (Danimarca)

Sunday 6 June - Daniel Matrone, organo (Francia)

Saturday 12 June - Orchestra Filarmonica Biellese Emilio Straudi, direttore Mario Duella, organo

Although this post is for 2010, this gives a bit of overview for the organ concerts, which are an annual event. To see what's currently happening, here's their Web site: www.storiciorganipiemonte.com


Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A Mystery (Novel)... In Stresa


This is where the large Daimler limousine turns onto via Mazzini after via Ottolini... blind turn up ahead.

On a flight to Stresa I began a book that had been recently recommended to me. I had saved it for this trip, as the setting of the book was Stresa itself. The book is Good Blood, by Aaron Elkins. It's a mystery novel, and it turned out to be an excellent read and a fun choice for the trip. The central characters are a wealthy and aristocratic family that live on Isola de Grazia, de Grazia being their family name. Clearly, they are patterned after the Borromeo family, although the characters and the story and their particular island are all fictional. What's not fictional however, is the portrayal of Stresa itself.

For example, the story opens with a kidnapping and shootout. The 16-year-old son of the wealthy family is being chauffeur-driven to school when a carefully planned accident blocks the main road, causing his limousine to divert onto Stresa's narrow alleys. In a tight spot the car is trapped, a shootout occurs, the boy is taken.

So I went on a walk through some of them to find the spot mentioned in the story. Here's the paragraph from the book:

...he turned into the equally narrow, eqully empty via Ottolini, edged cautiously around the planter boxes set out in front of the Hotel da Cesare, jogged around the blind corner at the intersection of via Mazzini (where a surprised grocer setting his wares out on the pavement grumblingly made room for him to pass), eased with care onto via Garibaldi --
So I walked this... and si, it is as he says, in fact, I've been the passenger often in a car driving around that impossible corner. In the book the Daimler limousine becomes trapped there, blocked on either side by another car, and a kidnapping and shootout occurs. Fun book, Good Blood. It's the first I've read by the author. The mystery was satisfying, and it was great fun to find the matching locations to the story. In this case it made me focus entirely on Stresa's small maze of alleyways:

Via Garibaldi. What looks like a solid wall at the end is actually a turn to the left, and then the jog spoken about to the right.And it was right here, at the other end of via Garibaldi, at this intersection with via Mazzini, that the Daimler was blockaded and attacked.


So if looking for a good, light novel for your trip here, and you're a mystery fan, I'll recommend Good Blood, made all the better for taking place right here in Stresa.

...and no, I'm not going to tell you who did it. You'll have to read it for yourself!




Friday, April 2, 2010

Exciting News! The Stresa Sights Tour!

This is such exciting news!

I'm very pleased and proud to say that the Stresa Sights tour package is now featured as one of the Ideal Vacations on Villa Vita International! As you know, I've been helping people plan their vacations for some time now, but this is the first time we have put together an official tour package. It's called the Mountains and Lakes program, and I can't think of a nicer place to have it featured than on Villa Vita.


Villa Vita is founded by and run by Gina Ruggiero, who since 1994 has been organizing specialized trips to Italy. I want you to take a look at her site and bookmark it. What she creates are truly special vacations, where one stays in unique accomodations, and spends days working with photographers, painters, or cooks. Or, she will custom design a stay that is exactly perfect for you.



I feel so honored that Gina finds Stresa Sights a good match for her tours. You know how impassioned I am with this Lago Maggiore area, and how it's been our goal here to introduce it to as many people as we can, so it's wonderful to have it recognized by Gina in this way and added to her repertoire.

Next, we'll be getting this information onto the site. And we'll be adding other tour ideas as well. I hope you'll find them helpful. And as this is helpful to you, I'm hoping that you will continue to help us as you have been, by sending YOUR ideas and comments, YOUR reviews on the places you've been here, your questions. We're all friends of Stresa, having fun here together. That's my goal. And as always, I hope you'll use them as a guide, a starting point, to let us help you create your perfect Stresa vacation.



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