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Thursday, September 30, 2010

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.

ITALY Magazine is, in their own words, "The n.1 magazine for all lovers of all things Italian. Fall in love with ITALY through our feature articles, catch up with the latest news, property and travel information or join our forums to share your passion for Italy with others."

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.
_______________

Meet Dana Kaplan, who blogs from Stresa, a lakeside city on Lago Maggiore in Northern Italy. In Stresa Sights her aim is to share the beauty of this area with others and inspire them to visit.

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?
Stresa found me. That is, I met friends who lived here and I've been visiting for some years now. Once I saw it I just fell in love with the area and now I spend as much time here as I can.

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.

All your blog posts are interesting but can you recommend one or two especially for Italy Magazine readers?
In addition to the islands I want potential visitors to know about the Settimane Musicali, the music festival that takes place in Stresa each summer. I also very much enjoyed interviewing Stresa’s passionate mayor, Canio Di Milia, and I want everyone to see L’Eremo di Santa Caterina del Sasso, just one of the most gorgeous medieval abbeys anywhere.

Thank you for talking to Italy Magazine, Dana. Happy blogging.
Grazie, and I hope to see you in Stresa soon!

_______________

This recognition is lovely... But what's really even lovelier, as I said in the interview, is the incredible people that I've met through Stresa Sights. And so I must thank all of you as well: my readers and those who write in with questions and comments, friends who have contributed photos, videos and information, Stresiani who have contacted me, worked with me, and let me interview them, and always, Giuseppe.

Now let's get back to work!

This week's online ITALY magazine edition focuses on 'A Taste of Northern Italy.' In addition to the interview piece about Stresa Sights there are articles about Fashion Week in Milano and the Torrone and Torroni Festival in Cremona. Take a look at it here and subscribe to receive it automatically in your email.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

What's On The Menu At Ristorante Marconi: Porcini Mushrooms

Porcini, little piglet, as he grows in the woods.

I copy for you below the mouth-watering menu of a special, six-course, all Porcini mushroom dinner prepared last Friday evening at Ristorante Marconi, in Crodo.

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.

Porcini means little piglet in Italian. But it is considered the king of edible mushrooms. It has a meaty texture, a rich, nutty taste, and a white color that doesn't change when cut. Although they grow in many parts of the world, in a symbiotic relatonship with the trees around them, it is generally known that they grow best with chestnut trees, and perhaps for this, the abundance of chestnuts in Italy as well, the porcini here are considered among the top.

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.

The correct way to gather, in an open-weave basket.

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.


serate a degustazione
PROSSIMA SERATA A DEGUSTAZIONE
24 SETTEMBRE 2010
FUNGHI PORCINI
Salmerino marinato e leggermente affumicato al timo
con insalatina di funghi porcini
(This is char, marinated and lightly blackened, seasoned with thyme and served with a small salad of Porcini.)
Ricotta cotto al forno dell’az. Agr. Bernardini Massimo
con pancetta croccante e funghi porcini
(Ricotta cheese, oven-baked, with crunchy pancetta and Porcini)
Gnocchi di polenta profumati al rosmarino
con stracotto d’asino e crema di porcini
(Polenta gnocchi with rosemary, well-done donkey, and a Porcini cream sauce)
Risotto ai funghi porcini in crosta di lardo
(Porcini risotto in a lard crust)
Coscia di faraona farcita con funghi porcini trifolati
(Thigh of guinea hen, stuffed with Porcini cooked in oil, garlic and parsley)
TiramisĂą autunnale della valle Antigorio
Caffé
Costo della serata Vino compreso € 40.00


Yes, you read correctly, the price of this meal at Marconi was only 40 euro, including wine, caffe and dessert. Ristorante Marconi, in Crodo, is about 30 minutes north of Stresa, in a good location for those coming to or from the Valle Vigezzo, or traveling between Italy and Switzerland by auto via the Sempione pass.


Friday, September 24, 2010

What People Say About Stresa: Roger Glover

In July 2010, the band Deep Purple began an Italian summer tour by spending a few days here in Stresa, guests at the five-star Villa Aminta Hotel. Their concert at the Stadio delle Azalee di Gallarate was the first of eight stops they would make in Italy. In their 40-year career they have amassed many Italian fans; perhaps Stresa, in turn, can count one of the band members as a fan as well.

Roger Glover, bassist for Deep Purple, spent a quiet lunch sitting alone at a restaurant in Stresa. While eating, he wrote a short and poetic description of the diners around him. He then posted this little essay on his own official website, www.rogerglover.com. He doesn't name the restaurant, "secluded under a roof of vine leaves," but we think he's captured beautifully a moment in time here:

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.
-- Roger Glover


Courtesy of: www.rogerglover.com

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Walks: The Stresa -- Belgirate Path

Descending into Belgirate along the Stresa -- Belgirate Path


Now that the days are turning a little bit cooler, and the leaves are turning as well, it's time to turn away from the lake, just temporarily!, and head into the hills. While there is much serious hiking to be done in the nearby mountains and in the Parco Nazionale delle Val Grande, there are some trails right here in Stresa very well suited to the casual walker.

For example, there is the Stresa - Belgirate Path.

The place to start your trek is at the Tourist Office at the Stresa imbarcadero. Here, pick up the brochure entitled Trekking on the Slopes of Mt. Mottarone -- Discover Our Countryside. Acquaint yourself with the map within, which marks the local trails with different colored lines. Stresa - Belgirate, officially Path L2, is indicated with the orange/black line. The actual trail will be marked in this same way.

The trekking brochure, and the Stresa - Belgirate path as it is shown.

Do you have some water with you? A few euro in your pocket? Comfortable walking shoes? Then you're ready to begin. The official brochure, unfortunately, does not well indicate where to pick up the trail in town. So let's do that here together. From the tourist office look at Stresa and cross the main road, heading back into town on the left side of the piazza where you are looking at Caffe Bolongaro and the Municipal Building. Once in town, take your first left, onto Via Bolongaro, and walk straight a couple of short streets until you reach the small church of S. Michele. Here, go to the right, on to Via San Michele. This is a narrow road, cobblestones. It quickly becomes quiet, and soon, the road disappears and you will clearly see the signs to begin the trail.

One place to begin the trail in Stresa is to the right of S. Michele, near the lake.

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.

A hiking club enters the trail near Collegio Rosmini.

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.

The first views as you descend into Belgirate; the old church awaits below.


Frescoes on the ceiling of the old church.

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.)


Churches, chestnuts, villages and views. That's what you can expect to see. While the trail is clearly marked, and you are never very far from houses and roads, I would perhaps acquaint yourself in advance with the terrain a bit on Google Earth, just to have a better sense of where you are while you are walking.




Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tours: Villa Vita Visits Stresa

Gina visits with Massimo, of Al Buscion, in Stresa.

Gina Ruggiero, of Villa Vita International, is in Stresa as I write this. Her tour company has been featuring the Stresa Sights Mountains and Lakes Tour, and now Gina is visiting to meet with some people, get some ideas for the future. We believe that Stresa makes a perfect companion to some of the other locations Villa Vita regularly visits. Take a look at a few photos from Gina's current trip, and see them all on the Villa Vita Facebook page.


Villa Vita guests stay at Il Borgo, in the Tuscan countryside. This is a view near the pool.


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.

Chef Giuseppe teaches proper pasta preparation to Villa Vita guests.

Gina arrived in Stresa from the Ligurian coast, so different yet only 2 1/2 hours away.

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.

Stresa's proximity to Milan Malpensa airport, as well as to all these other popular destinations, makes it such an easy add-on to so many trips. For many, it becomes an unexpected highlight. It's definitely not too late to think about visiting Stresa this year. Autumn, as mentioned in the previous post, is so full of tradition, festivals, and foods. And it's never too early to start thinking about a trip for next year!




Monday, September 13, 2010

Day Trip:White Truffle Festivals In Piemonte 2010



Chestnuts, wine, and truffles... Three of the most wonderful things about autumn in Northern Italy. All are in abundance at this time, and all offer many opportunities to enjoy them.

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.

The heart of the Piemonte wine and truffle region is only a bit more than a one-hour, easy drive from Stresa, making this a wonderful day trip activity. Below, Tim's post:



White Truffle Festivals In Piemonte 2010
The Piedmontese white truffle, Tartufo Bianco d’Alba (tuber magnatum pico) is synonymous with Alba, thanks to the Alba Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo, first held in 1929, which put Piedmontese white truffles on the modern map for gourmets and connoisseurs of exotic delicacies.

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.




Wednesday, September 8, 2010

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.

Here is an earlier post about the Giardino Botanico Alpinia, which has a link to the gardens Web site. It is easily reached by taking the Stresa - Mottarone cableway to the midstation.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Readers' Mail --- Q&As


August was a busy month for Stresa Sights readers, many of who were here in town during the summer or preparing to be so very soon. We received much mail, including these questions on bugs, boats, and blessings.


Q: I am a magnet to every biting flying insect. I was wondering how inhabited Stresa is by such? Will I need mozzie coils?

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.

_______________

Q: We plan to have either a civil or symbolic wedding in Stresa in July 2011 and would like to contact either the Town Hall in Stresa or the gentleman in person. We have looked on many sites but cannot find the direct contact details, can you help us?

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.

_______________

Q: Will the ferry timetables in October differ very much? (The ones we can find online only go to mid-September.)

I don't want to yet confirm any ferry service for mid-October, because as you discovered it has not been published yet; the current schedule runs through only September 19th. Looking back at last year, the schedule changed on October 19th, just after the major attractions closed. We can assume this year should be the same. There may be fewer ferries running to certain locations, such as Santa Caterina. The ferries to the islands should be much the same as during the summer. The palace and villa on the islands, as well as Santa Caterina, close for the 2010 season on October 17. If you will be here in the autumn please check the ferry schedule or ask at an imbarcadero ticket window for exact times.

____________

Have a question? Don't hesitate to ask! Write to us at stresasights@gmail.com.




Saturday, September 4, 2010

Video: Stresa Festival 2010 Season Closes


Today, the 49th edition of the Stresa Festival will close, with the performance of the Stresa Festival Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, who is the artistic director of the Stresa Festival. They will perform Dvorak's Symphony "New Worlds" and Shostakovich's Violin concert no.1, with Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos, at the Palazzo dei Congressi, this evening.

With the close of the festival season a special part of summer also comes to an end. Let's say farewell with a video.





If you aren't already familiar with the Festival, then this promotional video, prepared by the Stresa Festival, should make you put a performance high on your next trip must-do list.

Grazie mille! Thank you so much, to all at the Stresa Festival for all the hard work involved in coordinating and promoting this wonderful annual event. See you next year!



Thursday, September 2, 2010

Piemonte: Beautiful, Colorful, and Tough


August is over, and I hope you've enjoyed sharing some it it with me in Stresa. September now... the days will grow shorter, the weather a bit more brisk, and so it's time to shift our focus to autumn, and all that it brings. With less crowds and cooler weather it becomes the perfect time to take to the roads and see more of the area.

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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Stresa and the heart of Piemonte wine country make for a perfect pair when planning a trip in this area. Either a few days in each, or, with Stresa's proximity to Malpensa, starting or ending a trip with a couple of relaxing days here, or day trips from one to the other, it's all good.

Diana Baur is an innkeeper, artist, writer and potter living and working in Acqui Terme, Piemonte, in the northwest corner of Italy. Much of the last seven years have been taken up with perfecting the art of luxury innkeeping at the Baur B&B and the restoration of her four hundred year old farmhouse and barn. She writes regularly for Italian Notebook, Slow Travel and Travel Dudes as well as for her own blogs, formerly Creative Structures and now Piemontescapes and A Certain Simplicity and spends her free time either in her studio, playing with her dog, or finding new local wineries to showcase with her husband Michael. Together they offer a variety of services, including wine tours, cooking classes, wine tastings and pottery classes. Photos © Diana Baur.



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