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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Winter: The Grand Presepe Of Giuseppe Loda


So, now that I've got my winter coat and hat, I'm in the mood to stay on the subject of winter in Stresa for a while and talk about some other aspects of it here. First of all, let's speak about the presepe exhibit, because this year there is a big change of venue.



Following the overwhelming success of last year, when it was displayed in Spazio Luparia, the mechanical and wondrous presepe made by Giuseppe Loda will be moved to a larger space this year. Hotel Milano, in Corso Umberto I on the Lungolago is the location that has been chosen. Here, the presepe, the largest on display anywhere in the VCO region, will be more visible and accessible.


This presepe is incredible. It is 12 meters in length, 4 wide; it has over 100 figurines, as well as huts, houses, castles, and animals, and all have been made by hand by Signor Loda. Most have small motors that he has installed, to give constant movement and action to the scene.

Last year I wrote a bit about the history of this extraordinary presepe and its creator. I'm copying that here again for you to know:


Giuseppe Loda made his first terracotta house when he was 8 years old. He baked it in his grandfather Paolo's kiln. Now, Loda creates nativity scenes of truly spectacular size. His latest work is over 12 meters in length, 4 meters in depth, and features over 100 statues. It is on display in Stresa in Spazio Luparia, an always fascinating little gallery located on Via Bolongaro, just off of the new Piazza Pozzi.

Loda spends an entire year working on each of the enormous presepi. He creates each piece, no matter how minute, by hand and by himself. Loda explains, "I construct all myself, the houses, the vegetation. See those houses in the Arabic style on the hill? I constructed them and also the palms. It is meant to be a homage to the immigrants of the Muslim faith. The lights that shine through the windows of those houses are the types used in their religion." There is also a homage to Stresa in this presepe; don't miss the reproduction of the little train which ran at one time to the summit of Mt. Mottarone.

As Loda learned the art of ceramics and nativity building from his 'nonno Paolo', he is hoping that the passion will again skip a generation and be picked up by his grandson, Eduardo. "To my own two sons I didn't succeed to pass it on," he says. Let's hope that six-year-old Eduardo shows an interest, as talent such as this would be a shame to lose.


Here are the dates that the presepe will be open for viewing:

In December: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26
In January: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9

Can't be there? Want to enjoy a preview? Here's a video made last year at Spazio Luparia.





Winter: Alpyland In The Snow


Here's some beautiful proof that winter has indeed arrived, at least in the mountains above Stresa. I share with you here some photos taken at Alpyland on a crisp and clear day, from the starting platform of the toboggan run. Alpyland will be a four-season attraction, and you may recall from our earlier posts about it, it is safe for children of almost any age. Its speed range is from very slow to moderately fast, and small children can be strapped in with an adult behind them. Basically it works by releasing a brake. That is, you release the brake to the speed you want. Removing your hands will automatically brake the tobaggan.

Not bad these views, no? Here's a refresher on some of the important information to remember about Mt. Mottarone and Alpyland in the winter. Alpyland sits at the very summit of Mt. Mottarone. Remember that to reach it from Stresa you'll take the cableway up from the Carciano ferry stop, and then at the top of the cableway you will walk a few meters and take the chairlift to the summit and Alpyland. You can also arrive by auto, on a toll road that winds up the mountain. Parking is on the other side of the summit. From that point one must walk up the hill to the summit antenna and over the top to Alpyland. On the parking side you will find the few restaurants, such a Casa delle Neve, and the starting points for the ski runs of Mottarone. It is up here that skis and equipment can be rented.






Monday, November 22, 2010

Winter: Ski Resorts Are Ready For The 2010 Season



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rDdyUfE7khOmyvugSsKXaQoBKii9-GUB-CKnO5Y-HaHgWIJZj2amvr6QTJbUq7sotgiC67I83jMwHDdEz6NrNbl9aqGp9gb3SqePXRPgO2xewXcaAadNBr0c_tZmMpKYu8g8cd9Uh58/s1600/Mottarone.jpg

Fifty centimeters of snow at Mt. Mottorone already, as well as at Domobianca and Macugnaga, and even more at Devero and Baceno, all signal in white that the mountains of the VCO region are ready for this ski season to begin. Traditional opening day is December 8, although a couple of resorts have already opened a limited number of trails. Mt. Mottarone will open in the first week of december also.

New this year is a one-pass seasonal ski pass which allows skiing in the whole of the province. In a press release of 11 October 2010 the province announced the availability of the new season pass, which will give access to all the ski facilities of the VCO – a grand total of nine ski resorts and 150 km of runs. The ski pass can be purchased online on the website of the Distretto Turistico dei Laghi and will be valid from the 1st of December, when the ski season begins. Special prices if you buy the card on-line up to 30 November: adults € 530, seniors (over 65) € 460, juniors (under 12) € 390, ski instructors € 265, trainers € 200, competitive skiers under 18 enrolled in the FISI (Italian Winter Sports Federation) and skiers under 21 with FISI points € 350.

This single season ticket gives unlimited access to the runs at Baitina di Druogno, Devero, Domobianca, Formazza, Macugnaga, Mottarone, Pian di Sole, Piana di Vigezzo, and San Domenico.

Also new this winter at Mt. Mottarone is Alpyland, which opened to great success this past summer. The toboggan ride will be running all through the winter season as well, offering a winter version of the same spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains.


Read these older posts for lots of helpful ski information for Stresa and the area:




Mt. Mottarone home website:
www.mottaroneski.it/it/index.php

For Season Ski Passes:
Distretto Turistico dei Laghi, Monti e Valli d'Ossola

Web: http://www.distrettolaghi.it/en

Saturday, November 20, 2010

News Bites: Little Bits Of News From Stresa

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



The Wall Street Journal has included a cheese shop in nearby Arona in their list of the top ten cheese shops IN THE WORLD. Luigi Guffanti 1876 came in fifth place on the list, preceding another one-hundred year old shop in Arona, Van Tricht Berchem, and three shops in France. The proud owner, Carlo Guffanti Fiori, says, " It is a great satisfaction to be appreciated in all the world. Our products are exported all over the planet." Exported and appreciated globally, you can find this now world-famous cheese shop on via Milano in Arona.

Brazilian director Glenio Bonder has been filming scenes from his next movie in and around Stresa. "La Belle du Seigneur" starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Natalia Vodianova, is a film adaptation of the story of the same name by Albert Cohen. It tells the tale of a troubled romance in which Solal (Meyers), a high-ranking Jewish diplomat, falls in love with the Protestant wife (Vodianova) of one of his subordinates. Scenes have recently been shot at Villa Jucker in Stresa as well as at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. I'll certainly be watching for the film, which is expected to open in 2012.

Another thing I will be waiting for is the publication of a new book, set to arrive at the bookshop Cartoleria Libreria Leone (Via Pr. Tomaso, 18) very soon. The large tome, only in Italian, covers the history of the centuries-long tradition of fishing on Lago Maggiore. The book is heavily illustrated with old photographs and postcards, many from the private collection of Ivan Spadoni, who is not only a collector of the photographs but an expert on the subject, a practitioner of it as well, and a friend of mine.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Restaurant:Takeaway Pizza From il Capriccio



Pizza al Trancio -- Pizza by the slice

When we've been working hard in the Stresa Sights office, and we need to take a pause for a little nourishment, we do what good Americans and Italians everywhere always do. We grab a quick pizza to go. Italy isn't known to have much fast food or takeaway, as we do in the States, and it is especially difficult to find in little Stresa, but there is a wonderful little pizza takeaway shop, on via A.M. Bolongaro, that you should know about.

With just a few tiny, standing-height-only tables inside, Pizza al Trancio il Capriccio Fast Food is definitely intended to be a grab-your-slice-and-go type of pizza place. Behind the glass counter they usually have about six freshly made pizzas of various types. Always the classic margherita, usually a nice salame, and then a variety of whatever other popular choices have just been prepared. Slices are large, cheese is fresh, meats are soooo flavorful, and the crust is the perfect consistency.
(   continued   ...   )

Monday, November 1, 2010

News: American Tourism In Stresa Doubles

Here's another interesting piece of news that has come across the desk here at the Stresa Sights office. New data, compiled by the Osservatorio Provinciale del Turismo for the period January through September 2010, gives an encouraging picture of the trends from the tourist season just ended. The statistics all point to growth, after the decline of the past few years caused by the global financial crisis. The data in the report is elaborate and detailed; I'll share just a few of the more interesting and Stresa-related points with you:

In total, the VCO region (Verbania Cusio Ossola, of which Stresa is a part) had 2,350,531 visitors in the period measured. 496,371 were Italian nationals and 1,854,160 were foreigners.

Of these tourists 1,217.248 stayed in hotels, a 17.25% increase over 2009. This more than makes up for the -15% drop suffered in 2009 compared to 2008.

There were 58,318 visitors from the United States, an incredible 50.43% increase.

Germans still make up the largest group of tourists (714,706) followed by the Dutch (418,191), French (157,883), Swiss (127,390), and those from the UK (111,860).

The average stay in the region is 4 to 5 days.

And Stresa itself had an increase of 35% in the number of visitors over the previous year, for a total this year of 410,950 visitors.


In sum, levels back to pre-crisis years and growing, much more interest from travelers from the United States, and a very rosy outlook for the years ahead.

So I ask you, when will YOU be coming here?



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