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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

History: The Stresa-Mottarone Tram





Have you seen the above poster on display or for sale in Stresa? It's everywhere, and it's beautiful, isn't it? One of those classic posters from the early part of the 20th century... artistic font, simple design, striking colors. But... what is it? Where is this 'ferrovia elettrica'? Why is Stresa celebrating its 100th anniversary this year?  Wonder no more... Today I'll tell you the story of the old Stresa-Mottarone Tram

For starters, the tram does not exist anymore. It was opened in 1911 and dismantled in 1963. But Stresa remembers it lovingly, and hence the marking of its century birthday. Secondly, there are still traces of this tram; small reminders of its having been here, if you know where to look. So let's go back in time to Stresa in the 1880s, when the city was experiencing a tourism boom, and the Guglielmina family, with a bold leap of faith, decided to build a luxury resort hotel at the summit of Mt. Mottarone. Alpine climbing and mountaineering were becoming popular; more and more people wanted to experience the views from the top of the mountain; and the Guglielmina family believed that a luxury resort would open this up to the wealthy tourists who were frequenting Stresa in those years. 

They were right. The Grand Hotel Mottarone was inaugurated in 1884, and immediately became popular with royalty, celebrities and other wealthy travelers. Located at 1491 meters altitude, the hotel had three floors of rooms, a panoramic dining room, a parlour, a reading room, and, telephone connection with Stresa and Baveno. In the first two years the guest list included the princes of the House of Savoy -- Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Puglia; Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin; Luigi Amadeo, infante of Spain; the Duke of Genoa, Tommaso Alberto Vittorio with his wife Isabella; Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy, with Prince Vittorio Emanuele; and Maria Elisabetta, Duchess of Genoa. Below is the hotel, photographed in the early 1900s.


The Grand Hotel Mottarone, as a tram approaches.

Impressive, especially considering that there was no paved road to reach the hotel at that time. The tram in the photograph was only a dream at that time. Guests were brought back and forth in carriages; the uphill journey by carriage took 4 1/2 hours and the downhill an hour less. An early reporter wrote in the Italian Alpine Magazine, No. 9, dated 1884, that, "... Foreigners arrived by day and by night: like a seaport ... in the mountains! ..."   .....

Sunday, October 16, 2011

News Bites: Little Bits Of News From Stresa


This Sunday, to enjoy with your cappuccino, how about some yummy food-related news 'bites' about chocolate, pumpkins, and a tomato.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Walks: The L1 Trail From Mottarone To Stresa

Here's a great walk for any nice-weather day. The L1 walking trail is the most direct trail from Stresa to the summit of Mt. Mottarone. People walk it up from Stresa, or, as we chose to do, in the much less strenuous direction, from the top down. But to hike down one first must arrive up. From Stresa, take the cablecar from the Carciano boat station. The 20-minute ride, which includes switching cablecars at the intermediate Alpino station, carries you 1491 meters up the mountain. The Alpino station is where the Giardino Botanico Alpinia gardens are located, 300 meters from the cableway.


After arriving at the top cableway station, the last few meters to the summit are reached by the relatively new chairlift, which was added only a couple of years ago. As you see, you can also ride the chairlift back down to the cableway. On the left of the photo a small piece of the Alpyland track is visible. The toboggan run is the latest addition to Mottarone's attractions, having opened in the summer of 2010, and it's been hugely popular right from the start.



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