So you're the outdoorsy type. For you a vacation is more what you do, rather than what you see. No problem here on Lago Maggiore, there are enough diverse summer outdoor activities and sports to keep you busy. Here is a compilation of different activities you can enjoy outdoors in and around Stresa. 

Outdoor Sports and Activities

Just about an hour easy drive from Stresa, the Parco Naturale dell'Alta Valle Antrona offers many walks, from easy to difficult, from 40-minute strolls around tiny lakes, to day journeys for serious trekking. There are 18 natural lakes here, and six man-made lakes.

Just as an example, here's what we did: We drove to Lago Camplicciolo (an artificial lake created by one of the hydroelectric dams), parked the car there, and we walked the 1.5 hour giro del lago (loop around the lake). Once back at the car we drove back down to Lago Antrona, had a relaxed lunch at Ristorante Bar Lago Pineta, and after a hearty lunch walked from there around Lago Antrona (there are charming picnic areas distributed all around the lake as well). This second lake loop took only 45 minutes.

For you serious hikers, below are links to very detailed hiking maps for Stresa and the surrounding area, encompassing the area from Feriolo to past Lesa, and up and over Mt. Mottarone. Many of the trails link two towns, where sometimes it will be possible to take public transportation, or one of the ferries, back to your staring point. The second link gives detailed information about some of the most common trails. The pdf pages are downloadable and printable. Happy hiking!

Map: http://stresaturismo.it/Cartina_Stresa_Bianca_web.pdf

Trail info: http://stresaturismo.it/Cartina_Stresa_Volta_web.pdf

A short distance from Stresa, just 200 meters away from the shores of Lago Maggiore, hidden, but just off the main road, is a quiet, tranquil little lake, a perfect spot for a day of fishing: Fishing Center Lago Betulle. 

This man-made lake offers approximately 1,000 meters of safe banks, 40,000 square meters of water with a maximum depth of 15 meters, and the chance to catch rainbow trout, brown trout, salmon, sturgeon, carp, hamour, channel catfish, and more. And not just tiny fish; the record as of this writing is a 16.2 kilo carp!

Spend all day, as there is a restaurant and playground on the premises. There are also specials on certain days, and fishing championships on others. Take a look at the website or contact them if you have specific questions or for prices and information.

There is parking on-site. Lake Betulle can also be reached with public transportation by taking the bus to the Feriolo stop and walking a short distance to the lake. 

It's rather easy to drive or walk right past Villa Fedora, because on the street there's just an unassuming iron gate and a glimpse of park inside. But if you walk past, or haven't noticed it, you are missing one of the nicest beaches and parks in the area.

Even the name, Villa Fedora, doesn't give any hint that inside the gate, after a short stroll through the green lawns, and down a stone staircase, there is a wide sandy beach and a snack bar. The beach is long, curving around the little bay where the water is usually gentle. A few trees offer shade if you want. The beach is public; you can bring any chairs or equipment that you want and sit where you like. (But you can't bring your dog; pets are forbidden.) And old boat tower provides an additional sunbathing spot. Above the beach, a gravel path runs the length of the park.

La Baia Rosa pool and Beach Club; Piazzale Lido; Carciano: labaiarosastresa.it

The temperature is in the upper 20s every day and the sun shining. Luckily there are many beaches and pools along the Lago Maggiore coastline. Don't think wide, mile-long expanses of beach.. think more small, semiprivate sections where one can sunbathe or cool down in the lake. All are close to some sort of refreshment stand or small restaurant, or bring your own with you.

La Baia Rosa, pictured above, is Stresa's public pool and beach club. There is a small free beach area where you can bring your own towel or chair, and another with an entrance fee for a chaise lounge and umbrella. Likewise, the pool has entrance fees. A snack bar and two restaurants in the piazza make it a lovely spot to wile away a hot summer day.

This small rocky public beach (above) is in Stresa, across from the Astoria Hotel on the Lungolago, and next to Caffe Bar Verbanella and the children's playground.

This (above) is the Lido Blu beach, really almost hidden behind the Lido Blu bar. The newly refurbished, clean and sandy beach is public and yet quiet. You can find it in Stresa across the street from the Regina Palace Hotel. Chairs and umbrellas are available for rent and the swimming area is roped off.



On the western side of Stresa, just before leaving the town for Belgirate, you'll find tiny Lov Beach (above), with its island vibe and tiny mini golf course.




The name, Villa Fedora, doesn't give any hint that inside the gate (above), after a short stroll through the green lawns, and down a stone staircase, there is a wide sandy beach and a snack bar. The beach is long, curving around the little bay where the water is usually gentle. A few trees offer shade if you want. The beach is public; you can bring any chairs or equipment that you want and sit where you like. (But you can't bring your dog; pets are forbidden.) Their Facebook page has more information and lists events. https://www.facebook.com/chioscovillafedora/


The Lido Beach Club, in Baveno, one of my favorite spots for an aperitivo or to watch the sun set. And it's a great beach during the day where chairs, umbrellas, even entire gazebos can be rented. (above)

In Feriolo, two villages to the east of Stresa along Lago Maggiore, there is a large sandy and tranquil beach (above). The tiny town has several charming restaurants along the lake and closes to cars each evening in the summer. It can be reached by bus or ferry.

Further afield, in Cannobio near the Swiss border, the winds are perfect for windsurfing and sailing, thanks to the convergence of two valleys and a different facing direction on the lake. Cannobio is a beautiful town worth visiting, about 40 minutes from Stresa by car, bus, or ferry.




Further still, when you’ve had enough of winter, when you’re chilled right through to your bones, or on any rainy day, there is a remedy. Take a day trip to PremiaTerme, a full-service spa located about one hour north of Stresa in Cadarese, in the beautiful Valle Antigorio. The pools are fed from hyperthermal natural hot springs, which can enter the pool at 42 degrees Centigrade (107 degrees Farenheit). Premia offers some interesting services; for example, in the ‘dry’ area there is the familiar ‘Finlandish’ sauna, but there is also a biosauna, and then there is the Bagno di Fieno, Bath of Hay, in which one rests on bales of hay, so that with the intense heat the body absorbs the many beneficial natural byproducts the hay gives off in the humidity.
http://www.premiaterme.com/it/home

The Lago Maggiore Zipline is open all year, and is about 45 minutes from Stresa by car.

For all the information: maggiorelakezipline.it

all photos from Lago Maggiore Zipline

We found a great new place to walk, and it's one of those places that makes you ask yourself, "Why didn't we ever stop here before?" We have driven past it probably hundreds of times, on the trip back and forth between Stesa and Verbania. I've even wondered, both silently and aloud, about it, but we still never stopped. Finally, on a somewhat chilly early winter day, we spontaneously decided to park the car, and we ended up exploring the Riserva Naturale Speciale del Fondo Toce for the next couple of hours. This is a very different glimpse of Lago Maggiore, in its natural state, and you can reach and enjoy it easily from Stresa, by using the bus to get here.

The Special Nature Reserve Fondo Toce was established in 1990. It is located on either side of the Toce River, which enters Lago Maggiore at this location. It is a wetland, reed bank area; particularly important for the reproduction of lake fish and migratory birds. You'll find the entrance and parking area if you look carefully as you drive from Stresa toward Verbania. You'll see the sign for the large camping complex, Isolino, on your right, then a large area that looks like a tree farm, and then, a parking area for the reserve. There are signs posted in the parking area, giving an idea of the park you're about to enter.

With the start of autumn, cooler temperatures, and colorful foliage, I'm so happy that I was shown this link, on the CAI Stresa website, of the best maps I've ever seen for the official hiking and walking trails around this area.  CAI, Club Alpino Italiano, has, for more than 150 years now, promoted and organized all sorts of outdoor activities in the region, focusing primarily on trekking and cycling. The Stresa chapter is more than 60 years old. 

Many visitors write asking about walking trails in Stresa. I've even been stopped on the streets and asked for directions to the beginning of the trails and for other trail information. I knew the basics, but these maps go far beyond the few trails I already knew. There are three maps, each giving a mid-aerial view of the hills, first over Stresa, and then over Baveno and Verbania. Here's Stresa:

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The charming town of Baceno, nestled in Italian Alps just a stone's throw from Switzerland.

So... a priest, an astronaut, an American and an Italian walk into the woods. Sounds like the classic joke? Well, it's no joke. It happened last weekend, when we went to see the Orridi di Uriezzo. This is a fascinating natural formation dating to the last Ice Age, when glaciers moving through Europe carved great, long lakes (Lago Maggiore among them) and deep, flat mountain valleys. But a certain combination of factors in this location left particularly beautiful results: the now-named Orridi and the Marmite Gigante.

We drove up to Baceno, a pretty Alpine town in Italy near the Swiss border. It took about 40 minutes from Stresa. Parking for the Orridi path is in front of the medieval church; worth peaking into as it was one of those churches that looks so unassuming on the exterior but then opens to glorious treasures inside. To begin the walk, enter the path on the left of the church, down and around the church and into the woods. The ground varies between ancient rock-paving, to dirt, to solid rock that shone in the sunlight like metal.   (continued ...   )

Finally this week, the run of cold and wet weather in Stresa has abated, and it seems that summer is truly arrived. And almost perfectly on time for it, the new swimming pool at Carciano should be open this Saturday, June 22. Pictures I took just a couple of days ago show a finished swimming pool, and striking looking too, but locked gates all around. Workers were doing things inside ... seeming last touches. Being closed afforded me the opportunity to capture some photos of the large infinity pool, tranquil and empty. Because I'm sure it won't be so for long.   (  continued ...  )

Cardio! If part of your daily routine means cardio exercise, and your vacations don't mean a vacation from that, then you're probably already thinking how to exercise while you're here in Stresa. Depending on what your exercise of choice is, here are a few suggestions:

Running: Stresa's lakefront measures just about one mile from one edge to the other. The pink-paved Lungolago path runs the entire distance, and there is a bit of sidewalk continuing past that. It's flat, and wide, and you can't beat the scenery. For long-distance runners, it might become boring running back and forth along this path; once you become familiar with Stresa's streets you can cut inland and run along a parallel street, creating a loop. For those of you who like or want to run some hills, that's easy; just run inland a few streets and you'll find them. 

Back on the Lungolago, while running you will notice some exercise stations that Stresa has placed along the route. If you like to interval train, these are good points to stop and do a set of pull ups or stretches.

 

Admit it... you have envied the small boats you see on the lake. Whether you're standing on the lungolago, or on a ferry heading somewhere, or watching a small motorboat anchor near Isola Madre for a swim, there's probably been a moment when you had wished it were you.

Well it can be! There are several small boat rental businesses along our portion of the lake, with a variety of small motor crafts that can be rented hourly, for a half-day, a whole day, or even longer. A boat license is not needed for this size motorboat, and all safety and other equipment is usually provided by the renters, including insurance.

Here's a list of a few nearby boat rental facilities to get you started with a search. Contact them by email or phone to see if they have what you want. It may also be helpful to stop in at the Stresa Tourist Office at the main boat dock and ask if they have any other rental recommendations.

http://www.officinalupo.it - in Stresa, across from Ristorante La Sacca. 

http://www.cantieretaroni.it/ - in Stresa, just past the Carciano dock going out of town toward Baveno.

https://www.ferrarionautica.it/noleggio/ - about 10 minutes outside Stresa, in Lesa.

http://www.carcanomotorimarini.com/?jjj=1487914138008 - also located in Verbania

So you see, it can be you! Imagine yourself, zipping along in your motorboat, living the Italian lake dream!