I saw this blank card at Libreria Leone, the wonderful card, book, stationery, gift, and so much more shop, located on the corner of Piazza Cadorna and via Roma, in Stresa. When open, the front and back of the card creates a complete image of an old print of Stresa (unfortunately undated and uncredited. I bought a few to send, to keep, to frame perhaps. The islands are practically unchanged; perhaps the facade of the palace is in its earlier phase, before it was redesigned and became the main entrance. The lakefront, instead, is completely different; rural, dirt road, animals grazed and fishing boats were pulled along the shore. Imagine strolling there, with the majestic palace just across the water...

Here's another:

Libreria Leone has a great selection of photo and history books about Stresa and the area.

Website: www.leonestresa.it/

These hand towels, found in the linen shop on via Garibaldi,  are embroidered with a cheery "Buongiorno" greeting that I'd love to use as guest towels. The pack is priced at 15 euro.

As my visiting friend said, as we walked around Stresa on a gray drizzling day, "It's always a good day for shopping!" And of course she's right. Here are some items I've noticed recently in two shops on via Garibaldi that I think fit well into the category of charming little gifts. This bunch ranges in price from 3 euro to 15 euros.

First, some food items, because who doesn't enjoy yummy gifts from Italy?

In Pasticceria Bravi, on via Garibaldi, 6, these "Fiori di Stresa" caramelle, Flowers of Stresa, candies, cost only 3 euro per 100 grams. Wouldn't they make great little gift sacks?

It was a horribly rainy Friday, and so I did not go outside to visit the Stresa Friday market. Instead, when the next day dawned stunningly clear and warm, I decided to go to Verbania, where the weekly market takes place each Saturday. I'm very glad that I did. What an easy trip, and a very different, much larger, market.

That's right, it does not say Verbania. If you feel nervous, just ask another person, or the driver, "Per Verbania?" The cost is 2.25 euro each way as of this writing; they can make change for you on the bus.

(   Continued  ...  )

Every season brings changes to the Stresa Friday market, and we can always count on the market vendors to have their fingers right on the pulse of what the shoppers are looking for. So now that summer has begun, what trends am I spotting?

In women's fashion, the two materials I am seeing everywhere are gauze and lace. Lace overlaying gauze. Gauze overlaying lace. Layers of gauze. Lace inserts. Usually monochromatic. Sometimes with soft flowers.

(   continued ....   )

Uh-oh... you caught your jacket on a fence and ripped a hole in the seam....

Or, you've arrived at your hotel and have started unpacking. You discover you forgot a hairdryer and your room doesn't have one...

Or, you forgot your plug converters...

Or maybe the kids are getting cranky and need a new distraction for tomorrow's long car ride...

Or the batteries in your camera/watch/remote control just died. What to do?

What do you do when any of these or other little annoyances occur during your trip? You don't want to waste too much of your precious vacation time doing errands, and you don't even know where to go to do them.

(  Continued...  )

"View of Stresa and of Isola Bella in Lago Maggiore"

Shopping around in Stresa this summer, old prints and reprints have been catching my eye everywhere. I often find myself lost for a good long time, going through a stack of old prints safe in their plastic sleeves, or looking intently at racks of postcards featuring them. I find them fascinating...

Look at this charming shop! This is Erboristeria, located in Piazza Cadorna. As the name implies, they specialize in herbal and aromatic items, all intended to improve health and spirit. I noticed these items on display on the table outside the entrance. A collection of Acqua Isola Bella, Acqua Isola Madre, and Acqua Isola dei Pescatori fragrances, candles, and other items, each with a special scent invocative of the island.  ( continued ----  )

Last summer I went shopping around the piazza in Stresa with the mission of finding good little gift ideas -- things that were relatively inexpensive and relatively small -- allowing you to buy many of them and share Stresa with as many people as possible. Here's another collection of items that I saw around the piazza that fit these same requirements:

Like these small watercolor prints... They are sold in various shops around Piazza Cadorna and the waterfront.  This particular collection were only 2 euro each. They are about 8 x 10 inches, and the scenes are all local of course, views of the lake or other local sights. This perfectly fits the requirements as a gift for someone (or yourself!) -- easy to carry, of Stresa, inexpensive. Dress these up at home with the frames of your choice.

These are a few more of the watercolor choices. I think they capture well the serenity of the lake and are a nice way to remember it.

All year, Friday morning is market morning in Stresa, in Piazza Capucci, which is a large parking lot during the rest of the week. Locals come to buy cheese, meats and fruits. Tourists come to by clothing, handbags and shoes. Products change weekly and seasonally, with the crops and with the fashions. It's crowded and fun and a great place to find gifts for others or better, for yourself. What will you find this time?

A reader asked me for ideas. She wanted small gifts that she could bring back from Stresa for her friends and family at home. She didn't want the typical tourist souvenirs, and she needed to buy many, so what she was looking for were things that were small enough, light enough, inexpensive enough, and more individual to Stresa than a keyring or t-shirt.

La Cambusa on via Cavour is a treasure trove of goodies. From small bottles of local wines and chianti to all manner of local delicacies, Rosaria has stocked this store with something to please everyone.



I like these soaps that I saw in baskets outside L'Acqua di Stresa shop in Piazza Cadorna. Made locally, and available in several floral scents, including the famous local camelia, these are small, beautifully wrapped, everyone can use them, and they cost only 2.50 euro each.



Just off the Piazza, outside Gastronomia Bianchetti on via Garibaldi, I was drawn to this selection of colorful local pastas. How about combining a bag of pasta with a small bottle of chianti? I've stretched the rules a little bit here... although these bags of pasta are light and inexpensive and not very large I would be concerned however for their safety during transporting them. I wouldn't want to crush them packed in a suitcase, so do take care with that.



Along the same lines I like the idea of small bags of coffee. Some of the cappuccino bars can sell you their own coffee in small paper sacs. Torrefazione Moka, on via A.M. Bolongaro, has a mixture that they call 'Stresa'. "Aromatic," they call it, "In any moment of the day when one wants to gift oneself with a moment of true pleasure," they say, "that is the moment to savour this coffee called Stresa." Look at these gorgeous jars of coffee at Torrefazione Moka. Marcello is usually there and he'll be happy to help you with your selection.



I like this idea of a gift a bit more local, a bit more practical. A gift can be really of a place, not just from a place. And if there are many people that you want to bring back a little piece of Stresa for, these ideas should get you off to a good start!

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 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.


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.


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

Q: I am trying to locate a retailer that sells (Murano) Glass Miniature clowns in the centre of the town. If my memory serves me correct it had a corner frontage as well as looking onto a piaza. I am trying to locate it for further purchases.

A: I am almost certain that the shop you are describing is called Leone, the bookshop that is on the corner of Piazza Cadorna and Via P. Tomaso. I myself have bought some Murano glass jewelry and gifts there...

I was at a loss for how to assist this writer further, as I'm not in Stresa at the moment, but we don't give up easily; my colleague in town went on a search for me, and we provided the writer with a photograph of Murano clowns in the window of the shop called Pessina, in Piazza Cadorna. We received this mail in return:

In the past there have been planes and ships named after Stresa, and now, another international brand has chosen this appellation for its product, or more accurately, an entire line of products. Louis Vuitton, maker of high-end purses and luggage, has just introduced a collection of travel bags called "Stresa". We here know that Stresa has long been associated with the elite and world-class traveling; now that it joins the Vuitton Manhattan and Beverly collections, certainly this will only increase its fame, and you'll be able to see the Stresa in windows on all the most famous shopping streets in the world! But if you would like to carry around this bit of Stresa with you, do be aware that the price tag on the bag shown above is $1,520. Okay, maybe I'll go for the t-shirt instead...

If you've been hanging around with me in these months you already know that Stresa has a town market each Friday. We've discussed here how getting a roast chicken is a weekly tradition, and how much I enjoy the everchanging display of goods depending on the season, the trends, and the vendors. The market is very popular with tourists as well as locals. It's the perfect place to practice a little bit of Italian. "Quanto costa?", "How much?". "Troppo caro!", "Too expensive!" Or, "Perfetto! Voglio questa.", "Perfect! I want this." And don't forget your "Grazie, buongiorno!"

But what if you're not going to be in Stresa on a Friday? Don't despair... you don't have to miss out on the market experience. Because a market very similar to this one, even with some of the same vendors, takes place in a town nearby here each day. Vendors need to buy a permit to sell in each town. And with the markets on different days, this gives the vendors the opportunity to sell as many or as few days as they want. Here's the schedule of the market towns and the days they hold their markets:

Sunday -- Cannobio
Monday -- Baveno
Tuesday -- Arona
Wednesday -- Orta San Giulio
Thursday -- Meina and Lesa
Friday -- Stresa
Saturday -- Verbania

So don't worry if you aren't here on a Friday. There's a market waiting for you every day of the week. Or, even if you are here on a Friday, try another one as well. Perche' no!, Why not!

I have nothing against snow globes. Or key chains. Or souvenir shops. Honest. I myself have a collection of souvenir pens that I'm extremely proud of. You know the kind I mean? Where the top part of the pen is filled with some sort of liquid, and something inside, indicative of the place you bought it, slides back and forth? I have over 50 pens, from all around the world, and every last one of them I myself bought at a typical souvenir shop. My point is, though, once you've exhausted your craving for a snow globe or a back scratcher, or whatever it is that you collect, then, stop shopping in those shops. Then, take some time and look, really look at the other stores in Stresa. The first time I did this, I made a conscious effort to not see the usual shops. And a conscious effort to really look at the more unique stores in town.

In the hopes of encouraging you to do the same, here are a few of the shops selling antiques and collectible items in centro Stresa.

Cartolibreria de Mauri, in Piazza Cadorna, specializes in handcrafted writing goods and collectibles from the middle of the twentieth century. The back wall of his window is covered in samples of his papers. Outside the shop, in the piazza, he has racks set up of prints both old and new, of the lake. Stationery from here would make a great gift for someone, wouldn't it? Or how about a metal tin to keep your restaurant cards, receipts, and brochures in?

Terra e Fuoco means Earth and Fire, which are the necessary elements to create what they specialize in, pottery and ceramics from many different regions in Italy. The selection always changes, based upon what they find, and you can buy just one piece, or an entire set. Terra e Fuoco is on Via P. Tomaso, 4, very close to the lake.

I really liked this collection of antique corkscrews at Epoque, on Via Pittore Luigi Bolongaro. These were reasonably priced, small, and I thought what a cool gift for a wine lover, or to display on your own wine rack. In his other window, Epoque's owner had a similarly impressive display of old coffee grinders. And on his front door, a sign that if you didn't see him, perhaps he was working in the laboratory. Or, it said, you could go and ask for him at Bar Bolongaro.


This is one of the windows at Antiques and More, on Via P. Tomaso. In addition to a constantly changing offering of estate and antique jewelry they also sell paintings, bronzes, and furniture.


All of these shops are located right in centro Stresa. And they represent only a few on the fun and fine vendors selling all sorts of things that aren't snow globes. A couple of other places we've already visited on the blog are Wunder Kammer on Isola Bella, and the Alessi Outlet in Omegna. Check out all the shopping posts here.