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?

In this addition of News Bites, we present information about a new hotel, an old garage, a small theater, and a big race. Enjoy!

Personally, I must say I am very happy for this news. A new hotel will be built in Stresa, between Hotel La Palma and Hotel des Iles Borromees, on a site that currently holds just an eyesore of overgrown ruins. It has taken more than two years of tense negotiations, but the Stresa Comune gave approval for the project recently, and hopefully works will begin before too long. The hotel will be the first new one to be built in Stresa since 1955, and it is expected to have a designation of 4 or 5 stars. It seems that two of the three old villas on the property, Mona Villa and Villa of San Basile Rizzo, may in fact be incorporated into the design, preserving them and also renovating them. To me, it's a win-win.

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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 ...  )

Just enough news to enjoy with your cappuccino...

In this edition we have news about swimming, signs, and spring.

The new pool at Lido Carciano should be open at the end of May, or at the latest in the first days of June. It's been some years in the planning and building, and a year of a shut down of the works due to the financial crisis, but finally the pool is ready for its inauguration. La piscina, the pool, is located at the edge of the lake near the Carciano boat station, has a panoramic view of the Borromean Islands, was designed by architetto Fabrizio Bianchetti and cost more than one million euro. No word yet on the admission fee; we'll keep you posted.

Just enough news to enjoy with your cappuccino...

Ships, statues and stations are our news for today:

Woo Hoo! Great news for tourists in the 2013 season in Stresa! Navigazione Lago Maggiore has just published their 2013 schedule, and it shows a dramatic increase in the number of ferry trips offered. For example, beginning March 24, 2013, enjoy these changes:

--Ferries between Intra and Laveno will run every 20 minutes, instead of the current 30.

--The Carciano - Isola Bella trip will be made 25 times daily, instead of last year's 7.

-- From Stresa and Baveno boats will leave every 30 minutes for the Borromeo Islands; 22 times a day.

--The entire season is lengthened, to coincide with the longer opening schedules at the Borromeo properties and Villa Taranto.

--The popular Lago Maggiore Express will be available Thursday through Sunday during this season, and even more, every day during July and August.

--And once again, certain boats are available for hire for weddings and other private events.

These large increases come after last seasons cuts which were due to the financial crisis the company faced, but now, thankfully, the situation has stabilized. And some more good news -- no price increase! Here's the 2013 schedule.

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Just enough news to enjoy with your cappuccino...

It seems that approval has been given for the construction of a new ticket office at the Carciano imbarcadero. If you have taken a ferry from the Carciano station, you know that it does not have a true ticket office, or a place to wait for the boats, but instead a small, one-person hut that is open only certain hours. The new ticket office rendering shows a traditional style building, which, according to Mayor Canio di Milia, is necessary to improve the look of this Carciano dock, which is of prime importance to Stresa and the many international tourists who visit there, either to take a boat or to ride the gondola up to the gardens or Mottarone.

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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.

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The excitement continues! Following the news that this blog has been featured in Susan Van Allen's book, 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, comes more news from Susan: We have been tweeted, and retweeted! After tweeting about Stresa Sights, Susan reported that her tweet was retweeted by Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun. I'm not sure that I've been tweeted about by anyone before, ever. How very exciting to have our first tweets be from such wonderful authors. I also never thought I'd have occasion to say 'tweet', and I've now said it eight times in this post. Exciting times indeed...

(  Continued...  )

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 ----  )

Lido Blu Beach in Stresa is someplace you might not find just by stumbling onto it, and that's exactly what I like about it. It's one of Stresa's newest, and most hidden, beach areas, and it's in a great location right in the center of town. Maybe you are already familiar with Lido Blu Ristorante and Bar, shown in the photo below. The popular casual restaurant is directly on the Lungolago, across from the Regina Palace Hotel. A good spot for a light, inexpensive meal, a drink, a caffe, and a perfect place to watch the sun set behind the mountains. Lido Blu Beach is below the lakeside metal fence of the restaurant, and is reached by descending the staircase you see here next to the blackboard sign.

The view from a room at Hotel Verbano.

In addition to the four Michelin fork-awarded restaurants in Stresa and the seven Michelin starred restaurants within 20 miles from Stresa, that we spoke about here, there are also many Michelin recommended hotels in Stresa listed in their Green Guide. Almost all of these hotels also have restaurants which are open to the public. Here is the list of Michelin hotels, to help you, in addition to other resources, decide what may be the best place for you to stay in Stresa. They are listed in the order in which Michelin lists them by their ranking. Included is a short description from the Michelin summary, and the rating.

So today, in Stresa, let's look at the loos. Truth is, there are not many. These are the ones that I know of:

This one, marked WC, is located just on the eastern edge of the large parking lot in front of the Stresa imbarcadero.

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! ..."   .....

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, the Comune Administration of Stresa will remember the victims of Sept. 11 with a ceremony Sunday morning at 9:30, at the monument to the Twin Towers on the Lungolago in front of the Hotel des Iles Borromees. In front of the volunteer firefighters of Stresa, a garland will be placed on the memorial ...

This is Stresa's new water station. The Casa dell'Acqua is located just a few short streets from Piazza Cadorna, and centrally located enough to hotels, lake, and train station. Whenever you're passing by, or when starting your day of sightseeing, or, when heading back to your room after a long day,  make this part of your route.

The official tourist office of Stresa, Ufficio Turistico Citta di Stresa, is located at the Stresa imbarcadero, on the right side of that building. It is organized and run by the City of Stresa, and therefore it has no ties to any of the individual tour or travel agencies. During the tourist season the office is usually staffed with at least two employees, and all of them are multilingual. There should always be someone on hand who can assist you in Italian, English, German, or French, and possibly a bit of some other languages as well.