WELCOME TO STRESA SIGHTS, AND HOPEFULLY TO STRESA!

Are you here because you are coming to Stresa on holiday? Or are you here deciding whether it will be your next vacation location? Either way, welcome! This blog, which began in 2008, contains information and resources that hopefully will be useful to you. Information is regularly updated, so that, even if a post is older, the links and information contained in it should be current. 

The best way to use the blog is to use the search bar, if you are looking for specific information, or to choose a subject that interests you, such as "Outdoor Activities," and read through the posts on that list. Many will have links leading you to other websites to continue and expand your research. 

The blog also has links and information on some very popular searches, such as the information for the Alibus shuttle bus between Malpensa Airport and Stresa, the Stresa Music Festival, Trenitalia, and the Stresa ferries (Navigazione Laghi), as well as handy information for once you are here in Stresa, such as where to park, where the supermarkets are, and so on.

The Borromeo islands, Villa Taranto, Rocca Angera and Parco Pallavicino are all getting ready to open again. The winter hibernation is over, and the 2019 season is beginning! And as you can see from the following photographs, everything else in Stresa is opening too:

Your shuttle bus will look like this or similar, with, most likely, this S.A.F. logo on it, not Alibus.

Things You Need To Know About Alibus:

For 2019 Alibus will begin service to Stresa and Lago Maggiore on April 1, and will run until October 13. It runs seven days a week. The earliest bus each day leaves Malpensa around 8:30 am and the last bus each day leaves Malpensa around 9:00 pm. The trip to Stresa takes one hour. For the returns to Malpensa, the earliest bus leaves Stresa each day around 6:30 am and the last bus leaves Stresa each day around 7:30 pm, arriving at Malpensa one hour later.

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

La Baia Rosa Bistrot is the restaurant part of the Baia Rosa complex, which also includes La Baia Rosa pool and beach. Directly next to the beach and entrance to the pool, the restaurant is not, however, exclusively for their patrons; the main entrance faces the Carciano parking piazza, also near the cableway ticket office and station. Which means, yes, you have the awesome views of the gondolas arriving and departing, whether dining outside on their lakefront terrace or inside at the window bar. Not a bad view of the lake either... Inside, the decor is cool and casual. The restaurant serves everything from pizzas, salads, and sandwiches to full meals, and is open as a bar every night until midnight (except Wednesdays). 

https://www.labaiarosastresa.it/

Where is this in Stresa? It's the water lily pond in the gardens of the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. The small pond is stocked with multicolored carp imported from Japan, and the entire pond and area surrounding it is a carefully balanced ecosystem where water, plants, and animals exist together in perfect harmony.

If you like gardens, don't miss a stroll through the park at the five-star Borromees. It's open to the public, just enter from the main driveway at the left side of the hotel.

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

Have you visited "il Carlone" (Big Carlo) yet? It's fascinating. Interesting facts about this hollow bronze statue: It was built to commemorate San Carlo Borromeo, who was born in 1538 in the Borromeo fortress that at that time stood where now the ruins of la Rocca are. His parents, Lord Giberto II and Lady Margherita Medici of Marignano, ruled over much of the lake. Choosing a religious life, San Carlo was appointed Archbishop of Milan on 12 May 1564, and, some years after his death in 1584, Pope Paul V canonized Carlo on 1 November 1610. This statue built in his honor was completed in 1698, a collaboration between the designer Giovan Battista Crespi, better known as “Il Cerano” and the sculptors Siro Zanella and Bernardo Falconi.

Borromeo fun facts. If you're observant, you may notice the Borromeo motto, "humilitas," in many places around Stresa. Or maybe you've seen the recurring unicorn symbols, and perhaps also a camel. But do you know what these seemingly dissimilar symbols signify to the Borromeo family? Why they're important and what they mean? Here, from the Isole Borromee website, is how to decipher the symbols found in the center of the Borromean seal:

* The unicorn entered the emblem of the Borromeo family in 1445. According to the tradition, it symbolizes honor, virtue and devotion.

Shhhh.... We're walking on the silent path that encircles the Basilica di San Giulio, on Isola San Giulio, in Lago d'Orta. Walk the short circle in one direction, and then turn around and walk it in the other. Why? To read the signs which are hung every few meters along the path. In one direction you are taking the "Way of Silence," and the messages on the signs are reminders to be silent, to be aware of the wind, the water, the sound of your steps, and to learn in the silence. Read it as a poem as you go. In the other direction, you are on the "Way of Meditation," which offers thoughtful phrases, such as, "Every journey begins near to you." Read the thought, and meditate on it as you continue to the next sign. 

I won't print out all the words here; I want you to discover them on your own.

And take time to notice other beautiful details along the way... It's a short walk, with a lot of beauty in a small space.

When you're driving to Orta, before parking the car in the large parking lots near the historic city center, or once you leave, take a very quick detour and go to see the interesting little village of Legro, just a couple of minutes outside of the town of Orta.

Since 1998 Legro has been a part of a rather special group of 127 Italian towns, the L'Associazione Italiana Paesi Dipinti, the Association of Italian Towns. Many walls of the tiny village are painted with colorful frescoes. The subjects of the murals painted on the walls of the village were mostly inspired by the work of the local poet and writer Gianni Rodari, and by films made in the Lake Orta area. I've posted a few photos I took on a recent drive through the town; I'll leave you to discover the rest on your own!

They offer everything from a simple aperitivo, to light meals and pizzas, to formal meals. We stopped there for a Sunday morning aperitivo and decided to stay for lunch. You can even cater weddings and events here, and when you see the location you'll see why. There's a beach club on one side, offering rental paddle boats, and a grass park area on the other, where you can picnic. And there is parking, if you get there at a lucky time. Otherwise, park along the road, as you will see everyone else doing. 

Take a look at the gorgeous photos on their website; you'll want to make this your "secret" place in Orta too. 

Website with all information: www.lucisullago.com

Whether you are an avid gardener who plans your vacations around visiting great botanical parks, or just appreciate the beauty of nature, Stresa is a perfect destination for you. It's not for nothing that it has been voted one of the most floral small cities in Italy! We've spoken about and visited several of the gardens close to Stresa in other posts, now let's list them all together here in one place as a helpful planning guide. Trust me... even if you don't consider yourself a plant person, try to fit at least one garden visit into your itinerary. These are all as particular to Stresa as are the Borromean Islands, and every bit as impressive. Here are the main gardens in or near to Stresa:

Palazzo Borromeo, Isola Bella:

Speaking of the islands, this garden is located there. Enter the fantastical Italianate Baroque-style garden on Isola Bella by going through the Palazzo Borromeo. Designed in the 1600s by the early Borromeo developers of the island, the gardens are unique for the ten tiers of terraces, the large shell statuary 'stage' that greets you after exiting the palace, dozens of statues, obelisks and columns, and of course, the symbol of the Borromees, the unicorn, who presides over it all from above. Look for individual gardens such as il Giardino d'Amore, the Azalea garden, and the Giardino di Fiori. Take photos of the very tame white peacocks that stroll the grounds. Consider taking a guided tour or an audio guided through the palace and gardens... you will gain so much more in this way. Take the ferry from either Stresa ferry stop to reach Isola Bella.

Cost: There are many different ticket prices, based on age, whether you are also visiting Isola Madre, la Rocca Anghera or the painting gallery, or whether you would like a guided tour. Visit the chart here to decide. 

Main website:  http://www.borromeoturismo.it/

Wow! Look at these views! These photos are from the website of the Funivia del Lago Maggiore, as it's called in Italian, but we all call it the Laveno "Bucket Lift." We call it this because the journey up the mountain is not in a gondola, or a chairlift, but truly in a large bucket that you stand in.

Having taken the ride, I can tell you that it is not as scary as it sounds. Here are some facts: The ride takes 16 minutes, and brings you to the top of Sasso del Ferro, an altitude of 1,100 meters. It's silent, and if you're truly nervous, there are also closed "buckets" you can choose to ride in. At the top, there is a restaurant and a bar, along with a park area, and a launching pad where you can watch the hang gliders, which I found fascinating.