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3.5 Stars - 22 Opinions
free roaming wildlife on Isola Madre
streets of Stresa
Beer at Villino Beniamino, by Alpino station.
On the lake shore
Well, I was a little bit disapointed with the look of the townlet, which is just ordinary like many other small places with no importance. Except for the small protected medieval harbour, there is nothing else in Stresa worth of note.
Borromean Islands are a group of four islands on the west side of Lago Maggiore off Baveno and Stresa. Stresa is Lake's Maggiore's principle resort since 19th century, with many high stars hotels, villas and easy access to the Borromean Islands.
The Mottarone mountain, right at the back of Stresa, is 1491 metres high. The view from its top is outstanding. Not only you can see the Lake Maggiore from there, but also other lakes such as Orta and Monate.
I went there by car (about 25 km from the town) but there is also a cableway from Stresa.
I have read in several publications that it is possible to see seven lakes from the top of the Mottarone, however I could not see the Lugano lake nor the Mergozzo lake, so in my count there are only five well visible lakes. Anyway the view was so beautiful I cannot say I was disappointed.
Next to the public pier, opposite from the small harbor, were the tour vendors. I have found that in all of the Italian lake towns you find this version of what I call the "Italian navy" (with apologies to the actual Italian Navy). These always handsome, very macho skippers, gawk at the women (my cara Italiana amica, AnnaMaria, tells me this is "che bambola") and try to encourage you to engage them to take you to one of the nearby islands. The islands themselves have gardens worthy of strolling around in.
According to the legend, in ancient times the Borromeo Islands were dedicated to the worship of Venus. The most famous of the Borromeo islands, Isoala Bella, look like a vessel, adorned with hanging gardens and stunning architectural styles. Only a small part of this former fishing village has remained the same. The rest of the island was transformed upon request of Carlo Borromeo and his son Vitaliano.
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Address: Via Sempione Nord 47, Stresa, Lake Maggiore, 28838, Italy
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