Stresa city tour.
Stresa, known as the “Pearl of Lake Maggiore”, is considered the most prestigious and charming tourist centre on the lake. Only 80 km. separate this famous resort centre from Milan.
A once modest village of farming and fishing became in the 19th century a privileged holiday destination for the European aristocracy and the upper bourgeoisie. The tunnels built during this period through the Alps connected the area with the countries of Europe by a network of railways. The rave reviews of famous travellers, including Dickens, Dumas, Dostoevsky, Stendhal, Wagner, Byron and many others, made Stresa and other places on Lake Maggiore an ideal holiday destination. The ardent Stendhal declared without a shadow of a doubt “If you only have a heart and a shirt, sell your shirt and go to the shores of Lake Maggiore.”
The numerous villas that line the lake are magnificent. Particularly famous is Villa Pallavicino, which will be mentioned separately. From Stresa’s marina there are boats to all parts of Lake Maggiore and the Borromeo Islands.
Stresa is an ideal departure point for many excursions.
A short distance from the marina is the town’s main church, dedicated to St Ambrosius. Inside you can admire the remarkable 16th and 17th century paintings of the Lombard school.
It is also home to the relics of the martyr St Vitalian, perhaps the youngest of all Christian saints, aged just 10 months. A noble lady, a native of Stresa, obtained permission from the Pope to transfer the relics from the Roman catacombs.
The city’s seafront is home to some of the most exclusive hotels in the world. Their guests have included numerous royalty, American millionaires Vanderbilt, Morgan and Rothschild, writers Bernard Shaw, Hemingway and Steinbeck.
Shoppers will enjoy visiting the many shops, while gourmets will find the local culinary tradition: cheeses from the nearby mountain valleys, ham and sausages made from venison and other game, traditional pastries.
Stresa is not just a starting point for lake walks. The cable car takes you up Mount Mattarone, which will be described separately.
The Stresa Music Festival, now in its 49th year from May to September, is internationally renowned.
