Pleasant Thoughts of Stresa

There are few places of enchantment to match Stresa, the wonderful surprise that opens up to the eyes of the traveller journeying southwards from the Simplon Tunnel and Switzerland.
The shimmering lake to the left, very close to the railway, is startling. It isn't just that it's a beautiful stretch of water. Within the lake the Borromean islands of Isola Bella with its fine Borromean palace, Isola dei Piscatori, really a small island village, and Isola Madre just a little farther from the western shore, provide a pattern of islands that beg to be visited. They don't disappoint.
The embarcadero (ferry wharf) invites boarding to explore them all, especially Isola Bella and Isola dei Piscatori (the island of the fishermen). How often I dream of my times in Stresa and the islands!
The town has its own enchantment with many outside table cafes, flowers on display, and there is the cable car to the top of Motarone, the snow-topped mountain that overlooks Stresa. At the top is the delightful little church of St Maria of the Snow, a building that could hardly accommodate numbers greater than a moderately large family.
Interested in Stresa and the lake (Lago Maggiore)? It is featured in one of the early chapters of the book. One good reason to read Unpacking Italy.
It is my hope that you will enjoy reading it at least as much as I have enjoyed writing it. On each page, I found myself living again so much of the Italy which has fascinated me for so long. Stresa and Lago Maggiore are prominent in my rich experiences of the Italian peninsula. Perhaps if you read the book, you will be tempted to book a flight to enable you to enjoy Italy at first hand. Buon Viaggio!

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