Villa Taranto in Verbania

 August 18, 2019

Though the weather forecast promised rain, I decided to take a chance at visiting Villa Taranto, an hour north from Stresa on Lago Maggiore, and caught the 8:10 a.m. ferry. Founded in 1931 by an Englishman, it is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens. 

Once I arrived, I discovered that I practically had the 60 hectare park to myself, and I saw more workers than tourists. 

Near the entrance, there was a dahlia garden with more than 350 varieties of flowers, and thousands of blooms. An amazing and beautiful display!

Unfortunately, many of the more dramatic flowers - wisteria, camellias, and rhododendrons - had already bloomed. But there were many other large floral displays that were impressive and colorful, along with waterfalls and a waterlily pond.  

When I’d walked halfway through the park, there was a short thunderstorm, but I was near a shelter , so I ran for cover and stayed there for 20 minutes with a young French couple and their toddler son.

By that time, I’d seen most of the displays, but there was a long walk to get back to the exit. Near the end of that walk, the sounds of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” filled the park from a score of well-spaced speakers. Though I love that music, I was glad to have been able to enjoy the park’s tranquil atmosphere for most of my stay.

Like the gardens on Isola Bella and Isola Madre, many large trees had been damaged or uprooted by a severe storm the previous week. I lucked out on the timing of my stay on Lago Maggiore, as there were storms before I arrived and rain was forecast for the following week, while I’d enjoyed mostly clear weather during my stay.

Borromeo Islands, Lago Maggiore

 August 17, 2019

One of the highlights of my stay in Stresa was visiting the three Borromeo Islands that float in the middle of the immense Lago Maggiore.

Isola Bella

Early one morning, I took the first possible ferry to Isola Bella, an old fishing village transformed by the Borromeo family during the years 1632-1671. It was crafted into a lovely complex that consists of a baroque palazzo and a terraced Italian-style garden with rare plants.

To see the gardens, it’s necessary to visit the Palazzo first, and there were many tour groups to wade through in the meantime. Once I got past them, I walked quickly through the opulent villa, as I’d seen many similar ones before and was anxious to see the gardens. 

My favorite area of the Palazzo was the six underground grottoes, encrusted with stones and shell motifs in mosaic designs. It’s amazing how pristine they still look after so many years. I spent most of my time visiting the gardens on the island, where white peacocks roaming amidst the cultured gardens made it seem even more exotic.

I traveled by ferry again to the smallest island, Isola dei Pescatori, still reminiscent of the fishing village that its name denotes. It had many restaurants and vendor booths, but little else to see, and I made a quick walk around the perimeter of the island before heading on. (sorry, no photos)

Isola Madre, the largest and most magnificent of the Borromeo islands was the last visit of the day. 

This time, the gardens came before the villa, which was rundown and of less interest to me, though it has period furnishings and a collection of 18^th and 19^th century puppet theaters.

The gardens on Isola Madre were vast, and I wandered around for over an hour, finding many tranquil spaces with few people around. By the time I left Isola Madre, I was wiped out and happy to return to my hotel. 

That evening I enjoyed an Aperol Spritz while sitting at the hotel’s outdoor café, listening to a guitar duo playing classical and popular music in the piazza facing the hotel. I especially enjoyed their rendition of an all-time favorite ballad, “Everybody’s Talking,” by Fred Neil. Since it was never a mainstream hit, it was surprising to hear it played by young Italians. I made a point of telling them it had been a favorite of mine for decades, while adding some euros to their take for the night. All in all, it was a rich day of interesting sights and sounds.

Stresa, Lago Maggiore, Monte Motterone

Lago Maggiore 

Spending six days in Stresa, on the western coast of Lago Maggiore, was a real delight. I landed there on the 14th of August, the eve of Ferragosto, the biggest Italian holiday of the summer, if not the year. On Ferragosto, everything in Italy grinds to a halt, and Italians go on vacation,  which often lasts the entire week.

A view from the balcony of my hotel room in Stresa

I had never been around for Ferragosto before, but I'd been warned: Stresa would be crowded with Italians that Thursday, and most of the following weekend. Fortunately, the worst crowds only lasted a day, and I did my best to avoid them. But the accompanying musical entertainment in nearby Piazza Cadorna was fun.

A tourist couple doing the tango in Piazza Cadorna.

The next day, I headed over to the Lido, where a funivia goes up Monte Motterone, where there are magnificent panoramic views of the lakes.

View from Monte Motterone

 There are three stages to the ride: two separate sections on the funivia (a hanging cable car), then a ride on a seggiovia (chair lift). It was a fun ride, both up and down the 1500 meter mountain. I was up there for several hours, taking photos of the 360° panoramic views, waiting for clouds to dissipate to get better views.

There was a bobsled ride at the summit, but I wasn't inclined to try it, and the long lines of people waiting to use it were an effective deterrent. On the way down, I got off the funivia at Alpino, and walked to a "Botanical Garden", which was not worth the 10-minute walk to find it or the 4 euro entrance fee, as the plants were dry and sad-looking. But it was quiet there, so I sat and enjoyed the view of the lake, getting some great photos of the expanse below me.

(Note:Unfortunately, in May of 2021, a cabin of the very cable car that I rode from Stresa to Monte Motterone crashed and fell into a wooded area of the mountainside, near the summit, killing 14 of 15 people that it was carrying. The ride was closed down and is no longer available.) 

Coming down on the funivia.

Riding the seggiovia.

The main attraction in Stresa was visiting the Borromeo Islands,  which I'll cover in a separate post. However, there was more to do in Stresa.  Several resort hotels boast large, beautiful gardens, and the long stretch of lungolago (walking path by the lake) is a lovely way to spend an hour.

Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees: made famous by Hemingway. The hotel was used as a hospital for recovering war veterans like Hemingway, following WWII. He returned later to visit the hotel,
and the room can still be reserved, for a hefty price.

 Another fun adventure from Stresa is the Lago Maggiore Express, which includes a three-hour relaxing boat ride on the lake to Locarno, Switzerland. Lago Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy, and the largest in southern Switzerland, so the lake and its shoreline are divided between Italy and Switzerland. After an hour stay in Locarno, there's a panoramic train ride through mountain passes to Domodossola, Italy, then a regional train back to Stresa.  It was a lovely way to spend the day, with wonderful views of the lake and nearby mountains.

On the Lago Maggiore Express

Of course, the Borromeo Islands are the main attraction in Stresa, and they'll be featured in a future post.