Stresa


Stresa is a town and comune of about 5,000 residents on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, about northwest of Milan. It is situated on road and rail routes to the Simplon Pass.

History

The name of this town first appeared in documents in AD 998.
In the 15th century, it grew into a fishing community and owed feudal allegiance to the Visconti family. It subsequently came under the control of the Borromeo family.
In 1948 American author and journalist Ernest Hemingway visited the town. He had set part of his 1929 novel Farewell to Arms in the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. In 2002 Stresa hosted the 10th International Hemingway Conference.
Stresa has played host to a number of political conferences in the 20th century, including in:
Stresa is also the venue for the "Settimane Musicali"; an international classical music festival which is held annually in the summer.

Transport

Regular boat services from the town's two docks provide access to the nearby Borromean Islands. The cable-car offers a 20-minute ride to the summit of Monte Mottarone, with the Giardino Botanico Alpinia en route.
Eurocity services connect to Milano, Berne and Geneva.

Main sights