Stresa

Stresa
Comune
Comune di Stresa

Stresa and Lake Maggiore

Coat of arms
Stresa

Location of Stresa in Italy

Coordinates: 45°53′N 8°31′E / 45.883°N 8.517°E / 45.883; 8.517Coordinates: 45°53′N 8°31′E / 45.883°N 8.517°E / 45.883; 8.517
Country Italy
Region Piedmont
Province / Metropolitan city Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (VB)
Frazioni Brisino, Carciano, Levo, Binda, Passera, Someraro, Vedasco, Magognino, Stropino, Alpino, Mottarone, Isola Bella, Isola Pescatori.
Government
  Mayor Canio Di Milia
Area
  Total 33 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation 200 m (700 ft)
Population (30 September 2008)
  Total 5,155
  Density 160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Stresiani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 28838
Dialing code 0323
Patron saint Ambrose
Website Official website

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 90 kilometres (56 mi) northwest of Milan. Since the early 20th century, the main source of income has been tourism; like other places on Lake Maggiore, it benefits from spectacular views as well as areas of historical and architectural interest. It is situated on road and rail routes to the Simplon Pass.

History

The Grand Hotel in Stresa

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.

For centuries Stresa has been a popular retreat for Europe's aristocrats, who have endowed the town with a number of villas. Tourism increased substantially after tunneling of the Simplon Pass allowed train services from north of the Alps to pass through Stresa in 1906.

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 two notable political conferences in the 20th century:

Stresa is also the venue for the "Settimane Musicali"; one of Europe's important classical music international festivals which is held annually in the summer.

The cable car to Monte Mottarone

Transport

Regular boat services from the town's two docks provide access to the nearby Borromean Islands. The cable-car, currently closed for a €1.6 million refurbishment, offers a 20-minute ride to the summit of Monte Mottarone, with the Giardino Botanico Alpinia en route.

Main sights

Villa Pallavicino
A panorama of Lake Maggiore from Stresa pier
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Stresa.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stresa.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.