Stresa

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Stresa, as seen from the Borromean Islands

Stresa is a small town of about 5,000 inhabitants on the shores of the Lago (Lake) Maggiore and situated on the road and rail routes to the Simplon pass in the region of Piedmont in Italy.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Transportation
4 External links

[edit] History

The name of the city first appeared in documents in 998.

For centuries Stresa has been a popular retreat for Europe's aristocratics, who have endowed the town with a number of villas.

One famous visitor in 1948 was Ernest Hemingway who set part of his novel Farewell to Arms in the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees and in 2002 Stresa hosted the 10th International Hemingway Conference.

Stresa is also known for hosting two political conferences in the 20th century:

In 1935, in which the UK, Italy and France decided to form the Stresa front to combat and contain Nazi Germany and re-affirm the Treaty of Locarno.
In 1958: the foundations for what was later to become the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Economic Community were laid down in Stresa.

[edit] Main sights

Villa Ducale, commissioned by Giacomo Filippo Bolongaro and dating from about 1770. In 1848 the villa passed to the Italian philosopher Antonio Rosmini-Serbati and today it houses the International Centre for Rosminian Studies.
Villa Dell'Orto built in 1900. It was commissioned by the painter Liberto Dell'Orto and designed by Boffi.
The large Villa Pallavicino, between Stresa and Belgirate. It was the inspiration of Ruggero Bonghi in the 1850s and now is the site of a zoological park.

[edit] Transportation

Regular boat services from the town's two docks provide access to the nearby Borromean Islands and a 20 minute cable car ride leads to the summit of Monte Mottarone.