Shifting
Breakfast at Hotel du Parc was good with a good selection of muesli, pastries, bread, cheese and cold cuts. But the place was a little over our budget. We just needed to book somewhere for the first night to give us certainty, since we had a long day coming from Downham Market.
We walked down to Elena Hotel to check out the rooms available. We chose one at the back to avoid the evening sun and the noise from the square. Returning by car with our luggage proved a little hair-raising. The road between the hotels was windy and narrow. Never get a big rental car in Italy!
Text continues after this gallery.
-
- View of Stresa from our hotel.
-
- Public area of our hotel.
-
- Lots of stairs at our hotel; down down down.
-
- We moved to the cheaper hotel in the background.
Exploring Lake Maggiore
At midday we took the boat on a short 400m journey to Isola Bella, home to a palace Palazzo Borromeo and its lovely gardens. These were built in the 1600-1700s.
Text continues after this gallery.
-
- Stresa as viewed from Lake Maggiore.
-
- Isola Bella.
-
- Isola Bella with its gardens.
-
- Isola Bella.
-
- Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Gardens of Isola Bella.
-
- Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella.
-
- Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella.
We continued to the small island of Isola Superiore Dei Pescatori. We had a brief walk on its narrow streets and cobbled alleys before continuing to the last island Isola Madre.
Isola Superiore Dei Pescatori
Isola Superiore Dei Pescatori
On Isola Madre, there was another Palazzo Borromeo which also had nice gardens. We didn’t feel like paying for another entrance so just wandered on the outside. It was very hot in the sun but nice in the shade, especially if there is a breeze.
We returned to Stresa around 1600. While Stresa, the lake and the isles are touristy, it didn’t feel as bad as parts of Spain.
We took dinner back at Caffe Torino. This time we went for the spaghetti carbonara with ratatouille, accompanied with a very good tomato salad.
Back at the room, I noticed how it has external roller blinds (as with many homes here). When fully lowered, it has little gaps for light and ventilation. I later realised that one can compress the gaps between the slats so that it becomes pitch black.
I guess that comes in useful when the sun rises early in the height of summer, or when one needs an afternoon siesta. It was still light at 2200 here. I love summer!