What is Stresa known for?

Three Borromeo islands offshore: Isola Bella with the Baroque palazzo, Isola Madre with the botanical park, Isola dei Pescatori with the fishing village. Lakefront opened to international tourism in 1863 with the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, host to Hemingway and the Stresa Conference of 1935. Classical music festival held each late summer since 1962, in venues across the town and on Isola Bella.

When is the best time to visit Stresa?

Apr–Oct. April through June is the green window on Lake Maggiore: Isola Bella's terraced gardens in flower, the ferries running full timetable, and the lakefront promenade open without the August press. July and August are warm and crowded; the centro empties between two and four in the afternoon heat, and the islands fill on day trips from Milano. The Settimane Musicali run from late August into September, the busiest cultural weeks of the year. September and October are the second peak, with clearer light on the Borromean group and the camellias on Isola Madre still in flower. November through March is quiet, occasionally foggy; many lakefront hotels close, the ferries reduce schedule, and the islands shift to winter visiting hours.

Stresa is a comune in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont region of Italy, about 63 kilometers from Novara.

How do I get to Stresa?

From Novara, Stresa is roughly 63 km by road.

Stresa, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

Known for

BORROMEAN ISLANDS
Three Borromeo islands offshore: Isola Bella with the Baroque palazzo, Isola Madre with the botanical park, Isola dei Pescatori with the fishing village.
GRAND HOTEL ERA
Lakefront opened to international tourism in 1863 with the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, host to Hemingway and the Stresa Conference of 1935.
SETTIMANE MUSICALI
Classical music festival held each late summer since 1962, in venues across the town and on Isola Bella.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

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Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Sant'Ambrogio, 7 December

Why come

Stresa sits on the western shore of Lake Maggiore, ninety kilometers north of Milano on the line of the Simplon railway. The town first appears in documents in 998 as Strixsya. From the seventeenth century onwards it was the Borromeo lake stage: in 1632 Carlo III began the palazzo on the rocky island then known as l'isola inferiore, renaming it Isola Bella after his wife Isabella d'Adda.

Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori complete the Borromean group 400 meters offshore, reached by regular ferry from the two town piers. The grand-hotel era opened in 1863 with the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées on the lakefront, where Hemingway convalesced in 1918 and set part of A Farewell to Arms. Villa Pallavicino, established 1855, holds 18 hectares of botanical park and wildlife enclosures on the southern edge of town. The Settimane Musicali di Stresa, the lake's major classical festival, has run each late summer since 1962.

What to see

Isola Bella
Borromean island 400 meters offshore, with the Borromeo palazzo and Baroque terraced gardens begun in 1632 by Carlo III for his wife Isabella d'Adda.
Isola Madre
Largest of the Borromean islands, with the Borromeo villa and an 8-hectare botanical park of subtropical plants, the oldest English-style garden in Italy.
Isola dei Pescatori
Only continuously inhabited Borromean island, a fishing village of narrow lanes and lakefront trattorie, reached by the same ferry circuit.
Parco di Villa Pallavicino
18-hectare botanical park and wildlife enclosure on the southern edge of town, opened to the public in 1956, now part of the Borromean estate.
Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées
Lakefront grand hotel opened 1863, where Hemingway convalesced after the First World War and set part of A Farewell to Arms in 1918.
Funivia Stresa-Mottarone
Cableway up to the 1,491-meter summit of the Mottarone, with views over the lake, the Borromean group and the Monte Rosa massif to the west.

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

CasaBellaRistorante
CasaBella holds one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).
Il VerbanoRistorante
Il Verbano holds a Gambero Rosso listing.
La BotteRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at La Botte.
La RampolinaRistorante
La Rampolina holds a Gambero Rosso listing.
LeBolleRistorante
LeBolle carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Lo StornelloRistorante
Lo Stornello carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Osteria MercatoRistorante
Osteria Mercato has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
VerbanoRistorante
Verbano carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Grand Hotel Des Iles BorroméesHotel
Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromées carries a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Villa & Palazzo Aminta Beauty & SPAHotel
A Leading Hotels of the World listing, at Villa & Palazzo Aminta Beauty & SPA.
Villa e Palazzo AmintaHotel
Villa e Palazzo Aminta holds a place in the Michelin hotel guide.

Living here

Population 4,599
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 38 min drive
Regional capital Torino, 1 h 39 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

Ski Area

The numbers

Elevation: 200 m
Population: 4,599
Surface area: 35.36 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Novara

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.