Activities around Stresa on the Lake Maggiore, known as gateway for the Borromean Islands:

There is no question that the main draw in Stresa is the visit to the Borromean Islands. Each of them has its own distinctive character and all three are only a quick boat ride away from Stresa. Yet there is more to do around this north Italian town not far from Switzerland. Find in the following some of the best activities around Stresa. Its location on Lake Maggiore, Italy’s second largest, contributes to the diversity of attractions. It is about sightseeing yet also about walking. While Stresa itself is not a large town, there are many more nearby worthwhile to be explored. And you can reach them not only by car but also by train and by boat. The latter due to the fact that most towns are situated directly on the lake.

Unfortunately, my husband and I only stayed four nights in Stresa, which was not nearly long enough to cover all the interesting activities here. So, I will not only report on what we did, but also provide a bucket list for more things to do. If you want to know about the town of Stresa, oozing lots of old-word charm, I wrote a short chapter about in my last post. Now to some of the best activities here. I start with walking/hiking and continue with other things to do.

3 of the best walks/hikes around Stresa

Before coming to three easy to moderate walks/hikes around Stresa, first a recommendation for a leisure stroll in town. As most other lakeside towns in Italy, Stresa features a lungolago. This translates into a lakeside promenade. You could start your passeggiata (afternoon stroll) either southeast or northwest from the town center. I lean towards the first, where you begin southeast from the ferry dock. The journey takes you past a couples of cafes and stately turn-of-the-century buildings. Furthermore, the 2 km (1.3 mi)-long lakeside promenade has lots of statues, fountains and flower beds. And always when gazing out on the lake, there is the beautiful Isola Bella too. To get started, make this easy activity as one of your first in Stresa to get your bearings!

Now to some more serious walks/hikes in the Stresa region. I start with the shortest one and end with one that I have not yet done.

1. Out and back around Villa Taranto in Verbania (easy walk/hike)

Link to track on Outdooractive (only one way – back – without botanical garden – Villa Taranto)

Pallanza – Via Vittorio Veneto – Villa Taranto – Via Vittorio Veneto – Pallanza

Duration: about 2 – 3 hours / Length: about  5.8 km (3.6 mi) / Ascent/Descent: less than 100 m (328 ft)

My husband and I wanted to combine the visit of the Villa Taranto botanical garden with a lakeside walk. So, this is basically another lungolago walk (just as the one mentioned above in Stresa) plus a stroll to criss cross Verbania’s beautiful botanical garden.

Tour description

We decided to start the walk in Verbania’s neighboring town, Pallanza. And we found that this place also has a remarkable historic center by the lake.

While the first part of the walk is along a street with moderate traffic, this is not for long. That is because the street quickly turns into some sort of shared bicycle and footpath with almost no cars around. It is along the lake with the one or other pretty turn-of-the-century building and splendid views over the water.

En route, a short stop at Parco di Villa Giulia

is worthwhile before continuing to Villa Taranto,

the actual destination of the the walk. Here, you can easily spend one to two hours to take in the botanical garden’s highlights. It features 7 km (4.3 mi) of paths with thousands of species of trees and flowers from all over the world. The way back to your starting point in Pallanza is the same you came.

2. Loop around Lake Mergozzo in Verbania (easy to moderate walk/hike)

Link to track on Outdooractive

Montorfano – Mergozzo – Montorfano

Duration: 2 – 3 hours / Length: 8 km (5 mi) – Ascent/Descent: 242 m (794 ft)

Lake Mergozzo is a small but charming lake, 15 minutes by car away from Stresa. It actually was the westernmost part of Lake Maggiore, some centuries ago. Nowadays, it is one of Italy’s cleanest lakes and barred to motorboats. You find here also the pretty town of Mergozzo.

Not only has it a lovely lakeside setting, but also a nice historic center. The tour I am going to describe is a circumnavigation of this lake, as I think one of the best activities around Stresa. And the town of Mergozzo, marking the halfway point, merits a visit by itself.

Tour description

The walk starts at a small beach called Spiaggia La Rustica, which is by the way a really nice bathing place.

Right before reaching it, there is a small number of parking spaces. Alternatively, you can leave your car at the nearby train station of Verbania Pallanza (so you can arrive by train too). The trail first leads through a wooded area

before coming to a campground, which you are allowed to traverse. Once done, there is a short stretch along the main road before you reach a trail up into the wood. Alternatively, you also could continue along the road. In the former case, the trail descends to the main road shortly before Mergozzo. Soon, you reach the town’s lungolago (lakeside promenade).

Be sure to check out this lovely town before taking up your way back to your start.

This time, you walk along an ancient mule track, which is mostly cobblestoned.

Shortly before the end of the walk, you come to an asphalt road. Turn left downhill to reach your starting point. You could also proceed uphill to get a look at Montorfano. This is a peaceful settlement with the remarkable Romanesque church of San Giovanni Battista.

Apparently, there is also a worthwhile viewpoint of Lake Maggiore a bit further up, but we missed it.

3. One way from Stresa to Belgirate via the Chestnut Trail (easy to moderate walk/hike)

Link to track on Outdooractive (not done)

Stresa – Villa Pallavicino – Passera – Belgirate (back by boat or train)

Duration: 2 – 3 hours / Length: 7.8 km (4.8 mi) / Ascent/Descent: 283 m (929 ft)

As I have not done this trail yet I cannot share insights from personal experience. But I saw it mentioned often on the internet, so I concluded it must be worthwhile doing. The Chestnut Trail connects Stresa with Belgirate via an ancient mule track, which is further up the hill. Yet it does not require a steep hike up. The trailhead to this path is even marked on Google Map (Inizio Sentiero dei Castagni Stresa). It is close to Parco Pallvicino (see below). Once arrived in Belgirate you can take the boat or the train to return to Stresa. I will not offer a tour description as I have not walked the trail.

After elaborating on walks in the Stresa area, now to less strenuous activities here.

Some of the best activities around Stresa

I start with a sight in the town of Stresa before going into the most popular thing to do in the area, just off the coast of Stresa. Of course, it is about the Borromean Islands.

1. Parco Pallavicino in Stresa

This is about the Villa Pallavicino, located on the outskirts of Stresa towards Belgirate. I have not been here yet, so the information provided is based on “hearsay”. You need about ten minutes by foot from Stresa’s ferry to reach Parco Pallavicino. The property was purchased by the Pallavicino family back in 1862, who transformed the simple dwelling standing here into a splendid neoclassical-style villa. They did this complete with creating a gorgeous park full of diverse plants and statues. In 1952 finally, Marquise Luisa, began to welcome animals from all over the world. And in 1956, the Pallavicino family transformed their estate into a zoo open to the public.

Nowadays, the park is home to over 50 species of animals, including zebras, wallabies or also native deer. In addition, there are a cafe and playground. The villa however is not open to the public. For sure, visiting Parco Pallavicino is one of the best activities in Stresa when traveling with kids.

2. The Borromean Islands, off the coast of Stresa

About the Borromean Islands

A boat trip to the Borromean Islands is a must-do activity when being in Stresa, also known as the “Eden of Italy”! It is about three idyllic islands: Isola Bella, the most notable, Isola Madre, the most peaceful, and Isola dei Pescatori, the busiest.

It is possible to visit all three islands by boat from Stresa’s ferry in one day. In case you can only go to one of them, choose Isola Bella, the masterpiece of the trio.

If you wish to omit one, I would leave out Isola dei Pescatori.

While they say you find here an old fishing village, unchanged by time, my husband and I judge it differently. We encountered mainly an island with only restaurants and souvenir shops.

About the Borromeo family

Now to what is behind the Borromean Islands. Originally, they were home to the aristocratic Borromeo family. They were merchants in San Miniato near Florence around 1300 and became bankers in Milan after 1370. Between the 14th and 17th century they were able to gain control of an “almost state” in the Valdossola/Lake Maggiore area within the Duchy of Milan. This “Borromeo’s State” ended in 1797 with Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion. However, the family could keep their ample estates, one of them the Borromean Islands. And they still own the majority of them (Bella and Madre).

How to visit the Borromean Islands

When it comes to how to visit the Borromean Islands, I would suggest using Navigazione del Lago Maggiore (NLM), the official Italian state owned company. This because their boats run frequently and this also into the afternoon. Usually, in shoulder and high season, you have to wait not more than half an hour until a boat arrives (on a hop-on hop-off basis). You can buy tickets online or onsite inside the ferry building, either right before your trip or earlier (we bought them the previous day).

My favorite Borromeon Islands, Isola Bella & Isola Madre

Now some short words to Isola Bella and Isola Madre, my two favorites among the Borromean Islands. The former draws more people than the latter. And I already knew if from an earlier visit quite some years ago, undertaken from Ascona/Switzerland, which was quite a trip.

By no doubt, Isola Bella is the chef d’oeuvre of this trio.

There are a palace and a garden (one entrance fee for both) brought together in the form of an imaginary ship (Palazzo Borromeo). Originally, Isola Bella – named after Isabella, countess Borromeo – mostly was an empty rock. Vast quantities of soil were brought in to build a system of ten terraces for the garden. The unfinished building displays paintings and tapestries.

Isola Madre, the largest of the three islands, is also noted for its gardens.

They are kept as an English-style botanic garden with lots of rare plants and exotic flowers.

Yet the (uninhabited) palace is quite a sight too. It is beautifully decorated with 16th to 19th century Italian masterpieces and paintings.

After going into Stresa’s main sights, there is much more to do a bit further away.

3. Verbania with Villa Taranto and Villa Giulia

Verbania is the largest town on the lake and from what I heard – I have not been to the town center – not overrun by tourists.

As all the other lakeside towns on Lake Maggiore, it has its lungolago (lakeside promenade). Plus, there are the botanical garden of Villa Taranto and the country house of Villa Giulia (see above walk No 1). While the former persuades with its 3,000 plants from all over the world (villa is closed to the public), the latter can be visited on the occasion of exhibitions and other events.

4. Town hopping from Stresa

Apart from Verbania there are more towns you should not miss, so town hopping from Stresa is a recommended activity when staying here. And many can be reached both by boat and train. Unfortunately, my husband and I had only time to visit one of these places worthwhile seeing. It is about Sesto Calende,

where we stopped on our transfer from Alba to Stresa. It is right at the bottom of the lake, a pretty town where Lake Maggiore becomes the river Ticino. Not only boasts it an attractive historic center but there are also great lidos and lots of opportunities to walk along the water.

Further up the lake in the direction of Stresa, you come across Arona. It seems to be a quaint medieval town. You find here the bronze statue of Saint Carlo Borromeo (see above section about the Borromeo family), overlooking the town. Saint Carlo was the patriarch of the Borromeo presence in the area.

Right across the lake is Rocca di Angera, the Borromeo family’s imposing fortress. It is an impressive accumulation of five different constructions, built between the 11th and 17 the centuries. It is home of the 12-room Museo della Bambola with the Borromeo family’s collection of dolls. Plus, you can visit the vineyards that surround the fortress.

Another impressive sight is Santa Caterina del Sasso, a monastery located less than half an hour by car north from Rocca di Angera. The three buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries cling spectacularly to the steep rocky precipice. If you come by car, you either climb down more than 200 steps or use the lift (for a fee). When arriving by boat, you have to ascend 80 steps from the ferry quai.

Looking back at my Piedmont mini-series

This very post about what to do around Stresa is the last of seven posts concerning a Piedmont trip that my husband and I recently undertook. Before, I wrote about the best (Michelin) fine-dining restaurants around this town on the Lake Maggiore in the Piedmont’s north. And the first blogpost gave details to the top luxury accommodation in this area close to Switzerland, Boutique Hotel Stresa.

I covered exactly the same three topics for another Piedmont region further south, the wine region around Alba (where to stay and dine in style and what to do). All this was introduced by a 11-day Piedmont itinerary that included not only the area around Alba and Stresa but also two stopovers. One of those was in Caluso, north of Turin, the other in the Swiss west.

Date of stay: July 2024

Pin it for later

The post Some of the best things to do around Stresa in the northern Piedmont/Italy first appeared on Swiss Traveler