Sunday & Monday, Sept 18 & 19

Just when we thought we couldn't find a more beautiful place on earth than Bellagio, we find ourselves in Stresa. Beautiful little islands (Borromees Islands) scattered around the large lake of Lago Maggiore with towering mountains as a backdrop. The views here are simply stunning!!! We're staying in a huge Old World, over the top Baroque style hotel, the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees where Ernest Hemingway loved to stay when in the area. Apparently he wrote wrote A Farewell to Arms here and used the hotel as a setting for portions of the novel. We are here for 3 nights.






Yesterday we took a short boat ride to Isola Bella- it remains true to it's name (beautiful!) - where the Borommeo family who ruled this area in the 16th & 17th centuries had built a massive palace that takes up about 2/3 of the island.








Filled with opulently decorated rooms and surrounded with beautiful gardens with white peacocks. Also visited Isola Pescetoria, an island with an old fishing village - disappointing place over run with tourists and with nothing other than souvenir shops and pizza stands.

Today we strolled in to the town of Stresa and poked about. Then got in the car and took a 40 min drive over to a neighboring lake to visit the medieval town of Orta San Giulio. We took a short boat ride to a tiny island off the coast of the town which is home to a beautiful Basilica and Benedictine monastery.





Everywhere there are signs and messages about silence - a beautiful and contemplative spot.

Off to Locarno, Switzerland in the morning via panoramic train.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Stresa