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Q: Dana, If you are all about Stresa, you must have visited Baveno, just a few kilometers away. In Baveno on the at the main parking area where you can take the Ferryboat to the Islands there is a bar. It is call Bar l'incontro. Proprietor's Wanda and Gianni Mazzoni. If one were to stand at thier outdoor cafe seating and look directly accross the street there is a wonderful restaurant (Italian of course) I was wondering if you might know or recall the name. I working on a photo book I did of my trip there with my husband last October 2008 and I unfortunately forgot to make note of the name of that restaurant where we had dinner on the first day we arrived. I also visited the lovely city of Stresa. I too have my sights on living in one of the lakeside cities. There are all beautiful it would be hard for me to decide. I enjoyed Baveno as well as Stresa. If you know the restaurant I am speaking of in Baveno, I would greatly appreciate a reply and I thank you in advance for your time.


A: As soon as I saw the window I knew it was Ristorante Pizzeria Nazionale, and you describe the restaurant so perfectly! I have eaten there a few times, always in the front room that you mention. I like it a lot also; I find it very 'real', not touristy at all...

This reader is speaking about Ristorante Pizzeria Nazionale, located at Piazza Dante Alighieri, 26, in Baveno. They don't have a Web site at this time, and unfortunately I don't have a photo of the exterior. As this reader says however, it's well worth a visit if you're looking for an authentic and well-priced Italian meal. My first Italian pizza was eaten here... I remember well that it had radicchio and bresaola on it, a combination I thought strange at the time, but of course it was delicious. Its location at the Baveno imbarcadero also makes it an ideal choice if you're using either the boats or buses as transportation.