Ten 'D' Things To Like About Stresa

Dolls – At the Rocca Borromeo, in Anghera across the lake from Stresa, there is the Doll Museum, an extraordinary collection of over 1,000 dolls, toys, books, dolls' furniture and table and board games, one of the most important museums of its kind in Europe.

Dolce – Stresa has two of its very own dolci, One is the Margheritine di Stresa, which was originally made for Princess Margherita di Savoia for when she would stay at the Ducal Villa. It’s a buttery cookie with a white meringue topping. The second Stresa sweet is the Baci di Stresa. It’s a combination of dark chocolate and hazelnut, swirled over a soft cookie. These are famous and not inexpensive; I have brought both back for my classmates in the U.S. to enjoy.

Ducal Villa – Princess Margherita’s home in Stresa. But before that the luxurious residence, built in the late 1700s by Giacomo Bolongaro, a wealthy Stresiani, was where the rich, famous, and royalty would stay when visiting Stresa. Ducal Villa and its gardens are open to the public now and houses the International Rosminiani Study Centre.

Dickens, as in Charles – Stresa has had so many fans, and one of them was British writer Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens said of Isola Bella during a visit in 1844, "For however fanciful and fantastic the Isola Bella may be, and is, it still is beautiful," words that are still true to this day.

Dolcetto – Dolcetto, the wonderful red wine produced in Dogliani, in Piemonte. Try Dolcetto with some of the traditional Northern Italian dishes, such as brasato and polenta, because as they say, “When it grows together, it goes together.” Or just sample a glass for aperitivo at a local café.

Dangerous curves - Although they scare me sometimes I love the switchbacks and tight curves on the mountain roads that lead in and out of Stresa. And I'm proud to say I learned, (well, practiced), driving a manual car on those roads.

Duomo – No, Stresa doesn’t have its own Duomo. But if you go up to the top of Mt. Mottarone, either by car or with the cableway from Stresa, on a clear day you can see the golden statue on top of the Duomo in Milano. It’s a breathtaking view.

Dam a Tra – This is a wonderful little restaurant in Verbania, the next town over from Stresa. They specialize in regional Piemontese dishes, so expect to find here things like brasato al carema, truffle dishes, and the wonderful bonet dessert. The name Dam a Tra is Piemontese dialect; the words mean “Trust Me”.

Dormelletto Cane Thicket Preserve - For nature lovers there is the cane thicket natural park at Dormelletto. This large, protected area, the last of its kind on the western side of Lago Maggiore, serves an important natural function in the filtering and cleaning of the lake waters, as well as providing a habitat for over 100 species of birds and fish. For those of the human species there are bike trails, a beach, and campsites.

Drives – There are so many scenic drives one can take from here. There are local ones, such as to the top of Mottarone, or along the lake. And longer, day trips, such as to the wine country of Piemonte, or through the Swiss Alps in Ticino, Switzerland. It’s even easily possible, and I have done it, to take a drive to Chamonix in France, or down to the Ligurian coast, and be back to Stresa in time for dinner.

That’s ten, and you know what? I could keep going… Thanks again to girasoli of shaved ice and gelato for the idea. I know it’s given me some new thoughts on future posts for the site, and I hope it’s given you some ideas of things to visit. Who knows, maybe this will become a recurring feature, there are 25 other letters after all… Any other 'D' ideas? Dimmi... :-)