It would seem inopportune not to take advantage of Switzerland’s central geographic position in Europe. Bordering France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein means travel to and from these countries is incredibly convenient. Even though Switzerland isn’t technically an EU member, it is part of the Schengen Treaty—making border crossings seamless, and sometimes so much so that you don’t even realize you’ve entered another country.
It was thanks to this ease—and the fact that Cedar wanted to add a few more pushpins to his world map of countries visited—that we decided to head to Italy for a mini vacation (from our vacation). We’ve been to Italy a few times before and love it—the people, the food, the culture—and of course, the fact that it’s notably easier on the pocketbook didn’t hurt either.
We settled on the lakeside town of Stresa, based on solid recommendations from our Swiss friends. With temperatures hitting the mid-30s, it seemed like the perfect place to ride out a heat wave. After a little research and some last-minute Expedia luck, we landed on a charming little hotel— Hotel Della Torre—with great rates, beautiful rooms, and an even better-looking pool.
From our apartment doorstep, we figured we could leave just before lunch and be poolside in Stresa by check-in at 3 p.m. And thanks to the Swiss being tunneling experts (like the dwarves Cedar and I are reading about in The Hobbit), the journey was even more exciting for him. We’d be traveling through one of the longest tunnels in the world—the Simplon Tunnel, between Brig and Domodossola.
Cedar, has always been fascinated by building things, engineering, and of course, trains. So logically, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing tunnels lately: how they work, how they’re built, why they are built, how much travel time they save… and, of course, whether we might actually see dwarves inside the tunnel—and if so, would they be friendly dwarves? His curiosity is a powerful thing.
Our plan went off without a hitch. Even with the train connection between Domodossola and Stresa temporarily offline for renovations, the replacement buses were easy to navigate. And while they didn’t run with quite the same clockwork efficiency as the Swiss Postbus, they got us exactly where we needed to be.
Stresa sits on the shore of Lake Maggiore, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It’s about the same distance from Milan as Chilliwack is from Vancouver—roughly 100 km. I realized that in my last couple of posts I’ve been light on the history, so here we go…
Stresa was first mentioned on January 15, AD 998 as Strixsya (later Strexia, Strexa, and Stresia). In 1014, Emperor Henry II donated it to the female Benedictine monastery of San Felice of Pavia. By the 15th century, it had grown into a fishing village under the rule of the Visconti of Milan, and later came under the control of the Borromeo family…
Kidding—I’ll spare you the full 1,000+ years of history. What I will say is that Stresa is one of the most picturesque lakeside towns I’ve ever visited. Continuing on our Belle Époque kick, Stresa was another key stop on the 19th-century Grand Tour and remains a haven for artists and writers to this day. From our hotel window, we had a perfect view of the Borromean Islands—Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Isola dei Pescatori—still owned by the Borromeo family. And for literature buffs, the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées is famous for hosting the writer Hemingway, who featured it in A Farewell to Arms.
Of course, I find all of this fascinating and spent a fair bit of time researching it to share with my travel companions. Unfortunately, they were both far more interested in the pool (and the opening hours of the pool bar) than in my history lessons. Sigh.
Check-in was flawless, and we booked our dinner reservation at the hotel restaurant before heading to the pool to relax for the rest of the day. The weather was scorching hot, but luckily the pool bar was well-stocked. Even mid-afternoon, there was plenty of space, and Cedar was one of just two kids splashing around, practicing cannonballs and living his best life.
He can be pretty shy at times, but was definitely interested in the family with the little girl—who looked to be about Cedar’s age— they seemed to be speaking a mix of English, French, and maybe Spanish… they definitely spoke the universal language of prosecco. Everyone looked up when we popped the cork, and with a thumbs up and a friendly wave, we met Manuella, Esther, and Nina.
After a few minutes of small talk, we learned that Manuella and Nina (mom and daughter) were from Switzerland, and Esther (a family friend) was from Bilbao, Spain. Cedar found out that Nina was just a few months younger than him, and that they both loved swimming, cannonballs, and splashing their parents in the face—pretty much a match made in heaven.
The best news? We were all starting our hotel stay at the same time, which meant more pool time together in the coming days. With our dinner reservation time fast approaching, Cedar needed some time to get into his fancy new Italian dinner clothes, so we said our goodbyes with a promise to meet poolside again the next day.
Dinner was a fixed menu—classic Italian fare, with an appetizer, starter, main course, and dessert—and it was delicious. Cedar couldn’t believe they kept bringing dish after dish. We were used to Swiss dinners (served at our usual dinner hour), which tend to be smaller due to the larger midday meal. So after a massive meal, it was off to bed with full stomachs and dreaming of what adventures the next day might bring.
