Stresa and the Borromean Islands: history, culture, and prestigious properties
A glimpse on Stresa, a renowned tourist location on Lake Maggiore
Stresa attracts thousands of tourists each year thanks to its mild weather, the lake view, its surrounding mountains, and its beautiful architecture. From Stresa’s lakefront, the Lungolago, the surrounding area almost looks like a painting, with mountains running as a seam between the blue water and sky, and with a view of the Borromean Islands. Broker Immobiliare Exclusive Real Estate lists luxury villas for sale on Lake Maggiore, a peaceful and picturesque area in northern Italy.
Stresa has many historic villas open to the public. One of the main historic buildings is Palazzo Pallavicino, in the park of the same name. Built in 1885 as a private dwelling for Neapolistan statesman Ruggero Borghi, it was acquired by the Pallavicino family in 1862. The family added on to the property, giving it a neoclassical look. The property has an eighteen-hectare park, which not only houses several statues but also the conservation zoo Parco Pallavicino.
Another noteworthy historic building is Palazzo Bolongaro. Also known as Villa Ducale – Duchess Elizabeth of Genova resided here in the mid 1800s – it was named after the man who had it built, Giacomo Filippo Bolongaro. He lived in Germany for a time, where he earned a fortune, and returned to Italy to build his ideal home. The palace also houses mythological frescoes, inlaid wood floors, and mosaic floors.
Stresa’s lakefront is dotted with sculptures and monuments, such as a statue for King Umberto, a monument for the Alpini (mountain infantry), and war monuments. And who would have thought that Stresa shares a detail with Copenhagen? Well, a mermaid statue stands on Lake Maggiore’s lakefront. It was sculpted out of Baveno pink granite by artist Raffaele Polli.
Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori (“fishers’ island) are just north of Stresa, while Isola Madre is further offshore. This small archipelago is named after the Borromeo Family, who owned it in the 1500s and 1600s. This powerful family hired the best architects and landscapers to care for the minutest details on Isola Bella. The seventeenth-century Palazzo Borromeo is on this island. It is a baroque villa and was the family’s dwelling. The palace’s interior, which nowadays houses a museum, are up to par with royal palaces, while the exterior is embellished with a beautiful Italian style garden and panoramic terrace with a 360-degree view.
Speaking of gardens, Isola Madre is mainly famous for the English garden Parco Botanico, which was however built in the 1800s, after the Borromeos’s era. The park has a surface of about eight hectares and has a wide variety of plants form the four corners of the earth, such as bamboo, magnolias, wisteria pergolas, citruses, rhododendrons, lotus flowers, water lilies, and many others. All this flora has acclimated on the island thanks to the mild weather, making for a true floral museum.
Isola dei Pescatori, also known as Isola Superiore, is the most peculiar island, as it is the only one out of the three to be inhabited, having however only about twenty dwellers. An old fishing village is on the island, which still has period houses with long balconies on which to dry fish. Other than these houses, its traditions are also historically peculiar, such as Ferragosto celebrations: this holiday is celebrated ferrying a statue of May around the island with a parade of boats.
Broker Immobiliare Exclusive Real Estate lists luxury villas for sale on Lake Maggiore, a peaceful and picturesque area in northern Italy.
Villa Elzabeth
Villa with swimming pool and panoramic views for ale on Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, in the hills behind Lesa, right between Stresa and Arona, set in its own garden of about 2000 sq. m. and arranged over three floors for a total of 450 sq. m.
Villa Rampolina
Exclusive contemporary style villa for sale on Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, with a park, pool, guesthouse, and panoramic views of the lake, the Alps. It overlooks the renowned city of Stresa, only a ten-minute drive from the property.