Day trips from Milan without a car – Arona – Stresa, a boat trip

The ship’s itinerary runs along the southern part of Lake Maggiore, going back and forth between Piedmont and Lombardy. The itinerary can start from Arona and end in Stresa, or do it the other way around, starting from Stresa and ending in Arona.

This part of the boat trip takes about an hour, half an hour with the hydrofoil, but you will get a much better taste of the lake with the normal slow boat. With the low season there are few boat departures, around 3 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, and the service is suspended for a few months, so check the most recent schedule before you go.

If you start early enough in the morning, you can get off the boat at an intermediate landing, visit the site, and wait for the next boat, which will arrive in about an hour (check the timetable).

You can easily reach Arona from Milan in about an hour by train, on the state railway company Trenitalia, along the Sempione (Simplon) line. The same train line also stops in Stresa, so you can choose between the possible combinations to arrive at a starting point and leave from a different destination. The train takes between 12 and 17 minutes to cover the distance between Stresa and Arona.

You can of course also reach Arona, or Stresa, with a car, there is a motorway that runs on the Piedmont side of Lake Maggiore, and there are exits at both Arona and Stresa.

Arona

Arona is an important industrial, commercial and tourist center favored by the Sempione railway line and located in an excellent position in front of Angera and on the slopes of Monte Vergante. Perhaps it is already noted in Roman times, the first historical news dates back to the 11th century, when a captain of Otto I ordered the construction of a Benedictine convent. From the battles between Torriani and Visconti, which fought bitterly for this center, you can still see the ruins of the Rocca that originally dominated a crag from on high; but above all it was the Borromeos who established their feudal residence, maintaining their domain from the 5th to the 18th century, representing a historical and cultural presence of great importance.

The oldest core of the city stretches up into the hills and opens onto the beautiful Piazza del Popolo, where on the third Sunday of every month a small and picturesque antiques market takes place and where the Mannerist church of the Madonna is located. di Piazza, from the end of the 16th century. work of Pellegrino Tibaldi, preceded by a suggestive tiny staircase with two ramps – one and a progression of buildings with arcades, including the Casa de Podestá’ or from the 16th century. Palazzo di Giustizia (House of Justice).

Another sacred building of special importance is that of the 15th century. Collegiata (Collegiata) di Santa Maria Nascente, completed in the 17th century. by Cardinal Federico Borromeo. Internationally renowned is then the monumental statue of San Carlo Borromeo, a native of Arona, then San Carlone: ​​​​a huge copper colossus (it is possible to visit it inside), more than 20 meters high that, suspended on a high granite pedestal (11 meters), dominates the hill from above; it was finished in the late 17. cent. by Bernardo Falconi and Siro Zanelli on the stock of a design by the famous painter Cerano and at the initiative of the Oblate Marco Aurelio Grattarolo with the support of his cousin Carlo, Federico Borromeo.

In the square where the statue is located is also the 17th century. Seminary and the Church of San Carlo both by Francesco Richini. In Arona every year during the month of May an important trade fair is held.

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The boat leaves the pier a short distance from the train station, crosses the lake and lands on the Lombardy coast, in Angera, developed on the protruding hillside, from which it dominates with a splendid view of Verbano, the famous ancient Fortress .

Today a renowned holiday resort as well as an industrial center, Angera dates back to prehistoric times, as witnessed by the Mesolithic and Neolithic era finds discovered in the open grotto on the hill and engraver with the name “Tana del Lupo” (Cave of Wolves) or “Antro di Mithra” (Cave of Mithra), from the cult of the oriental divinity practiced during Roman times, when the center was called Stazzona. Some of these finds are on display at the Municipal Museum.

Along the shore of the lake there are horse chestnut trees and in front of the only islet of the intake – the small island of Pantegora surrounded by reed beds – the Fortress, which develops along the rocky crag.

Until the imposing 13th century. Tower, starting from the oldest nucleus, between the 14th and 15th centuries the viscount residence and the so-called “Scaligera wing” were added, until arriving, between the 6th and 7th centuries, at the current facilities of the U. Also noteworthy is the building itself, the heritage of historical and artistic value that is preserved inside: from the s. XIV. frescoes from the beautiful Sala di Giustizia to those of courtly Gothic taste from the Palazzo Borromeo in Milan (damaged by the bombing in 1943).

In addition, for some years now, the building has been the residence of the interesting Doll Museum, a collection of nearly 200 dolls and games that came from the private collection of Princess Bona Borromeo. The Rocca di Angera (Fortress of Angera) and the Museum of Dolls can be visited in season.

meina

Starting again from Angera, facing Arona, the boat passes through the narrowest part of the entire lake (two km), heading again towards the Piedmontese shore, where, at the foot of the green hills of Vergante, they come one after another the other splendid villas surrounded by parks and gardens, among which is the Villa Faraggiana, in late neoclassical style. We arrive at Meina, a pleasant tourist town, known in the Middle Ages as Medina, where the writer and politician Cesare Cantù lived and died.

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On the next boat trip that runs along the coast from Meina to Lesa, you can see other villas and parks, such as Villa Cella, which is very large and extends to the lake, or Villa Cavallini, rich in rare botanical species. The small town, located in a tiny inlet, is the target of tourist centers and the seat of a bustling industrial activity. The most significant monument in the town is still the Stampa Palace, facing the lake, where personalities such as Manzoni and Cavour used to stay.

Belgium

Five minutes from Lesa is the Belgirate boat dock, on the shores of Piedmont, a charming tourist town with numerous hotels and intense congress activity.

Here, in 1858, the first Italian Rowing Society was founded and a historic regatta took place attended by Mazzini, Cavour, Garibaldi and d’Azeglio.

While in the northern part of the built-up area there are picturesque houses with arcades and loggias, on the lake shore stands the Baroque Parrocchiale dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. frescoes Famous names in the political history and culture of our 19th century are also associated with two villas: Villa Bono Cairoli, where Benedetto Cairoli lived and Giovanni died in 1869; and Villa Carlotta, where Rosmini, Gozzano, Manzoni and others resided.

stress

A little later, the ship docks in one of the most prestigious and famous residential towns in Europe: Stresa, located in an extraordinary position, facing the Gulf of Borromeo and on the slopes of Mount Mottarone. From Stresa, traveling 9 km along the scenic road “La Borromea” in 30 minutes you reach the top of Mottarone (1491 meters) from where you can enjoy a wide view over seven lakes.

The ski and tourist resort can also be reached by the Stresa-Mottarone cable car that goes from the lake to the alpine landscape in 18 minutes (it runs all year round, except November, with a frequency of 20 minutes from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 1:40 p.m. to 5:50 p.m.).

It was in the middle of the 19th century, with the first English travelers, and at the beginning of the 20th, that Stresa assumed its unique elegant aspect. Spa point, and important center of cultural exhibitions (such as the annual edition of the “Musical Weeks”), conventions and international meetings. Piazza Marconi opens onto the beautiful beach on the lake shore with the pier and the Parrocchiale di S. Ambrogio, rebuilt in neoclassical style by Giuseppe Zanoja in 1790. At its rear is the Ducal Villa, built in 1770, where Antonio Rosmini death, commemorated by the International Center for Rosminiani Studies of which the villa is the headquarters.

The greatest asset of Stresa’s position remains the splendid bird’s eye view over the lake. The wide view from the Lombardy coast with Cerro and Laveno to the Rocca di Calde’, to that Piedmont, with Punta Castagnola, Pallanza and, to the right, the profile of the Montes Rosso. (Mts. Rojo, 613 meters), up to the Ossola mountain range.

The archipelago of the Borromean Islands, a traditional place of charm, is connected to Stresa every half hour by NLM (Lake Maggiore Navigation) boats.

From Stresa you can take the Trenitalia state train back to Arona and Milano. Alternatively, you can take the longer boat trip through the Borromee Islands, as highlighted in this itinerary.