Cesar & Luna
Things To Do
Villa Taranto Botanical Gardens
Visit the beautiful Botanical Gardens at Villa Taranto. Take the time to explore the Pallanza area while you are there. The town also has a beach called Suna that is worth exploring.
Take a Boat Trip on Lake Maggiore
As you may imagine, the best views are from the lake. You can use the ferry to go between towns, including Laveno to Verbania, the three Borromean Islands, and the Ticino village, the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland. Only three daily boats travel from the southern towns to northernmost Locarno, but more frequent boats leave from Luino, at the middle of Maggiore's eastern shore.
Santa Caterina del Sasso
Three buildings are carved into a steep cliff?! Sign us up! You can arrive by boat (be ready to repare to climb the 80 steps to the hermitage 🥲). We recommend taking an early boat as the complex closes, from noon until 2pm. If you arrive by car, you can avoid the 240 step torture, and use the elevator 💃
Arona
Arona is a cute town on the Italian part of the lake and has a lot of shops, nice restaurants, and hotels, with a great view of Angera. It is one of the more local and historical areas.
Matterhorn Glacier
If you are looking to stay for a few extra days around the area, we recommend (i.e. google bloggers recommend because we have never been 🙃) to take a day trip to Zermatt and Matterhorn Day Trip from Stresa. It is a 3 hours ride from Stresa, and you can get there by car or train. Don't forget to do a quick stop at the Belvedere panoramic viewpoint. You can also descend from the pass and travel through the Swiss Alps to the village of Taesch. A mountain tramway is available for closer views of the Matterhorn.