Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from the top of Mottarone back to Stresa. A one-way trip with a bike on the cable car to
Alpino/Mottarone costs €9/12.
Walkers can ask at the cable-car station or the tourist office for a free copy of
Trekking
on the Slopes of Mount Mottarone
, which outlines a two-hour walk from Stresa to the
Giardino Botanico Alpinia and a four-hour walk to the top of Mottarone.
Skiing Mottarone's gentle slopes (
www.mottaroneski.it
)
is limited to five green and two
blue runs, making it good for beginners. The ski pass includes the cost of the cable car and
you can hire gear from the station at the top of Mottarone. It is possible to ski in summer,
too: on a green synthetic-grass piste unrolled from June to September. The ski pass costs
€16 per adult per day while equipment costs extra.
Also possible from the summit is
Alpyland
( 0323 3 02 95;
www.alpyland.com
;
Mottarone; adult/
child €5/3.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, weekends only Dec-Mar, closed Nov)
, a 1200m-
long bobsled descent with adjustable speeds that makes it ideal for families.
ZOO
Parco della Villa Pallavicino
( 0323 3 15 33;
www.parcozoopallavicino.it
; adult/child €9.50/6.50; 9am-6pm Mar-Oct; )
Barely 1km
southeast of central Stresa along the SS33 main road, exotic birds and animals roam relat-
ively freely at the child-friendly Parco della Villa Pallavicino. Some 40 species of anim-
als, including llamas, Sardinian donkeys, flamingos and toucans, keep everyone amused.
Museo dell'Ombrello e del Parasole
(Umbrella & Parasol Museum; 0323 8 96 22;
www.gignese.it/museo
; Via Panorama Golf 2; adult/child €2.50/1.50;
10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun)
Those driving to Mottarone or Orta San Giulio (for Lake Orta)
from Stresa could stop in Gignese (8km from Stresa) for the intriguing Museo
dell'Ombrello e del Parasole. Regional artisans once made a living from handmade para-
sols and umbrellas, and later small-scale industrial production.
The parasol became an indispensable part of ladies' fashion in the mid-19th century, as
Romanticism dictated that my fair lady had indeed to be fair. This passion for pallor wore
off only from the 1920s onwards. The museum has more than 1000 items, of which only a
part is on show. Starting with tiny parasols from the 1850s, the gamut runs to more mod-
ern umbrellas up until about the time of WWII. It is startling what work once went into
these items, with carved ivory handles, printed silk covers and intricate lace decoration for
fancier ones.
MUSEUM
