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The Great Hotels in Stresa
The great hotels of Stresa follow one after the other along the coast, thus enhancing the charm and amenities of this place, thanks to the magnificence of their structure and to the splendour of their interiors.
These luxury buildings, which often replaced pre-existing villas, attract, today as in the past, illustrious international names.
The king of Italy Humbert II, the British princess Margaret, Eleonora Duse, Gabriele d'Annunzio, George Bernard Shaw, Mussolini, Toscanini, Clark Gable, Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller, Hemingway (who set here some chapters of his novel "A Farewell to Arms") and Charlie Chaplin are but a few among the well known personalities who, very favourably impressed by the warm welcome and the beauty of the place, contributed to enhancing the prestige and fame of this small town on the lake.
All that started when a number of far-sighted and enterprising restaurateurs decided to bet on the tourist development of this town. In the late 19th century and early 20th century Stresa was a very quiet village, with just a few houses, some vineyards and the earliest holiday houses. The Omarini brothers actually pioneered this adventure. They emigrated from Isola Bella to learn the art of hospitality in the best European hotels: in 1859 they started building their magnificent hotel "Des Iles Borromées".
Today, a number of grand hotels embellish Corso Umberto I blending the various architectonic styles, from the Art Nouveau of the Regina Palace Hotel to the modern style of Grand Hotel Bristol, in a very attractive overall setting.
Town
Stresa
Territory
Golfo Borromeo,
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