Dana Kaplan

Freelance writer, proofreader, and copyeditor. Author of StresaSights, a great blog about a beautiful town.

Miss Italia

Stresa, Piemonte

It was 1946, just after the war, and Italians badly needed a pick-me-up. So it was decided to hold a beauty pageant. As Stresa had remained largely undamaged, and was already known as a summer resort of celebrities and royalty, the lakeside village on Lago Maggiore seemed the perfect location for a cheerful post-war event.… (more)

Looking for Love in Verona

Verona, Veneto

Once upon a time, many years ago, a young man and a young woman lived in Verona, Italy. His name was Romeo and hers was Juliet. They were in love, and although we all know the tragic ending to their love story they will forever remain a symbol of the power of love, and perhaps… (more)

Tranquil, Tiny Lago Mergozzo

Mergozzo, Piemonte

From the top of Mt. Mottarone in northern Piemonte one can see seven lakes. The largest is Lago Maggiore, second largest in Italy. And the smallest is Lago di Mergozzo, only 1 1/2 miles long by 1/2 mile wide, considered one of the country’s cleanest lakes. There was a time, long ago for us, but… (more)

Castelli di Cannero

Lago Maggiore, Piemonte

Just a stone’s throw off the shore of Lago Maggiore, near the town of Cannero and only few kilometers from the Swiss border, sit two tiny specks of islands on which one can find the ruins of an old fortress. These are the Castelli di Cannero, and while now they give a fairy tale mystique… (more)

Santa Caterina del Sasso

Leggiuno, Lombardia

The proper way to arrive at l’Eremo di Santa Caterina del Sasso (the Hermitage of Saint Catherine of the Rock) is definitely by boat. That, after all, is how Alberto Besozzi arrived here in 1170 when, during a storm, the small boat of the wealthy trader was capsized in the rough waters of Lago Maggiore.… (more)

Fil da Fer

Piedimulera, Piemonte

The winters in the north of Italy are long and cold, and the mountain people who lived there, although hearty and quite used to the harsh elements, needed special fortification now and then to stay warm. For this, they long ago invented a drink they called, in their local Piemontese dialect, Fildafer. (Filo di ferro… (more)

Villa Taranto

Verbania, Piemonte

Although Villa Taranto is impressive in April, when 40,000 tulips are in bloom, it is at the end of the season that the gardens really burst. The dahlias have grown tall, so tall that on the curving, narrow path that winds through the dahlia maze of 350 different varieties they tower over heads, and one… (more)

The Shell Grotto

Isola Bella, Lago Maggiore

Of the many wondrous sights to see on Isola Bella, one of the most wondrous of all is the shell grotto in the Palazzo Borromeo. The stately palace dominates one side of the island, while its elaborate, ten-tiered baroque-style gardens fill the opposite side. Connecting the two areas is the shell grotto. Descend a staircase… (more)

The Duomo roof top

Milan, Lombardia

Now that the scaffolding is down and the renovation and cleaning are complete, you can once again finally climb the approximately 170 stairs up a narrow tower del Duomo di Milano for a one-of-a-kind view of the famous spires, statues, and city. The white marble of the rooftop itself provides the walkways, and very few… (more)

The Big Guy

Arona

Locals call him Carlone, (big Carlo, pronounced Car-low-nayh), and for over 200 years his statue, on a hilltop in Arona, Piemonte, was the tallest statue in the world. The metal structure was constructed in the 1600s to honor Carlo Borromeo, nephew of Pope Pius IV and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Carlone boasts… (more)

Isola dei Pescatori

Lago Maggiore

Its full name is Isola Superiore dei Pescatori, but that name is too big for this small, very small, piccolissima small, island. Therefore it is more commonly known simply as Isola Pescatori, Island of the Fishermen. Located in the Borromean Gulf section of Lago Maggiore, and measuring only 350 meters by 100 meters, for over… (more)