Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, hotel in Stresa, Italy
The Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées is a hotel on the shore of Lake Maggiore in Stresa, northern Italy, facing the water and the Borromean Islands directly. The building has multiple floors and is surrounded by a large garden with fountains and paved paths that run along the lakefront.
The hotel was founded by the Omarini brothers and opened in 1863 to draw wealthy European travelers to the lake. In 1911 and 1912, additional floors and domed roofs were added, giving the building the shape it has today.
The hotel takes its name from the Borromean Islands, which have drawn wealthy visitors for centuries. Walking through the lobby and gardens today, the place still feels like it belongs to a particular world of slow travel and long stays rather than quick tourism.
Stresa is easy to reach by train or by car, and boats to the Borromean Islands leave regularly from the lakefront nearby. The hotel sits directly on the water, so the surrounding area is easy to explore on foot.
Ernest Hemingway recovered here in 1918 from a war injury, and he later drew on that stay when writing A Farewell to Arms. The hotel still keeps a suite named after him as a reminder of that connection.
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