Stresa is a tiny town just north of Milan, one of many dotting Lake Maggiore. It was for a 3-day conference with much work to do, but some observations could still be had.
- Do not rely on Uber, or any other ride share service for that matter. Taxi drivers are your friends. I am sure ride sharing is fine in Milan, but three drivers canceled my airport pickup shortly after accepting, when they saw I requested a trip to Stresa. This is just 45 minutes from Milan Malpensa, not exactly the end of the world, and the taxi driver had no issues taking me there.
- Actually, the third Uber driver never canceled: he asked me to cancel it myself as he was “having psychological problems”. I took a screenshot and wished him the best.
- I thought I would have an easier time scheduling an Uber ride back to the airport, but no. 8 hours before the 4am drive to the airport a driver was still not assigned. I canceled it and ask a cab driver if he could pick me up. He couldn’t, but a friend of his did, arriving at the hotel right on time.
- I knew I made the right decision when another hotel guest asked me if we could share the ride as I was getting into the car — his scheduled 4am Uber never showed up. So, I will repeat: skip ride sharing and take the taxi (or better yet the train, if not pressed for time or traveling before 6am).
- I stayed in a small hotel with the conference in a much bigger one close by, but both were, I realized, my favorite type of place: opulent turn-of-the century institutions with large marble staircases, very small bathrooms, somewhat musty hallways, and impeccable service. The Fairmont would be the closes US equivalent, though those are slightly more modern and at a lower level of service. In Serbia it is Hotel Moskva.
- The coffee was extraordinary at any place I had it, without the fussiness of r/espresso and other places which insist on recently-roasted premium beans and microgram scales for your shot. And not a paper cup in sight.
- Also: no coffee maker in the hotel room. High standards!
- This is a general recommendation for traveling outside of the US, not about Stresa in general, but never ever accept automatic conversion from local currency to USD when paying by car or withdrawing money at the ATM. Choose local currency and trust that the US bank will take a smaller cut than the locals… for the time being.
- The town was beautiful even with constant downpour, and I will look for excuses to come back.