Northern Lakes

Lerici is nice. Tellaro and Montemarcello are nice quaint villages (the former on the water, the latter just on top of the hill). You can also take a ferry boat to Porto Venere, across the gulf.

Lake Orta has several villages on its shore (Orta San Giulio, Pettenasco, Omegna). My favorite is Orta San Giulio, which is a gem. From there you can take a boat to the San Giulio island as well. 4 nights is quite a bit for lake Orta, so you have time to relax.

Lake Maggiore has a lot. Stresa is one of the main towns, from which you can visit the Borromee islands. The best village, in my opinion is Cannobio. You can drive there from Stresa in less than one hour. But you can also take a ferry. Further north you can visit also Locarno, on the Swiss side.
You can also take the scenic Cento Valley train from Domodossola to Locarno. The train is run by FART (Ferrovie e Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi), the Canton Ticino transit agency. In spite of what the agency name might suggest, the train does not run on gas, it's electric.

Hi Jrecco,
Yesterday, we returned from 5 nights in Stresa and four in Milan.
We liked Stresa a lot, it is small, manageable. It was very hot! So hot in fact, that it really kept us from exploring much beyond Stresa. Nice for a relaxing holiday. Reasonable prices.
Milan was also hot, but not quite as warm as Stresa.
Just a couple of tips that might be useful to others:
Cash was not needed.
Everywhere you could pay with your credit card, and it was not a problem splitting the check. American Express wasn't widely accepted.
Lots of crowds in both places.
Enjoy!

Thank you so much for the information! Am considering changing reservation in Lake Orta as many people have agreed it is a long time. We are staying in Someraro which is a five minute drive up the hill from Stresa. I tried Cannobia but was unable to find an accommodation that worked for us. I will keep checking though as it is awhile before we go. I have actually been to Lerici, but needed a halfway driving point from Rome and this seemed perfect! Thank you again for your recommendations!
Julie

We are staying in Someraro

La Rampolina is right down the road from Someraro. Highly recommend dinner there with a table on the patio overlooking the lake.

which is a five minute drive up the hill from Stresa.

You should know the road up and down the hill is very winding a can get tight in spots.

As far as other things to do in Stresa besides the Borromean Islands:
- Azienda Agricola Cascina Piano Sas Winery - Small family owned winery that offers tours/tastings. You'll need to drive there as it's on the other side of the lake. It might be worth doing on your way to Lake Como.
- Funivia del Lago Maggiore - Cable cars up the mountain in Laveno. It's a pleasant, 90 minute ferry ride (including change at Intra). There's a good restaurant and cafe at the top too. Good late morning activity.
- Eremo di Santa Caterina del Sasso - Monastery built into a cliff. Easy 15 minute ferry ride across the lake from Stresa. Very serene scene. Get there early and you'll have the place to yourselves.

Am considering changing reservation in Lake Orta as many people have agreed it is a long time.

You might be better off doing a day trip to Lake Orta. Orta San Giulio is only a 40 minute drive from where you're staying. If you drive around the mountain instead of up and over, it's flatter and less stressful.

Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, In my view, there are three important aspects to consider:

first, the Walled City in Como is closed to traffic 24 hours a day, every day, meaning no driving through, stopping, or parking.
Within it lies the "Red APU" zone (Piazza Duomo, Piazza Cavour, Piazza Volta), which is off-limits to all vehicles, including those displaying a European disabled badge (CUDE). The wider Walled City ZTL is different, there a vehicle carrying a badge holder may enter, provided the plate has been notified to the council beforehand, it is only the pedestrian core that admits nobody at all.
You should ask your accommodation provider before you arrive: "Do you have a private parking space?" Como only issues permits to guests of establishments that have their own parking, and the number of permits matches the number of available spaces. Without one, no one can grant you entry, and you cannot apply for the permit yourself: the council's online portal accepts only SPID or the Italian electronic ID card, so a foreign visitor physically cannot make an application, it has to be the property.

second, ferry schedules change in the autumn, service is reduced as the season winds down, and some routes are suspended entirely. It is worth checking the boat timetables before planning your days;

third, Locarno is in Switzerland, outside the European Union, which means going through passport control, you also need to check your rental car insurance, as not all contracts cover driving outside of Italy.

Yes. Do notify the car rental if you plan to drive across the border. I never did, my bad, but you should.

No. There will not be passport control when you cross into Switzerland, Switzerland is not part of the EU but it is part of the Schengen treaty, so no passport controls at the border. However any agent can stop you at any time and request one, so carry it with you when you are driving, including when you are not crossing borders. Make sure everybody in your party does the same. When I get pulled over in Italy, the carabinieri alao ask for my wife’s documents even though I’m the driver. I suspect it is because my wife is not white, and they want to make sure I didn’t smuggle her in after illegally entering the country through the island of Lampedusa. My wife is a dual citizen (US and Italy) so she carries the Italian “carta d’identità” with her at all times and so far she has managed not to get deported.

Another vote for Cannobio ( I learned about it from Roberto , a few years ago ) a real charmer , and at the top of my list for a return .

Cannobio is small and popular so accommodations are hard to find. But, if you can’t, Stresa is also nice and probably more convenient for day trips to the islands and also to lake Orta. Cannobio is only one hour drive away, and if you want you can visit it by ferry as well.

Thank you to everyone for your responses!