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Weekly roundup
Ciao, here’s what we’re exploring this week!
Ever want a lakeside town that feels polished and calm, as if built for slow mornings and long views? Stresa on Lake Maggiore leans into old-world elegance, with grand promenades, boat rides to the Borromean Islands, and Baroque gardens that still feel like a private estate.
Take a moment to see why this corner of northern Italy feels like a quiet royal escape.
Hidden Italy
Lake Stresa Makes Lake Maggiore Feel Like Italy’s Quiet Royal Hideaway
Travel And Tour World features Lake Stresa on Lake Maggiore as a tranquil alternative to Italy’s more famous destinations, accessible in about an hour from Milano Centrale. The article highlights the area’s aristocratic history, shaped over centuries by the Borromeo family, and notes that the town’s old-world charm has attracted notable visitors, including Napoleon and Ernest Hemingway.
The highlight is a boat tour of the Borromean Islands, particularly Isola Bella, where the Borromeo legacy is showcased in lavish Baroque style. Visitors explore Palazzo Borromeo, built in the 16th century by Carlo Borromeo for his wife, Isabella, and then stroll through terraced gardens, including the Teatro Massimo and an orangerie reminiscent of Renaissance luxury.
The article presents Stresa as a timeless “elite escape” now accessible to everyday travelers, with lake cruises and island-hopping as key attractions. It also notes the rising popularity’s challenges, such as new resorts and local concerns about overcrowding, emphasizing the importance of preserving the town’s tranquility as more visitors arrive in 2026.
Beyond the hotspots
Italy’s Mountains Are Having a Global Moment in 2026
Start with the headline energy in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a chic base with big-ticket scenery and quick access to classic passes like Giau and Falzarego.
The article notes that one ski pass links multiple valleys and resorts, and winter is not just about downhill skiing anymore, with snowshoeing, cross-country trails, and skimo alongside the classic ski scene.
If you are not skiing, the piece still makes a case for going. It calls out terrace coffees with ridge views and a growing food-and-wine scene, from rustic mountain huts serving northern Italian comfort dishes to more ambitious local-produce kitchens.
Finally, it’s a year-round play. December to March is the snow-dusted peak season, June to September is prime for hiking and wild swimming, and June or September is pitched as the calmer, slightly cheaper sweet spot compared to the late July and August crowds.
Idealista’s roundup, by writer Cesca Rampley, says the Dolomites are moving from “hiker-only hype” to a full-on global crush in 2026, fueled by buzz around the Milan-Cortina Olympics and fresh shout-outs from National Geographic’s Best of the World and Forbes’ top destinations lists.
City spotlight
Naples, The City Break Where Football Feels Like a Religion
The Independent maps out Naples through its most passionate lens, SSC Napoli, showing how the city’s love for the club spills far beyond the stadium. From Diego Maradona’s era to the 2022/23 Scudetto celebration, football has shaped Naples’ modern identity as much as pizza and its cultural icons.
That devotion is literally on the walls. The city is covered in murals, posters, shrines, and graffiti. While Largo Maradona is currently closed due to tension around local stalls, the piece argues that the detour is the point. It pushes you toward other corners of Naples where Maradona is everywhere, from Via San Gregorio Armeno to neighborhoods like Rione Sanità, and to stops like Bar Nilo on Spaccanapoli.
It is not just nostalgia, either. The article notes that newer idols are receiving the same treatment, including a shrine to Scott McTominay unveiled in May, as well as tributes to Victor Osimhen and a throwback mural honoring Cavani, Hamsik, and Lavezzi. In Naples, these players are more than athletes; they are symbols of pride and hope in a city that has always had to fight for respect.
The smartest takeaway is how easy it is to weave this into a typical itinerary. Because the football landmarks are so embedded and so close together, you can bounce from a pizza stop to major sights, then turn a corner and find a shrine you were not even looking for. Naples’ football culture does not require a plan; it finds you anyway.
Do This, Not That
Cinque Terre 🌈
Cinque Terre looks like a postcard, which means it also behaves like one: perfect, crowded, and expensive during the day.
Do this: Stay in one village (like Vernazza or Manarola), hike the coastal or hillside trail in the morning, then take the train to another town for a late lunch and sunset. You’ll see the colors in changing light and find quiet pockets between the waves of day trippers.
Not that: Do not try to “do all five” in one frantic afternoon off a cruise ship. You’ll mostly see train platforms, souvenir stands, and other stressed people holding selfie sticks.
Itinerary of the week
Three Days in Livorno ⚓️
Day 1: Do Livorno like a local. Start with a market-and-street-food walking tour for coffee, bites, and a real feel for the city, then keep the momentum with an easy cultural walk through neighborhoods, canals, and historic corners like the old fortress.
Day 2: Make it a big Tuscany day. Book a private excursion that hits Pisa first for Leaning Tower photos, then heads to Florence for the Duomo area, Ponte Vecchio, and a couple of piazzas, with time for a gelato break. If you want more coast, swap in a day in Cinque Terre villages with a quick Pisa stop on the way back.
Day 3: Go medieval or go wine. Pick a day in Volterra and San Gimignano for stone streets, tower views, and a stop at a local alabaster workshop, or stay closer with a Bolgheri winery tour and tasting featuring bruschetta and olive oil. Cap it all with a dinner in a local’s home for a warm, best-meal-of-the-trip kind of night.
Expect salty sea-breeze strolling between meals, one classic postcard moment outside the port, and a “why is nobody talking about Livorno?” surprise once you lean into the local tours.
Italian Dish of the Week
Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florence)
Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a large T-bone steak from Tuscany, usually from Chianina cattle, one of the oldest and largest breeds in the world. It is thick-cut (often 3–4 fingers high), grilled over very hot charcoal, seasoned simply with salt, sometimes a touch of pepper, and olive oil. The inside is served rare to medium-rare, still beautifully pink and juicy.
Why You Should Try It: If you want to understand how Italians do meat, this is the dish. No heavy sauces, no complicated marinades, just quality beef, fire, and a good hand on the grill. When you cut into it, you get a charred, smoky crust and a tender, almost buttery center. It is the kind of meal you remember when you think back on your trip, “that night we shared a Fiorentina in Florence.”
What Makes It Special: Here, the focus is on the animal and the cut, not tricks in the kitchen. A proper Fiorentina comes from the loin, with fillet and sirloin on the same bone, aged and brought to room temperature before hitting the grill. Restaurants that respect tradition will show you the raw steak first so you can see the size and marbling. It cooks quickly over high heat, then rests, so the juices stay inside. Simple, but it takes experience to do right.
Get involved
📊 Take this edition’s poll
The football landmarks are embedded, so your “start point” changes the whole flow.
Would you rather experience Naples through its football devotion or through classic city sights first?
Why it matters
Stresa is a reminder that Italy’s most memorable places are not always the loudest or the most famous. A simple day of island-hopping gives you history, architecture, and that soft lake atmosphere without a packed itinerary.
The best travel days often happen at water level, moving slowly.
Alla prossima,
Francesca Vitali
Editor-in-Chief
Italy Dream Life
PS: Love Italy as much as we do? Follow us on Instagram @ItalyDreamLife for daily inspiration, hidden spots, and real moments from il bel paese. Because Italy isn’t just a destination—it’s a lifestyle. 🇮🇹✨
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