Experience the remarkable beauty of Stresa and beyond from a mountaintop vantage point on Monte Mottarone. The rounded peak is a familiar sight framing Lake Maggiore and provides a spectacular outlook across the lakes and foothills. Ride the Funivia Stresa-Alpino-Mottarone cableway to the summit or explore the mountaintop hiking trails. Bobsled rides, mountain bike trails and ski fields make this pretty peak a year-round destination.
In the summertime, make the most of Mottarone’s scenic viewpoints. Explore summit walking trails that lead through sprawling alpine meadows, centuries-old woodlands and pristine mountain streams that feed the Agogna River below. Take a ride on the Mottarone chairlift and soar across the summit for superb views across Lake Maggiore, the Seven Lakes, the Padana plain and the peaks of Monte Rosa. In the distance you’ll also be able to see the looming mountains of the Italian and Swiss Alps.
If you feel like kicking the pace up a notch, bring your mountain bike to the peak and make the hair-raising descent via the mountain’s steep tracks. Visit Alpyland, a family-friendly bobsled circuit that spans 0.7 miles (1.2 kilometers) of curving tracks. You can adjust the speed of your sled depending on whether you’d prefer a leisurely ride or an adrenaline rush.
If you visit Mottarone in winter, you’ll find a cozy ski resort with a mountaintop rental shop. Perfect for families or beginners, Mottarone’s gentle slopes are split into seven different blue- and green-graded runs.
Mottarone can be reached via the Funivia Stresa-Alpino-Mottarone, which departs from Stresa and reaches the mountain peak in 20 minutes. There is a stopover at the midway point, where you’ll find the pretty Alpine Botanical Garden. Combine a one-way trip on the cableway with a hike along a section of the mountain. The hiking trail connecting Stresa to Mottarone can take between 4 and 6 hours to complete, depending on your direction. Alternatively, reach Mottarone by the roads snaking up the mountain from Armeno or Stresa-Gignese. There is a toll on the second option.
