Called “mota rond” (round mount in dialect) but also “Mergozzolo” or “Monterone”, the mount that today we call “Mottarone” officially got its name only in 1884, thanks to Orazio Spanna from Valsesia who, deeply fascinated by these places, dedicated a writing to this little mountain chain.
Many historic events happened on these heights starting from the Lombards, of which many archeological finds were found, followed by the Borromeo who bought many plots of land facing what today is indeed called “Borromeo gulf”. During the ‘800 these meadows were instead tied to pastoralism and pasture.
Stresa and Mottarone later lived, during the ‘900, the years of major splendor, that is the Belle Époque, the years when the concept of holiday was born together with the first touristic places. Hotels were built in Stresa with a net of tourist services creating new infrastructures for this new way of experiencing the travel by the richest people.
To this day the train station of Stresa represents the crossway of excellence for the flow of tourists that come to visit the many architectural beauties and natural wonders that this place has to offer.
The itinerary indeed starts from the train station of Stresa and goes up on the first hills crossing the towns of Someraro, Levo and Alpino. From the old station building, next to the Vitaliana spring, the path winds up following the location of the old narrow gauge railway that linked Stresa to Mottarone from 1911 to 1963.