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Cable Car to Mottarone and A Change of Heart

"There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again." — Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (movie)

On our last day on Lake Maggiore we took the Mottarone cable car. In spite of our initial plans to visit as many lake gardens as possible, we are so grateful we chose to go up the mountain. Mount Mottarone is 1,491 meters high and it offers some spectacular views over Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta and five other lakes in the region, plus bird's-eye views over the Borromean Islands. And while the cable car is pretty old and nothing fancy, at the end of the 20 minutes ride, we were rewarded with clean air, an incredible panorama over the Alps and a change of heart.

My husband and I definitely don't have enough mountains in our lives! And that will have to change! I'm a sucker for flowers and nature in general, but somehow we never include much hiking in our travels. We've seen a great number of big cities lately and I believe it's time to slowly make a shift towards little charming villages, mountains and lakes. We won't become hard-core hikers over night (probably we never will), but my heart tells me we need to see more untamed nature. I think seeing the fjords last year and the Alps and the Italian lakes had us convinced. Mottarone was just the last drop.

What is great about Mottarone is just how accessible it is. We took the cable car from Stresa and we were on top of the mountain in no time without breaking a sweat. After just a short walk to the very top, we could admire all these incredible views. The sense of freedom was tremendous. Our only regret was that we didn't give it more time to explore it more in depth or to make a stop at the Alpina Gardens on the way back. And I would have definitely loved to see a sunrise or sunset from here. Maybe next time... Oh, but I'm sure there will be a next time!

Our time in Stresa was courtesy of VisitStresa.com. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience.

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