Stresa is the main tourist center of Lago Maggiore. It has most of the grand hotels on the lake. From Stresa there are boats to the islands of the lake, to Pallanza and Verbania, the northwest side of the lake, and to Santa Caterina del Sasso. Stresa is not much of a year round town. Almost all of the hotels close in the winter. http://www.stresa.org/