A truly lovely leather shop in Stresa, one of two stores owned by the same family, that offers…read moreexceptional advice and customer service.
My wife went in there on our first day in Stresa, after asking in the Tourist Office on the waterfront if any local stores sold luggage. (One of our large suitcases had lost a wheel and half its handle on the trip over from the USA.) Valentina, one of the owners and fluent in English, was so gracious and accommodating in showing my wife various pieces, then offering to bring in a Samsonite suitcase from their other store for her purchase the next morning. I don't know how Valentina could have been any more delightful to deal with, despite her protracted hassle getting "the system" to electronically accept our passport info so we could claim a refund on the VAT at the Milan airport.
That was on our second day in Stresa. On our third and last day in Stresa, a Sunday, we were on the Lake Maggiore Express from morning through early evening. My wife kept commenting that she wished she had bought a very distinctive handbag in Casamonti that would be an instant and useful remembrance of our vacation in Italy, but she feared she had missed the opportunity. As soon as the ferry from Locarno docked at 19:10, my wife raced over to Casamonti because Valentina had told her on Saturday the store would open until 19:00 that Sunday. Valentina and her mother had almost shut the store, yet they welcomed her in just like an old friend and took the time to show her several purses. My wife was so thrilled to have another purchase from Casamonti.
Although I don't think we will have the opportunity to return to Stresa, if we do, I suspect my wife will make a beeline to Casamonti!
