7 nights at Hotel Cortese with breakfast and 3 green fees

At 600 meters of altitude, this is the second golf course in Stresa after the historic Alpino, and is nestled in woodlands abounding with a variety of tree species. On those days when a lake gives new meaning to the word “beauty”, golfers often stand bewitched at the starting tee on Hole 18. There you can admire a panorama that sweeps from the Ticino plain to the Alps of the Simplon Pass and Switzerland, and over four lakes – Maggiore, Varese, Monate and Comabbio, the Alps, and on the most fortunate days, even the skyline of Milan. Dating back to 1987, the course is natural and it shows: its difficulties, the differences in level, and its hazards were not custom-built. They have been there for centuries. Architect Marco Croze has only enhanced or adapted them to a course that manages to entertain as well as challenge at the same time. The design of the holes is extremely varied and quite undulating, and this often forces players to adopt a defensive tactic. Your feet are never flat on the ground and each shot can have disastrous effects on the score: in this case, simply console yourselves with the panorama. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6122 meters. Architect: Marco Croze Topography: hilly, narrow course with some interesting water hazards Distinctive features: remarkable either for its play course or for the natural surroundings. Its landscape is itself an added value. Pro’s comments: To understand the beauty and difficulty of this golf course, you must try it: breathtaking panoramas and a very demanding and punishing layout for imprecise golfers

Born three times: indeed the history of this beautiful golf club, which in its modern version includes three 9 holes courses, actually begins in 1898, thanks to the intervention of Count Gaspar Voli, who was the promoter of the Couturbier Golf Course. In the 1920s, since the change of ownership of the huge estate where it was located, even the name was changed, into “Golf of Conturbia”. Later, in the Sixties, it was completely neglected and, finally, was reborn in 1984, this time with the present name of Castelconturbia” (Castle of Conturbia) and the new course created by a genius of golf design such as Robert Trent Jones senior, who has attained a masterpiece, where two Italian Opens took place – in 1991 and 1998. Of the original course and of the old clubhouse few traces remain between the 4th and 5th holes of the Yellow course, whereas completely unchanged is the background landscape, with the 110 hectares of the estate and all the grandeur of Monte Rosa. The clubhouse is the ancient farmstead of the Bindellina, completely restored with features and interiors of architect Vico Magistretti, in a really stunning location: sitting under the portico for a drink, you’ll enjoy a breathtaking sight, with the lawn sloping down towards the fairways, the thick forest and the lake: a true delight. Three medium to long golf courses, with many traps around the greens, which are uneven, fast and large. A peculiarity of the Yellow Course is to have greens well guarded by water – the best example being the 7th hole, a par 4 downhill dogleg, with an island green. In the Azzurro (Light-blue) Course, which leads entirely through the woods, the natural hazards predominate; the 3rd hole, par 4, is a narrow dogleg to the right, hard to cut due to the bunkers and the big chestnuts on the right, which affect the tee shot. The Red Course is the longest, with continuous ups and downs between tee and green; here the water gets into play only on the 8th and 9th holes. Yellow-blu Course (18 holes), , Par 72, 5885 meters Architect : Robert Trent Jones Sr. Topography : slightly hilly with water obstacles Special features : every stroke should be carefully considered ; length does not play the main role Blu-red Course (18 holes), Par 72, 5995 meters Architect : Robert Trent Jones Sr. Topography : slightly hilly with water obstacles Special features : no experiments, only playful skills are needed on this course Red Course (18 holes) : Par 72, 5995 meters Architect : Robert Trent Jones Jr. Topography : slightly hilly with water obstacles Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s pen created Castelconturbia, an 18-hole masterpiece; the yellow-blue championship course will challenge your ability to adapt to the undulations of the fairways and the deadly and devious slopes of the greens; it’s also very important to know where to hit the shot on the green, because having to putt downhill increases the probability of a three-putt: heads-up on Hole 2 on the yellow course, a Par 3 with frontal water: make sure you hit to the left part of the green, and Hole 9 on the blue course Par 4: use an iron that is higher than the one you chose because the rise is steeper than you think and it takes FOREVER to reach the green.

The Alpino di Stresa Golf Club, located high in the hills overlooking Lake Maggiore, is the oldest golf course in the area, founded in 1924 by Peter Gannon. This 9-hole course offers stunning panoramic views of the lake and Alps, with a friendly atmosphere. Designed by left-handed architect Gannon, its unique layout features a clockwise direction, with the left side becoming particularly challenging. Despite its 700m altitude, only holes 1, 3, 4, and 9 are uneven. The course is short but difficult, with narrow fairways, tall trees, small fast greens, and no bunkers on the fairways or water hazards. Technical Details Course : 9 holes, Par 69, 5397 meters. Architects: Peter Gannon, Francesco Pasquali Topography: hilly Distinctive features: the greens are not so visible when you throw in the ball.