Craving a pizza and seeing the line at the clearly loved Taverna del Pappagallo, I managed to squeak in for an early lunch reservation the next day. As the restaurant was parrot themed for some reason, it felt right to sit on the terrace that blended the in and outdoors well.

The pizza that I’d chosen the day before after some online recon we the Isola Madre, named after one of the neighboring Borromean Islands.

The crust was the best of recent memory and it was covered in a layer of traditional pizza cheese, topped with mortadella, and sprinkled with pistachios. Then, in the middle, they plopped down a big old ball of burrata for good measure. All for 11 EUR!

Honestly, this funny combo of toppings was so, so good! The dough alone was with $11 and was a real treat with spicy oil for dipping. Meow!

I skipped dessert per usual, but opted for an espresso to help me walk after such an aggressive meal…that’s when a waiter brought me a limoncello…shortly thereafter, a waitress brought me a limoncello. I had to quickly pay the bill before I couldn’t see straight from such thorough digestivos.

Everything that came out of the kitchen looked just as incredible as my meal. I looked to book another meal, but sadly (or happily for the waistline), the restaurant was closed the following two days. If you’re going to Stresa, go ahead and book now- Taverna del Pappagallo is not to be missed!