SOUTH OF MILAN

PAVIA

pop 70,200

First impressions of Pavia are deceiving, as its pretty old town is encircled by an industrial-agricultural belt. Pavia’s cobbled streets and piazzas buzz with students from the ancient university and are a refreshing change of pace from the hubbub of Milan, 30km north. Half a day is ample.

Until the 11th century, Roman Pavia rivalled Milan as the capital of the Lombard kings, who left behind a Romanesque basilica. Legacies of the battle-plagued years that ensued include medieval watchtowers, a domed cathedral, and the 15th-century castle, the Castello Visconteo.

The area’s real highlight is the Carthusian monastery, Certosa di Pavia, one of northern Italy’s most lavish buildings, a 10-minute trip from Pavia by bus or car.

Information

Sights

OLD TOWN

Much of Pavia’s medieval centre has restricted traffic, making it pleasant for a stroll.

Looming over the old town is the forbidding Castello Visconteo, built in 1360 for Galeazzo II Visconti. It now houses the Museo Civico ( 0382 30 48 16; www.museicivici.pavia.it; Viale XI Febbraio 35; adult/EU senior & child to 18yr €6/free; 9am-1.30pm Tue-Sun Dec-Feb, Jul & Aug, 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, Mar-Jun & Sep-Nov). Intriguing collections include archaeological, ethnographic and art collections, plus displays on medieval Pavia, the Renaissance, the Risorgimento (the Italian reunification period) and, in the east tower, a section on Somalia (once an Italian colony).

Christopher Columbus and inventor of the electric battery, Alessandro Volta, are two illustrious graduates of the Università degli Studi di Pavia (University of Pavia; 0382 98 11; www.unipv.it; Corso Strada Nuova 65). Founded as a school in the 9th century, it became a university in 1361. You can wander around the grounds and courtyards when the university is open. The stately campus houses the small Museo per la Storia dell’Università di Pavia ( 0382 98 47 09; Corso Strada Nuova 65; admission free; 2-5pm Mon, 9am-noon Wed & Fri), with exhibits on its history. Other university collections can only be seen, if at all, by appointment.

Crowning the town centre is the immense dome of Pavia’s red-brick cathedral (Piazza del Duomo; 8am-noon & 3-7pm), which is Italy’s third largest. Da Vinci and Bramante contributed to the design of the cathedral, which was begun in 1488 but not completed until the 19th century. In 1989, its bell tower collapsed, killing four people.

Barbarossa was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1155 at the Basilica di San Michele (Piazzetta Azzani 1), built in the Romanesque style in 1090.

More than 100 medieval watchtowers once dotted the old town; the trio of watchtowers on Piazza di Leonardo da Vinci and a couple scattered elsewhere in the city are all that remain.

CERTOSA DI PAVIA

One of the Italian Renaissance’s most notable buildings is the splendid Certosa di Pavia (Pavia Charterhouse; 0382 92 56 13; www.certosadipavia.com; Viale Monumento; admission by donation; 9-11.30am & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun). Gian Galeazzo Visconti of Milan founded the monastery, 10km north of Pavia, in 1396 as a private chapel for the Visconti family and a home for 12 monks.

The interior is Gothic, although some Renaissance decoration is evident. In the former sacristy is a giant sculpture, dating from 1409 and made from hippopotamus teeth, including 66 small bas-reliefs and 94 statuettes. Behind the 122 arches of the larger cloisters are 24 cells, each a self-contained living area for one monk. Several are open to the public.

To reach the charterhouse (about a 10-minute walk) from the bus stop, turn right at the traffic lights and continue straight ahead. See right for bus details.

Sleeping

Locanda della Stazione ( 0382 2 93 21; www.locandadellastazione.it; Viale Vittorio Emanuele 14; s/d with shared bathroom €30/40, d €60; ) With parquet or mosaic floors, stucco ceiling ornament and early-20th-century decor, this is something of a history time-warp as well as pleasant, well-priced digs.

Hotel Excelsior ( 0382 2 85 96; www.excelsiorpavia.com; Piazzale Stazione 25; s/d €60/86; ) The value-for-money ratio here is high. Prints of old-town Pavia line the walls of spacious rooms, which have timber furnishings and floating floors.

Eating & Drinking

Osteria alle Carceri ( 0382 30 14 43; Via Marozzi 7; meals €30; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner only Sat) This inviting osteria (wine bar serving food) offers tables stamped with prison numbers, grilled meats and such openers as linguine Cocco con guanciale, carciofi, semi di pappavero e ricotta di pecora (pasta with cheek meat, artichokes, poppy seeds and sheep’s-milk ricotta).

Trattoria Ressi ( 0382 2 01 84; Via Ressi 8-10; meals €30; closed Sun) Follow the red-brick wall down a lane to find this haven of Lombard cooking. Try the pizzocheri valtellinesi (a fresh buckwheat ribbon pasta served with vegetables).

Cremeria ( 0382 53 94 07; Piazzale Ponte Ticino 4; 11am-3pm & 6pm-2am Tue-Sat, 8.30am-2am Sun) Posers practise their art on the front terrace of this retro-glam bar overlooking the river.

Getting There & Away

Sila ( 199 153155; www.sila.it, in Italian) bus 175 (Pavia—Binasco—Milano) links Pavia bus station (Via Trieste) and Certosa di Pavia (15 minutes, at least seven daily). Migliavacca ( 0382 525858; www.migliavaccabus.it, in Italian) buses serve Milan’s Linate airport (€11, one hour) up to six times daily via Certosa di Pavia.

Plenty of direct trains link Pavia train station with Milan (from €3.05, 25 to 40 minutes), and a good number run south to Genoa (from €6.75, one hour 10 minutes to 1½ hours) and beyond.

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EAST OF MILAN

Heading east of Milan brings you to the historic cities of Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona and Mantua. To their north are Italy’s dazzling lakes. Lago di Como is north of Milan, while Lago d’Iseo is northeast of Bergamo and northwest of Brescia, and vast Lago di Garda is a short journey north from Mantua.

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BERGAMO

pop 115,800

With its wealth of medieval, Renaissance and baroque architecture, Bergamo is one of northern Italy’s most intriguing cities.

Actually, Bergamo comprises what are essentially two separate towns. The most interesting, by far, is its hilltop città alta (upper town), protected by more than 5km of heavy-duty walls. A funicular carries you from the western edge of the upper town up to the quaint quarter of San Vigilio. The walk to San Vigilio offers some stunning views. Down on the plain, the sprawling città bassa (lower town) is a mishmash of modern buildings and wide, traffic-filled streets.

Although Milan’s skyscrapers to the southwest are visible on a clear day, historically Bergamo was more closely associated with Venice, which was in control of the city for 350 years until Napoleon arrived.

The nearby Bergamo Alps have a handful of small ski resorts, as well as ice- and rock-climbing opportunities.

Information

Sights

PIAZZA VECCHIA

The upper town’s beating heart is this cafe-clad piazza, lined by elegant architecture that is a testament in stone to Bergamo’s long and colourful history. Le Corbusier apparently found it ‘the most beautiful square in Europe’ – good thing they didn’t try out any of his ideas on it!

The white porticoed building on Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, which forms the northern side of the piazza, is the 17th-century Palazzo Nuovo, now a library. Turn south and you face the imposing arches and columns of the Palazzo della Ragione, built in the 12th century. The lion of St Mark is a reminder of Venice’s long reign here. Across the square from the palace, the colossal, square-based Torre del Campanone (Piazza Vecchia; admission €3; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-1pm & 2-7.30pm Sat & Sun mid-Mar—Oct, Mon-Sat by reservation Nov—mid-Mar) tolls the old 10pm curfew. There’s a wheelchair-accessible lift to the top of the tower. For €5 you get entry to the tower and other sights around the city, including La Rocca and the Museo Donizettiano (Click here).

Tucked in behind these secular buildings is the core of Bergamo’s spiritual life, the Piazza del Duomo. Roman remains were discovered during renovations of the modest baroque Duomo (cathedral; 035 21 02 23; Piazza del Duomo; 7.30-11.45am & 3-6.30pm). A rather squat maroon building, it has a brilliant white facade. A great deal more intriguing is the Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore ( 035 22 33 27; Piazza del Duomo; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Apr-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Sat, 9am-12.45pm & 3-6pm Sun Nov-Mar) next door. Begun in 1137, it is quite a mishmash. To its whirl of Romanesque apses (on which some external frescoes remain visible), Gothic additions were slapped on. A more obvious addition is the busy Renaissance Cappella Colleoni ( 035 21 00 61; Piazza del Duomo; 9am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb, 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm Mar-Oct), on the side facing the square. Detached from the church is the octagonal baptistry.

CITADEL

Taking up the western corner of the upper town is the defensive hulk of Bergamo’s citadel, occupied today by two mildly interesting museums, the Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi and Civico Museo Archeologico.

MUSEO STORICO DELLA CITTà & MUSEO DONIZETTIANO

In the former Convento di San Francesco (founded in the 13th century), this history museum ( 035 24 71 16; http://fondazione.bergamoestoria.it; Piazza Mercato del Fieno 6a; adult/child €3/free; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-7pm Sat & Sun Jun-Sep, 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Fri Oct-May) emphasises the town planning that took place in the years leading up to Italian unification.

The history museum’s 19th-century section is located in the fortress La Rocca ( 035 24 71 16; Piazzale Brigata Legnano), whose round tower dates from Bergamo’s days as a Venetian outpost. La Rocca keeps the same hours as the main museum. The same ticket covers entry here and also to La Rocca’s surrounding park, with sweeping views over Bergamo.

History museum tickets are also good for the Museo Donizettiano ( 035 39 92 69; Via Arena 9; adult/child €3/free; 10am-1pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Sat & Sun), an ornate hall housing the piano and manuscripts of Bergamo’s favourite musical son, Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848).

ORTO BOTANICO LORENZO ROTA

For more spectacular views, trudge uphill along Colle Aperto and bear left up a signposted flight of stone steps to Bergamo’s botanic garden (Orto Botanico Lorenzo Rota; 035 39 94 66; www.ortobotanicodibergamo.it; Scaletta di Colle Aperto; admission free; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep, 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri Mar & Oct), planted with some 1200 species in a small but enchanting area carved out of the old Venetian defensive walls.

ART GALLERIES

Just east of the walls is one of Italy’s great art repositories, Accademia Carrara ( 035 39 96 40; www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it; Piazza Carrara 82a; adult/child €2.60/free; 10am-1pm & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun). Founded in 1780, it contains an exceptional range of Italian masters. Raphael’s San Sebastiano is a highlight, but other artists represented include Botticelli, Canaletto, Mantegna and Titian.

To get here on foot from the upper town, pass through Porta di Sant’Agostino and down Via della Noca. At the time of writing it was closed for restoration, but a selection of its masterpieces was on show in the Palazzo della Ragione.

On the opposite side of the square is the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAMeC; 035 27 02 72; www.gamec.it; Via San Tomaso 53; admission free; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Tue-Sun), which displays the academy’s small permanent collection of modern works by Italian artists such as Giacomo Balla, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico and Filippo de Pisis.

Sleeping

Bergamo’s proximity to the airport means hotels tend to fill up quickly – advance bookings are recommended any time of year and especially on weekends.

LOWER TOWN

Nuovo Ostello di Bergamo ( 035 36 17 24; www.ostellodibergamo.it; Via Galileo Ferraris 1, Monterosso; dm/s/d €18/35/50; 24hr; ) Bergamo’s state-of-the-art HI hostel is about 4km north of the train station. Its 27 rooms offer views over Bergamo’s città alta old centre. Take bus 6 from Largo Porta Nuova near the train station (get off at Leonardi da Vinci stop) or the No 3 bus for Ostello from the città alta.

UPPER TOWN

The most charming accommodation is on Bergamo’s hilltop.

Albergo Il Sole ( 035 21 82 38; www.ilsolebergamo.com; Via Colleoni 1; s/d €65/85) The picture windows and colourful bedspreads at Il Sole lend its rooms a countrified air, which extends to its restaurant (meals €30; open Friday to Wednesday, March to October), set in a cool, leafy garden. Located just off Piazza Vecchia.

B&B Alba ( 349 5752596; www.bbalbachiara.info; Via Salvecchio 2; d/tr €100/120) Three spacious rooms are available in this rambling old townhouse. Mosaic and terracotta floors, high, frescoed ceilings, the odd item of antique furniture, and loads of atmosphere make this B&B attractive.

Hotel San Lorenzo ( 035 23 73 83; www.hotelsanlorenzobg.it; Piazza Mascheroni 9a; s €75-110, d €100-170; ) San Lorenzo offers 25 quiet and comfortable (if somewhat plain) rooms in a thoughtfully renovated old building overlooking Piazza Mascheroni. Try for a room on the upper level with a mountain-facing balcony.

Hotel Piazza Vecchia ( 035 428 42 11; www.hotelpiazzavecchia.it; Via Colleoni 3; s €135-170, d €150-190; ) Carved out of a 13th-century building a few steps off Piazza Vecchia, this hotel’s 13 rooms are all quite different. All have parquet floors and baths in stone, but details vary: some have exposed beams while others have a balcony, or king-size bed.

Eating

The Bergamaschi like their polenta as much as many other northerners and even named a classic sweet after it: polenta e osei are pudding-shape cakes filled with jam and cream, topped with icing and chocolate birds. The final product looks like, but isn’t, polenta. Bergamo also contributed casonsèi (aka casoncelli), a kind of ravioli stuffed with meat, to the Italian table, and the area is noted for its fine red wines, including Valcalepio.

LOWER TOWN

Ol Giupì e la Margì ( 035 24 23 66; Via Borgo Palazzo 25; meals €30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun, closed Aug) Sample authentic Bergamo delicacies in this authentic brick-vaulted restaurant. You can choose from fried sausages, risotto, and roast rabbit with grappa and polenta. They offer a set lunch menu at €28 and set dinner tasting menu for €40.

Da Vittorio ( 035 68 10 24; Via Cantalupa 17, Brusaporto; set menus €70-140; Thu-Tue, closed 3 weeks Aug) Bergamo’s acclaimed Vittorio is set in a country house 9km east of town and is up there with the best restaurants in Italy, not the least on account of its truffle dishes (a special truffle menu can cost €280). They also have some rooms (single/double €200/250).

UPPER TOWN

Picnickers can pick up steaming-hot pizza slices, focaccias and desserts at high-quality bakeries along the upper town’s main street.

Agnello d’Oro ( 035 24 98 83; Via Gombito 22; set menus €20; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat) With the incredible clutter of objects adorning every wall, this 17th-century spot could easily pass for an eccentric antique shop. Rooms here (singles/doubles €55/92) are attractive, and you can dine alfresco in summer.

Antica Hosteria del Vino Buono ( 035 24 79 93; Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe; meals €25; dinner Tue, lunch & dinner Wed-Sun) Feast on typical dishes like cheese-sprinkled casoncelli (home-made pasta cushions filled with a spicy sausage meat and laced with a buttery sage sauce) followed by a plate of stinco al forno con polenta (baked beef shank with polenta).

Trattoria al Teatro ( 035 23 88 62; Piazza Mascheroni 3; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun) Located in a centuries-old building at the west end of the città alta, this family-run spot has a limited but constantly changing menu of down-home local dishes. Choose from a handful of primi and secondi, with such local classics as casoncelli alla bergamasca, followed perhaps by a filetto ai ferri (a grilled beef filet).

Vineria Cozzi ( 035 23 88 36; www.vineriacozzi.it; Via Colleoni 22; meals €35-45; Thu-Tue) Sample the extensive wine list by the glass and dine inside or in the tiny courtyard. Several pasta and rice options lead the way, and you might follow with a rabbit done in local Valcalepio red wine. The desserts, with a slightly modern touch, are all homemade.

Colleoni & Dell’Angelo ( 035 23 25 96; www.colleonidellangelo.com; Piazza Vecchia 7; meals €50-60, tasting menus €75; Tue-Sun) Piazza Vecchia provides the ideal backdrop to savour inventive local cuisine in an extraordinary setting. First courses include ravioloni ripieni di Bagoss alle foglie di basilico fritto e vitello glassato (big dumplings filled with local Bagoss cheese with fried basil leaves and veal glazing).

Getting There & Away

AIR

Bergamo’s airport, Orio al Serio ( 035 32 63 23; www.sacbo.it), is 4km southeast of the train station. Served by regular and budget airlines, there are daily flights to/from the UK and other European destinations.

BUS

From Bergamo’s bus station ( 800 139392, 035 28 90 00; www.bergamotrasporti.it), just off Piazzale Marconi, SAB ( 035 28 90 00; www.sab-autoservizi.it, in Italian) operates services to the lakes and mountains.

TRAIN

From the Piazzale Marconi train station, there are one or two trains an hour to/from Milan, although not all call at Stazione Centrale (€4.20, 50 to 65 minutes). Every 30 to 60 minutes a train runs to/from Brescia (€3.60, one to 1½ hours).

Getting Around

TO/FROM THE AIRPORT

ATB ( 035 23 60 26) buses to/from Orio al Serio airport depart every 20 minutes from Bergamo bus and train stations (€1.70, 15 minutes). Direct buses also connect the airport with Milan and Brescia.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

ATB’s bus 1 connects the train station with the funicular to the upper city and Colle Aperto (going the other way, some buses stop only at the Porta Nuova stop). From Colle Aperto, either bus 21 or a funicular continues uphill to San Vigilio. Buy tickets, valid for 75 minutes’ travel on buses, for €1 from machines at the train and funicular stations or at newspaper stands. Funicular tickets cost €1.50.

BICYCLE

You can hire bikes just outside the train station at Ciclostazione 42 ( 389 5137313; www.pedalopolis.org; Piazzale Marconi; per day €10; 7.30-11.30am & 4-7.30pm Mon-Fri).

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VALTELLINA

Nestled at the foot of the Alps that sit astride the border between Lombardy and Switzerland, the Valtellina valley offers some great off-the-beaten-track exploration and, up in the mountains, skiing and walking options.

The Valtellina tourist board (www.valtellina.it) has several information points throughout the region, including the main tourist office ( 0342 45 11 50; Piazzale Bertacchi 77, Sondrio; 9am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) in the transport hub of Sondrio. The tourist office has information for hikers. For information on the Alpine ski resort of Bormio, in Valtellina’s far eastern reaches, see Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, Click here.

Trains link Milan with Sondrio (€7.80, two hours, every two hours) and terminate further east at Tirano. From Sondrio, buses connect the Valtellina’s resorts and towns.

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BRESCIA

pop 189,700

Urban sprawl, a seedy bus and train station area, and the odd skyscraper don’t hint at Brescia’s fascinating old town, which serves as a reminder of its substantial history.

Brescia already had centuries of (now- obscure) history behind it when the Romans conquered the Gallic town in 225 BC. The Carolingians took over in the 9th century, and were followed by a millennium’s worth of outside rulers, including the Venetians. As revolutionary fervour swept Europe in 1848–49, Brescia was dubbed ‘The Lioness’ for its 10-day attempted uprising against Austria in a prelude to its participation in the movement towards Italian unification a decade later.

Legacies of Brescia’s past include significant Roman ruins, two cathedrals and a vast medieval castle. As a result, the town is filled with gaggles of kids on school excursions (if you’re here during term time, you’re bound to encounter them).

Information

Sights

Audioguides (€5) covering the central sights are available from the tourist office.

CASTELLO

Brescia’s historic centre is dominated by a hill, Colle Cidneo, crowned with the rambling Castello (Castle; admission free; 8am-8pm), which for centuries was at the core of the city defences. Torre Mirabella, the main round tower, was built by the Viscontis in the 13th century.

The castle hosts two mildly diverting museums (dual admission €5; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-May, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep), the Museo delle Armi Antiche ( 030 29 32 92; www.bresciamusei.it), with its extensive collection of vintage weaponry, and the Civico Museo del Risorgimento ( 030 4 41 76), dedicated to the history of Italian unification.

ROMAN SIGHTS

The most impressive of Brescia’s Roman relics are the remains of the Tempio Capitolino (Via dei Musei; admission free; 11am-4pm), a Roman temple built by the Emperor Vespasian in AD 73. The Palazzo Martinengo ( 030 280 79 34; Via dei Musei 28; admission varies; 9.15am-1pm Mon-Fri) provides a lavish backdrop for temporary art exhibitions.

About 50m east of the Tempio Capitolino along Via dei Musei, cobbled Vicolo del Fontanon leads to the well-preserved ruins of a Roman theatre. Limited remains of the ancient town’s forum stand on Piazza del Foro.

Continuing east you’ll reach Brescia’s most intriguing sight – the jumbled Monastero di Santa Giulia & Basilica di San Salvatore. Inside this rambling church and convent complex is the Museo della Città ( 030 297 78 34; Via dei Musei 81b; adult/student 14-18yr/child €8/6/free, temporary exhibitions extra; 9am-7pm Tue-Thu & Sun, 9am-8pm Fri & Sat), where artefacts from the Roman town are on show, including some intricate mosaics. The star piece of the collection is the 8th-century Croce di Desiderio, a Lombard cross encrusted with hundreds of jewels.

CATHEDRALS

The most compelling of all Brescia’s religious monuments is the 11th-century Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral; Piazza Paolo VI; 9am-noon & 3-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar), a rare example of a circular-plan Romanesque basilica, built over a 6th-century church. Interesting features include fragmentary floor mosaics and the elaborate 14th-century sarcophagus of Bishop Berado Maggi. Next door, the Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral; Piazza Paolo VI; 7.30am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm & 4-7pm Sun), dating from 1604, dwarfs its ancient neighbour but is of less interest. Also on the square is Il Broletto, the medieval town hall with an 11th-century tower.

OTHER SIGHTS

Pinacoteca Civica Tosio-Martinengo ( 030 377 49 99; Via Martinengo da Barco 1; admission €3; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-May, 10am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep) features works by artists of the Brescian school, as well as some by Raphael, Lorenzo Lotto and Luca Giordano. It is closed for restoration until 2011.

The Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower), with its exquisite astrological timepiece, is modelled on the one in Venice’s Piazza San Marco.

Sleeping

Hotel Cristallo ( 030 377 24 68; www.hotelcristallobrescia.com; Viale della Stazione 12a; s/d €62/103; ) A short suitcase drag from the station, the straightforward Cristallo has dated veneer furniture, floral bedspreads and generous bathrooms. It’s ideal for those with an early morning train.

Albergo Orologio ( 030 375 54 11; www.albergoorologio.it; Via Beccaria 17; s/d €115/130; ) Fine art and artefacts, and soft gold, brown and olive furnishings and terracotta floors make this boutique hotel a gem. It’s right by its namesake clock tower in the pedestrianised old town,

Hotel Vittoria ( 030 28 00 61; www.hotelvittoria.com; Via X Giornate 20; s/d €166/274; ) With its chandeliers, grand ballrooms and classically appointed guest rooms, this 1938 hotel is a good value.

Eating

Risotto, beef dishes and lumache alla bresciana (snails cooked with Parmesan cheese and fresh spinach) are common in Brescia. The surrounding countryside produces good wines, including those from Botticino, Lugana and Riviera del Garda.

Osteria al Bianchi ( 030 29 23 28; Via Gasparo da Salò 32; meals €20-25; Thu-Mon) Crowd inside this late-19th-century classic for wine and snacks at the bar or a full meal at one of the timber tables out back. You might be tempted by the pappardelle al Taleggio e zucca (broad ribbon pasta with Taleggio cheese and pumpkin).

Trattoria Due Stelle ( 030 375 81 98; Via San Faustino 46; meals €30; Wed-Mon) Timber-panelled walls, sturdy dark-wood dining tables (each with candle) and great grub entice locals and outsiders alike to sit down for a feast. They do some excellent risottos (try agli scampi mantecato alla citronette – a creamy risotto loaded with crayfish and touched with citronette dressing).

La Sosta ( 030 29 25 89; Via Martino della Battaglia 20; meals €50-60; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun, closed Aug) Set partly in the stables of a 1610 palace, La Sosta excels at finely tuned gastronomic creations. The filetto di vitello alla scamorza affumicata (a veal filet cooked in smoked cheese) melts in the mouth.

For fresh fruit and vegies head for Brescia’s colourful market (Piazza del Mercato; 7.30am-7pm Mon-Sat).

Getting There & Around

Brescia’s underused airport (Aeroporto Gabriele d’Annunzio; 030 204 15 99; www.aeroportobrescia.it) is 20km east of Brescia. Buses connect the airport with Brescia’s bus station (to airport €11, from airport €7.50, 25 minutes).

From the bus station ( 030 4 49 15; Via Solferino) buses operated by SAIA Trasporti ( 800 883999; www.saiatrasporti.it, in Italian) serve destinations all over Brescia province. Some leave from another station off Via della Stazione.

There are regular trains to and from Milan (€5.55 to €13.30, 45 minutes to 1½ hours) and Verona (€3.95, 40 minutes).

Usually, from June to September you can pick up a bicycle (€1 for two hours, €10 a day) from the bicycle kiosk ( 7.30am-8.30pm) in front of the train station on Piazzale Stazione or from another bicycle station just off Via Gambara.

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CREMONA

pop 72,000

A wealthy, independent city-state for centuries, Cremona boasts some fine architecture. The city is best known around the world, however, for its violin-making traditions (see the boxed text, Click here).

Cremona’s medieval heart, with its magnificent cathedral, is a beauty. On the main square, the tourist office ( 0372 2 32 33; http://turismo.comune.cremona.it; Piazza del Comune 5; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Sep-Jun, 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun Jul & Aug) can give you information on the town.

Sights

Cremona was an independent comune until the 14th century, when the Viscontis of Milan added it to their growing collection. To maintain the difference between the secular and spiritual, buildings connected with the Church were erected on the eastern side of Piazza del Comune, and those concerned with secular affairs were constructed across the way. On the second Sunday of every month, the piazza is filled with antiques stalls.

Cremona’s stately Cattedrale (Cathedral; 0372 2 73 86; www.cattedraledicremona.it, in Italian; Piazza del Comune; 8am-noon & 3.30-7pm) started out as a Romanesque basilica, but by the time it was finished in 1190, it was heavily overtaken by Gothic modishness. The main facade also bears some distinct Renaissance touches, in keeping with paintings of the same period by such masters as Boccaccio Boccaccino, Giulio Campi and Gian Francesco Bembo. For some, the remnants of earlier frescoes, uncovered during work in the early 1990s, will be more intriguing. They include a vast scene of the Crucifixion above the central doorway.

The cathedral’s most prized possession is the ‘Holy Thorn’, allegedly from the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ, which was donated to the church by Cremona-born Pope Gregory XIV in 1591. It’s kept behind bars in the Capella delle Reliquie. In the crypt, the robed and masked body of Cremona’s 12th-century patron saint, Sant’Omobono Tucenghi, is on show in a glass casket.

The adjoining 111m-tall torrazzo (bell tower; adult/child €4/3, incl baptistry €5/4; 10am-1pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Sat & Sun), which translates appropriately to something like ‘great, fat tower’, sports a giant zodiacal clock and is connected to the cathedral by a Renaissance loggia, the Bertazzola. On the other side of the cathedral is the tall, octagonal, 12th-century baptistry (adult/child €2/1, incl torrazzo €5/4; 10am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Tue-Sun), which houses some architectural fragments, including a 12th-century figure of the Archangel Gabriel that once perched on the roof of the baptistry.

Across the square is Palazzo Comunale and, to its south, the smaller porticoed Loggia dei Militi; both date to the 13th century. The former was, and remains, the town hall; the latter housed the town’s militia.

Sleeping & Eating

Albergo Duomo ( 0372 3 52 96/42; fax 0372 45 83 92; Via Gonfalonieri 13; s/d €45/65; ) Just a few steps from Cremona’s cathedral and ablaze with flowers in wrought-iron boxes in spring, Albergo Duomo offers decent rooms with basic furniture and all-white decor

Hotel Astoria ( 0372 46 16 16; www.astoriahotel-cremona.it; Via Bordigallo 19; s/d €60/90; ) Down a quiet, narrow lane near Piazza Cavour, this is a charming spot with French-washed corridors and immaculate rooms (including some with separate bedrooms that are handy if you’re travelling with kids).

CREMONA’S VIOLINS

It was in Cremona that Antonio Stradivari lovingly put together his first Stradivarius violins, helping establish a tradition that continues today. Other great violin-making dynasties that started here include the Amati and Guarneri families.

Some 100 violin-making workshops in the streets around Piazza del Comune can be visited. The tourist office has a list, and can advise on those where English is spoken. You can also find information at www.cremonaliuteria.it.

Various events dedicated to violin-making take place each year, while the Triennale Inter-nazionale degli Strumenti ad Arco (International Stringed Instrument Expo; www.entetriennale.com) is held in Cremona every third year in September/October; the next will be in 2012.

Year-round you can visit the Collezione gli Archi di Palazzo Comunale ( 0372 2 05 02; Piazza del Comune 8; adult/child €6/3.50, incl Museo Civico €10/5; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun), featuring instruments from the Stradivari workshop. The Museo Civico ( 0372 3 12 22; Via Ugolani Dati 4; adult/child €7/4, incl Civica Collezione di Violini €10/5; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun) has drawings and tools as well as instruments by Amati and Guarneri (plus art and archaeological finds).

To hear Cremona’s violins in action, the season at the 19th-century Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli ( 0372 02 20 01; www.teatroponchielli.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 52) runs from October to June; programs and ticket information are posted on its website.

Dellearti Design Hotel ( 0372 2 31 31; www.dellearti.com; Via Bonomelli 8; s/d €119/169; ) This rather self-consciously hi-tech vision of glass, concrete and steel has rotating displays of contemporary paintings and photographs, a Turkish bath and a gym, and suitably chic rooms with clean lines, bold colours and artistic lighting. For those who want to feel like they never left the fashion crowd in Milan, this could be the place.

Hosteria ’700 ( 0372 3 61 75; Piazza Gallina 1; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Wed-Sun, lunch Mon) Behind the dilapidated facade and a row of parked cars lurks a sparkling gem. A series of vaulted rooms set a romantic scene for hearty Lombard cooking. Try the marubini al brodo o al burro fuso (meat- and cheese-stuffed disks of pasta in broth or melted butter), a Cremona speciality.

Osteria Porta Mosa ( 0372 41 18 03; Via Santa Maria in Betlem 11; meals €25-30; Mon-Sat) Dark, polished wood tables are offset by aquamarine decor and art hanging on the walls. The almost sugar-sweet ravioli di zucca (pumpkin ravioli) are especially good.

La Sosta ( 0372 45 66 56; Via Vescovo Sicardo 9; meals €30-35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Sep-Jun) Surrounded by violin-makers’ workshops, this is a beautiful place to feast on regional delicacies, such as bollito (boiled meats) and cotechino (boiled pork sausage) with polenta and mostarda (fruit in a sweet mustard sauce).

Getting There & Away

The city can be reached by train from Milan (€5.55, one hour and 10 minutes to 1¾ hours, several daily), Mantua (€4.60, 45 minutes to 1½ hours, hourly) and Brescia (€4.20, one hour, hourly), or from the south by changing at Piacenza. Buses serve the local area.

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MANTUA (MANTOVA)

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Serene and beautiful, Mantua lies on the shores of Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore. Unlike the pre-Alpine and Alpine Lombard lakes further north, Mantua is on the open plain, and its trio of lakes is actually a glorified widening of the river Mincio. Parts of its waters are protected by the Parco del Mincio, but petrochemical-industry sprawl has scarred the surrounding countryside.

Mantua was settled by the Etruscans in the 10th century BC and prospered under Roman rule. Latin poet Virgil was born just outside the modern town in 70 BC. The city fell into the hands of the Gonzaga dynasty in 1328, under whose rule it flourished, attracting the likes of Petrarch and Rubens. Shakespeare’s Romeo found his fateful poison in a Mantuan apothecary. The golden days of ‘La Gloriosa’ ceased when Austria took control in 1708. Habsburg troops were in control (aside from the Napoleonic interlude at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries) until 1866, when Mantua joined a newly united Italy.

Superb architecture bears witness to the city’s rich history, particularly around its four interconnected, cobbled old town squares. It so impressed Unesco that, along with nearby Sabbioneta (Click here), it became Italy’s 42nd World Heritage site in 2008.

Information

The Mantova Card (€5), valid for five days, gets you reduced admission prices to various museums, free public transport and discounts in some hotels and restaurants. Ask at the tourist office.

Sights

PALAZZO DUCALE

Occupying a whopping chunk of the city’s northeastern corner, the imposing walls of Palazzo Ducale ( 0376 35 21 00; www.mantovaducale.it; Piazza Sordello 40; adult/student 18-25yr/EU senior & child €6.50/3.25/free; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun) hide three squares, 15 courtyards, a park and 500-odd rooms. The centrepiece is Castello di San Giorgio, overflowing with works of art collected by the Gonzaga family, Mantua’s long-time rulers. Don’t miss Andrea Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi, a wonderful series of frescoes executed by the master between 1465 and 1474 in one of the castle’s towers. The trompe l’œil oculus adds a playful touch to the more formal family scenes. You may find it necessary to book entry to this for an extra €1. Other rooms worth pausing over include the Sala del Pisanello, decorated with unfinished 15th-century frescoes of Arthurian legends by Pisanello, the heavily frescoed Sala di Troia and the Camera dello Zodiaco, with its magnificent deep-blue ceiling festooned with figures from the zodiac. Equally bizarre is the 18th-century Sala dei Fiumi, a Habsburg-era folly with artificial grottoes covered in shells and mosaic. No photography is allowed.

CHURCHES

The elaborate baroque cupola of Basilica di Sant’Andrea ( 0376 32 85 04; Piazza Andrea Mantegna; admission free; 8am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-noon & 3-6pm Sat, 11.45am-12.15pm & 3-6pm Sun) lords it over the city. Designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1472, it safeguards a much-disputed relic: golden vessels said to hold earth soaked by the blood of Christ. Longinus, the Roman soldier who speared Christ on the cross, is said to have scooped up the earth and buried it in Mantua after leaving Palestine. Today, these containers rest beneath a marble octagon in front of the altar and are paraded around the town in a grand procession on Good Friday. There is no dispute about the tomb of Andrea Mantegna, also inside the basilica.

South of the basilica, across 15th-century colonnaded Piazza delle Erbe, is the 11th-century Romanesque Rotonda di San Lorenzo ( 0376 32 22 97; Piazza delle Erbe; admission free; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar), sunk below the level of the square and believed to stand on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Venus. In the Palazzo della Ragione, ( 0376 22 00 97; Piazza delle Erbe; admission free; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun during temporary exhibitions), which runs the length of the square from the Rotonda and was once the seat of secular power in the city, you can see exhibitions of varying interest (usually free).

The Cattedrale (Cathedral; Piazza Sordello 16) pales before the magnificence of the basilica. The facade was erected in the mid-18th century, while the decoration inside was completed by Giulio Romano after a fire in 1545.

PALAZZO TE

The main reason to visit Mantua’s other Gonzaga palace, Palazzo Te ( 0376 32 32 66, 199 199111; www.centropalazzote.it; Viale Te; adult/student/senior/child €8/2.50/5/free; 1-6pm Mon, 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) isn’t its modern art and Egyptian displays, but the fanciful 16th-century palace itself. Built by Giulio Romano, over-the-top rooms include the Camera dei Giganti, one of the most fantastic and frightening creations of the Renaissance, adorned with dramatic frescoes depicting Jupiter’s destruction of the Titans.

OTHER SIGHTS

Past the 13th-century Palazzo della Ragione is Palazzo Broletto, which dominates neighbouring Piazza Broletto. In a niche on the facade is a seated figure wearing a doctor’s cap said to represent Virgil.

Enter Piazza Sordello from the south, and on your left you have the grand house of the Gonzagas’ predecessors, the Bonacolsi clan. Hapless prisoners used to be dangled in a cage from the tower, aptly called the Torre della Gabbia (Cage Tower).

In 1476, the ruling Gonzaga family gave Andrea Mantegna land on which to build himself a house. You can see the results, now used as exhibition space in the Casa Mantegna ( 0376 36 05 06; www.provincia.mantova.it/casadelmantegna, in Italian; Via G Acerbi 47; admission €2-5; 10am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun). The sobre facade gives way to a series of rooms built around a unique, cylindrical courtyard.

Activities

BOAT TOURS

Motonavi Andes ( 0376 36 08 70; www.motonaviandes.it, in Italian; Via San Giorgio 2) organises boat tours of the lakes (starting from €8 for 1½ hours), five-hour excursions to San Benedetto Po (one-way Monday to Saturday €13.50, Sunday €15.50) and day trips to Venice (€77 Monday to Saturday, €84 Sunday). Boats arrive/depart from the Imbarco Motonavi Andes, behind Castello di San Giorgio on Lago di Mezzo’s shore.

The separate company Navi Andes ( 0376 32 45 06; www.naviandes.com; Lago di Mezzo jetty) runs similarly priced tours. Local boat owners (Barcaoli del Mincio; 0376 34 92 92; www.fiumemincio.it) arrange eco-themed trips on less-explored waterways. Ask at the tourist office.

CYCLING

The tourist office stocks an excellent booklet in English detailing cycling itineraries along the Po river, in the Parco del Mincio ( 0376 22 83 20; www.parcodelmincio.it; Piazza Porta Giulia 10, Cittadella) and around the lakes. One 48km route takes cyclists around Lago Superiore to the Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie and back to Mantua. Rent bikes from La Rigola ( 0376 36 66 77; Via Trieste 7; per day from €10).

PARCO DELL SCIENZA

A riverside promenade with an informative twist, the Parco della Scienza stretches along the shore of Lago di Mezzo from Porta San Giorgio to Porta Molina. Information panels and gadgets illustrate various physical and scientific phenomena in a kid-friendly fashion.

Festivals & Events

For five days each September, central Mantua is taken over by the Festivaletteratura (Literature Festival; www.festivaletteratura.it), with open-air bookstalls, and readings and author discussions (some in English).

The city’s jazz festival, Mantova Jazz (www.mantovajazz.it, in Italian) swings from late March through early May.

Sleeping

Hotel ABC ( 0376 32 23 29; www.hotelabcmantova.it; Piazza Don Leoni 25; s/d €65/95; ) Opposite the train station, this hotel is a reasonable and convenient option, with clean, comfortable rooms. Some have wooden beams in the ceiling.

Hotel Broletto ( 0376 22 36 78; www.hotelbroletto.com; Via dell’Accademia 1; s/d €75/120; ) The location of this hotel – just off Piazza Broletto and 100m from the lake – can’t be beat. Rooms are somewhat old-fashioned (built-in wood-grain furniture, lino floors) but come with contemporary comforts, including satellite TV.

Libenter B&B ( 334 791 0912; www.libenter.org; Via Pomponazzo 15; apt incl breakfast €70-150; ) This artistically decorated house overlooking a courtyard has two one-room apartments and a two-room apartment, offering independence in a central location. Apartments sleep up to four. Breakfast is served at Libenter Moderna Osteria, the owners’ trendy little eatery nearby at Piazza Concordia 18.

Rechigi Hotel ( 0376 32 07 81; www.rechigi.com; Via Pier Fortunato Calvi 30; s/d €140/190; ) A stark marble interior provides a fabulous backdrop for the Le Corbusier designer chairs and contemporary art at Mantua’s unique art hotel. Less elaborate than the lobby, rooms are cool, calm and sophisticated. Out back is a relaxing courtyard.

Eating

More than a million pigs a year are reared in the province of Mantua. Try pancetta, prosciutto crudo (cured ham, aka Parma ham) and risotto with the locally grown vialone nano rice. Tortelli di zucca (sweet pumpkin-stuffed cushions of square pasta) is the city’s most venerable dish, while risotto alla pilota (risotto with minced pork) and luccio (pike) also appear on most menus. Mantua is also renowned for its sweet specialities, including torta di tagliatelle (an unusual slice made from crunchy tagliatelle pasta baked with sugar and almonds) and torta sbrisolona (a hard, biscuitlike ‘cupcake’ with almonds).

Open-air cafes abound on Piazzas Sordello, Broletto and Erbe.

Fragoletta Antica ( 0376 32 33 00; Piazza Arche 5; meals €35; Tue-Sun) Set just back from the waterfront, this rustic place serves risotto alla pilota, and gnocchi with ricotta, burnt butter and parmigiano reggiano. The dining room is warm and cosy, filled with heavy wood and lined with bottles of wine.

Ristorante Masseria ( 0376 36 53 03; Piazza Broletto 7; meals €36; lunch Fri-Tue, dinner Thu-Tue) Masseria’s supremely sweet tortelli di zucca is among the best in town; other house specialities include Mantuan beef stew with Lambrusco and polenta, and platters piled with local cheeses and dollops of mustard. Choose to eat in the cobbled square, or in a 13th-century dining room overlooked by a 15th-century fresco – the oldest depiction of the city in existence.

Hosteria dei Canossa ( 0376 22 17 50; Vicolo Albergo 3; meals €40-45; Wed-Mon) Hidden away on a tiny side street, this local gem dishes up regional risotto, pasta and meat dishes teamed with hard-to-find Lombard wines from between its red-brick walls.

Grifone Bianco ( 0376 36 54 23; www.grifonebianco.it; Piazza delle Erbe 6; meals €45-50; Thu-Mon) For gastronomic cuisine par excellence, Grifone’s damask tablecloths and heavy silverware – not to mention the plates of local salami and pike with salsa and polenta – make it stand out.

Pick up sweet local treats from Caravatti (Piazza delle Erbe 18); La Ducale (Via Pier Fortunato Calvi 25), both dating from 1865; or the friendly Pavesi (cnr Via dell’Accademia & Via Broletto).

Getting There & Around

APAM ( 0376 23 01; www.apam.it, in Italian) operates buses to/from Sabbioneta (return tickets only) and San Benedetto Po. Azienda Provinciale Trasporti Verona (ARV) buses head to Lago di Garda (Click here).

From the train station (Piazza Don Leoni), there are direct trains to/from Cremona (€4.60, 45 to 90 minutes, one to two an hour), Milan (€7.85, two to 2½ hours, one every one to two hours) and Verona (€2.55, 45 to 50 minutes, once every hour or so – but none from 7.51am to 12.21pm!). Connect in Verona for Venice.

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AROUND MANTUA

Sabbioneta

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Some 30km southwest of Mantua, the surreal settlement of Sabbioneta was created in the 16th century by Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna in an attempt to build a Utopian city.

Within the walls are four 16th-century monuments. Sabbioneta’s ticket office ( 0375 5 20 39; www.sabbioneta.org; Piazza d’Armi 1; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, closes 1hr earlier Nov-Mar), inside Palazzo Giardino, sells tickets to all (adult/student/child €10/5/free).

The Teatro all’Antica (Antique Theatre, completed 1590) has statues of Olympic gods topping a loggia held up by Corinthian pillars, and the frescoed walls and painted-wood ceiling of the 90m-long Galleria degli Antichi (Gallery of the Ancients). The duke of Sabbioneta resided in Palazzo Giardino (Garden Palace) and ruled the dukedom from the 1554 Palazzo Ducale. Also within the walls are a 19th-century synagogue (separate ticket available for those who wish to visit only the synagogue, €4) and the Museo di Arte Sacre, with a treasury containing a Golden Fleece medallion found in the tomb of Vespasiano Gonzaga.

A handful of simple cafe-restaurants are scattered along Sabbioneta’s streets.

APAM ( 0376 23 01; www.apam.it) buses link Sabbioneta with Mantua.

San Benedetto Po

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The highlight of this otherwise sleepy Po valley town, 21km southeast of Mantua, is its Benedictine abbey ( 0376 62 00 25; Piazza Matteotti; church free, museum €2; church 7.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm, cloisters 8am-7pm). Founded in 1007, little remains of the original buildings, although the Chiesa di Santa Maria still sports a 12th-century mosaic. Don’t miss the Correggio fresco, which was discovered in the refectory in 1984.

Buses and trains both serve San Benedetto Po from Mantua, but the most scenic way to arrive is by boat (see opposite).

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THE LAKES

Writers from Goethe and Stendhal to DH Lawrence and Hemingway have all lavished praise on the Italian lakes, but even their words scarcely express the lakes’ beauty.

Elaborate villas attest to the roll call of celebrity visitors and residents that the lakes, which are ringed by snow-powdered mountains, have attracted over the centuries. Tourism, though, isn’t as prevalent around the lakes as you might expect. Many northern Italians visit for the day or weekend, and summer generally sees northerners head for the Ligurian seaside, meaning it’s possible to find relative peace in many parts of the lakes even in Italy’s peak holiday month of August.

The lakes fan out across Italy’s north. In this guide, we’ve covered the main lakes from west to east. Sprinkled between them are several smaller lakes.

The westernmost of the main lakes, Lago d’Orta, is entirely within Piedmont and possibly the most romantic. The three big ones are, west to east, Lago Maggiore, with its spectacular Borromean Islands; Lago di Como, closed in by densely wooded mountains and sprinkled with dazzling villas and gardens; and Lago di Garda, the biggest and the busiest. Its southeast corner (in the Veneto region) has Disney-style family amusement parks, including Italy’s largest, Gardaland. The northern reaches of Lago di Garda extend into the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Trains serve many of the lakes’ main towns, while passenger and car ferries ply the waters. If you’re travelling by car, there are some twisty but stunning lakeside drives. Heavy traffic and narrow roads make cycling along many stretches of the lakes less than ideal.

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LAGO D’ORTA

Shrouded by thick, dark-green woodlands, little Lago d’Orta measures 13.4km long and just 2.5km wide. It’s separated from its bigger and better-known eastern neighbour, Lago Maggiore, by Monte Mottarone.

The focal point of the lake is the medieval village of Orta San Giulio (population 1170), often referred to simply as Orta. Just across from the town’s web of squares and cobbled lanes sits Isola San Giulio. The island is dominated at its south end by the 12th-century Basilica di San Giulio ( 9.30am-6.45pm Tue-Sun, noon-6.45pm Mon Apr-Sep, 9.30am-noon & 2-5pm, 2-5pm Mon Oct-Mar), full of vibrant frescoes that alone make a trip to the island worthwhile. The church, island and mainland town are named after a Greek evangelist, Giulio, who’s said to have rid the island of snakes, dragons and assorted monsters in the late 4th century. The footpath encircling the island makes for a peaceful stroll, hence its popular name of Via del Silenzio. You may find the island’s only snack restaurant open on busy weekends. Regular ferries (€2.50 return) and private boats (€4 return) make the five-minute crossing.

For more serenity, head up to Sacro Monte, a hillside dotted with some 20 small chapels dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. The parklands here are a great spot for a picnic: pick up picnic fare at Orta San Giulio’s Wednesday market.

Orta San Giulio’s main tourist office ( 0322 90 51 63; www.comune.ortasangiulio.no.it; Via Panoramica; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Wed-Sun Apr-Oct, 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Wed-Fri, 8am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) has information on the lake and its green surrounds. The local Pro Loco tourist office ( 0322 9 01 55; Via Bossi 10; 11am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Sat & Sun) in the town hall is also useful.

Sleeping & Eating

Camping Orta ( 0322 9 02 67; www.campingorta.it; Via Domodossola 28, Orta San Giulio; camping 2 people, car & tent €27.50-31.50; ) Open year-round, with heated facilities in winter, this family-run camping ground is by the lake just 1.5km northeast of Orta San Giulio’s medieval centre. The bulk of the sites are on the inland side of the main road. For a few euros extra, you can have a spot across the road on the lake.

Piccolo Hotel Olina ( 0322 90 56 56; www.orta.net/olina; Via Olina 40, Orta San Giulio; s/d €75/100; ) Artistically decorated with contemporary prints, bright colours and light-wood furniture, this ecofriendly hotel right in Orta San Giulio’s medieval heart is a gem. They have home-baked breakfasts, and their avant-garde restaurant, Ristoro Olina (see opposite) is open to nonguests.

Villa Crespi ( 0322 91 19 02; www.slh.com/crespi; Orta San Giulio; s/d from €220/280; ) Staying at this 19th-century Moorish caprice, which is topped with an aqua onion-dome spire, is to give oneself over to opulence. Grand interiors sport 19th-century furniture, and gardens sprawl out from the main property.

Enoteca Al Boeuc ( 339 584 00 39; Orta San Giulio 28; dishes €6-13; 6.30pm-1am) This candlelit old-town treasure is excellent for wine by the glass, cheese and meat platters and Piedmontese favourite, bagna cauda (a hot dip made of butter, olive oil, garlic and anchovies in which you dip vegetables).

Agriturismo Il Cucchiaio di Legno ( 0322 90 52 80; Via Prisciola 10 Località Legro; set menus €25; dinner Thu-Sun) A 500m stroll beyond the train station, this honest-to-goodness agriturismo restaurant (no guest rooms) cooks up delicious local dishes including risotto, fish straight out of the lake, and salami and cheese from the surrounding valleys. Dine alfresco on the vine-draped patio overlooking the herb-planted garden.

Ristoro Olina (meals €30-35; Thu-Tue) The restaurant at Piccolo Hotel Olina does imaginative takes on Italian cooking and has immaculate service. You might start with the slightly sweet and sour gnocchi di castagne e zucca con crema di radicchio scottato (chestnut and pumpkin gnocchi in a radish cream).

Getting There & Away

Orta Miasino train station is a 3km walk from the centre of Orta San Giulio. Between March and October, a little tourist train (one-way/return €2.50/4; Thu-Tue) shuttles between the town centre and the train station approximately every half-hour. From Milan there are trains from Stazione Centrale (change at Novara; 5.40, two hours).

Navigazione Lago d’Orta ( 0322 84 48 62) runs boats to numerous lakeside spots from its landing stage on Piazza Motta, including Isola San Giulio (one-way/return €1.80/2.50), Omegna (€4/6), Pella (€2.20/4) and Ronco (€2.80/4). A day ticket for unlimited travel anywhere on the lake costs €7.50.

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LAGO MAGGIORE

If you’re arriving from Switzerland by train, once you emerge from the Alpine tunnels into the bright Italian sunlight, the views of the flower-filled Borromean Islands studding the dazzling blue lake are unforgettable.

The train line shadows the lake’s western shore, which is its prettiest side; sprinkled with picturesque villages and towns, including the main town, Stresa.

GETTING THERE & AROUND

Buses leave from the waterfront at Stresa for destinations around the lake and elsewhere, including Milan, Novara and Lago d’Orta. The daily Verbania Intra-Milan bus service operated by SAF ( 0323 55 21 72; www.safduemila.com, in Italian) links Stresa with Arona (€2, 20 minutes), Verbania Pallanza (€2, 20 minutes), Verbania Intra (€2, 25 minutes) and Milan (€6.70, 1½ hours).

Stresa is on the Domodossola—Milan train line (see opposite). Domodossola (€3 to €7.60), 30 minutes northwest, is on the Swiss border, from where the train line leads to Brig and on to Geneva.

Ferries and hydrofoils around the lake are operated by Navigazione Lago Maggiore ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it, in Italian), which has its main ticket office in Arona. Boats connect Stresa with Arona (one-way adult/child €7.40/4, 40 minutes), Angera (€7.40/4, 35 minutes), Baveno (€4.90/2.80, 20 minutes) and Verbania Pallanza (€6.30/3.50, 35 minutes).

Various one-day passes are also available: departing from Stresa, a ticket covering Isola Superiore (aka dei Pescatori), Isola Bella and Isola Madre costs €12; and an unlimited day ticket covering Isola Superiore and Isola Bella costs €9.80. More-expensive one-day passes also include admission to the various villas.

Services are drastically reduced in autumn and winter.

The only car ferry connecting the western and eastern shores for motorists sails between Verbania Intra and Laveno. Ferries run every 20 minutes; one-way transport costs between €6.90 and €11.50 for a car and driver or €4.30 for a bicycle and cyclist.

Stresa

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Facing due east across the lake, Stresa has a ringside view of the fiery orange sun rising up over the water. The town’s easy access from Milan has made it a favourite for artists and writers seeking inspiration. Hemingway was one of many; he arrived in Stresa in 1918 to convalesce from a war wound. A couple of pivotal scenes towards the end of his novel A Farewell to Arms are set at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees, the most palatial of the hotels garlanding the lake. Stresa still has something of a nostalgic air from this era.

LAGO MAGGIORE EXPRESS

Lago Maggiore Express (www.lagomaggioreexpress.com; adult/child €30/15) is a picturesque day trip under your own steam (no guide) that includes train travel from Arona or Stresa to Domodossola, from where you get a charming little train to Locarno in Switzerland and a ferry back from Locarno to Stresa. The two-day version is perhaps better value if you have the time, costing €36/18. Tickets are available from Navigazione Lago Maggiore (above).

Offshore, the Borromean Islands make an ideal ferry excursion from Stresa.

INFORMATION

Banks and ATMs abound on Corso Italia, Stresa’s waterfront promenade. Check out www.visitstresa.com for more info on the town.

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

Captivating views of the lake unfold during a 20-minute cable-car journey on the Funivia Stresa-Mottarone ( 0323 3 02 95; www.stresa-mottarone.it; Piazzale della Funivia; adult/child return €17.50/11; 9.30am-5.30pm) to the top of 1491m-high Monte Mottarone. Cars depart every 20 minutes in summer. On a clear day you can see Lago Maggiore, Lago d’Orta, several other smaller lakes and Monte Rosa, on the Alpine border with Switzerland.

At the Alpino midstation (803m), more than 1000 Alpine and sub-Alpine species flourish in the Giardino Botanico Alpinia ( 0323 3 02 95; www.giardinoalpinia.it; adult/child €2/1.50; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct), a botanical garden dating from 1934.

The mountain itself offers good biking trails as well as walking opportunities (it takes about four hours to walk from Stresa to the top). Bicicò ( 0323 3 03 99; www.bicico.it) rents out mountain bikes at the lower Stresa cable-car station. Rates include a helmet and road book detailing a 25km panoramic descent (about three hours, of which only about 30 minutes require slight ascents, thus making it accessible to pretty much anyone who can ride a bike) from the top of Mottarone back to Stresa. A one-way trip with a bike on the cable car to Alpino/Mottarone costs €7/10.

Skiing down Mottarone’s gentle slopes is limited to five green and two blue slopes, making it good for beginners. Gear can be hired from the station at the top of Mottarone. The ski pass (www.mottaroneski.it; adult/child return €23/17.50) includes the cost of the cable car; you can hire gear at the top.

Exotic birds and animals roam relatively freely at the kid-friendly Parco della Villa Pallavicino ( 0323 3 15 33; www.parcozoopallavicino.it; adult/child €9/6; 9am-6pm Mar-Oct), at the southern end of Stresa.

SLEEPING & EATING

There are some 40 camping grounds up and down the lake’s western shore; the tourist office has a list. Seasonal closings are generally November to February, but this can vary, so it’s always best to check ahead. Beware that quite a few hotels close from late November to February too.

Hotel Elena ( 0323 3 10 43; www.hotelelena.com; Piazza Cadorna 15; s/d €55/80; ) Adjoining a cafe, the old-fashioned Elena is slap-bang on Stresa’s pedestrian central square. Wheelchair access is possible, and all of Elena’s comfortable rooms, with parquet floors, have a balcony, many overlooking the square.

La Stellina ( 0323 3 24 43; www.lastellina.com; Via Molinari 10; s/d €70/80) A couple of blocks’ stroll from the main square, an early-19th-century building makes a beautiful backdrop for this charming little B&B. One of its three floral-themed rooms, the ‘rose room’, has a wooden spiral staircase leading to an attic sitting room.

Albergo Villa Mon Toc ( 0323 3 02 82; www.hotelmontoc.com; Viale Duchessa di Genova 67-69; s/d €55/85; ) A cheerful, three-storey, orange residence, this is a comfortable spot just back from the railway. Rooms have a pleasingly old-fashioned air, with dark wooden furniture, big beds and throw rugs on the tile floors. A big plus is the lovely garden out the back.

Osteria degli Amici ( 0323 3 04 53; Via Anna Maria Bolongaro 33; pizzas €4.50-9, meals €25) You may need to queue (it’s always packed) but it’s worth it to dine under vines on one of Stresa’s most delightful terraces in the centre of town.

Il Clandestino ( 0323 3 03 99; Via Rosmini 5; meals €30; Wed-Mon) An elegant corner dining room, Il Clandestino serves up great lake fish and seafood, with some of the ingredients and ideas coming from Sicily. Try the scampi e gamberi di Sicilia nel raviolo di farro biologico (Sicilian prawns and scampi in a big organic pasta raviolo).

Borromean Islands

Forming Lago Maggiore’s most beautiful corner, Isole Borromee can be reached from various points around the lake, but Stresa and Baveno offer the best access. Three of the four islands – Bella, Madre and Pescatori (also called Superiore) – can all be visited, but San Giovanni is off limits to the public.

ISOLA BELLA

Isola Bella took the name of Carlo III’s wife, the bella Isabella, in the 17th century, when its centrepiece, Palazzo Borromeo ( 0323 3 05 56; www.borromeoturismo.it; adult/child €12/5; 9am-5.30pm Apr—mid-Oct), was built for the Borromeo family. Presiding over 10 tiers of terraced gardens, the baroque palace contains works by Tiepolo and van Dyck (to see the bulk of the art you have to buy a €16 ticket granting access to the Galleria dei Quadri), as well as Flemish tapestries and sculptures by Canova. Well-known guests have included Napoleon and Josephine in 1797 (you can see the bed they slept in), and Prince Charles and Princess Di in 1985. The Borromeo family still use it as their summer residence, occupying the 2nd floor during August and September (although the grounds and lower floors remain open to visitors). Beneath a 23m-high ceiling in the former concert room is a 200-year-old wooden model of the palace and island. A combined ticket covering admission to the Borromeo and Madre palaces costs €16.50/7.50 per adult/child.

What’s left of the island swarms with stalls selling gelati, pizzas and souvenirs.

Elvezia ( 0323 3 00 43; Isola Bella; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, Fri-Sun Nov-Feb) is the place for authentic family cooking. It serves pastas, including ravioli stuffed with ricotta and a chunky lasagna, as well as lake fish such as perch baked in foil. Booking ahead is essential for dinner in winter.

ISOLA MADRE

All of Isola Madre is taken up by the fabulous 16th- to 18th-century Palazzo Madre ( 0323 3 05 56; adult/child €10/5; 9am-5.30pm Mar-Oct). White peacocks whose fanned feathers resemble bridal gowns strut around English-style gardens that rival those of Isola Bella. Palace highlights include a neoclassical puppet theatre designed by a scenographer from Milan’s La Scala, and ‘horror’ theatre with a cast of devilish marionettes.

See above for combined tickets for Isola Madre and Isola Bella.

ISOLA SUPERIORE (PESCATORI)

Tiny ‘Fishermen’s Island, in the absence of souvenir stalls, retains much of its original fishing-village atmosphere. Apart from an 11th-century apse and a 16th-century fresco hanging in the Chiesa di San Vittore, there are no real sights; hence many visitors make it their port of call for lunch. Restaurants cluster around the boat landing, all serving grilled fish fresh from the lake from around €15.

If you want to stay on the island, the romantic Albergo Verbano ( 0323 3 04 08; www.hotelverbano.it; s/d €120/185; Mar-Dec) has a dozen rooms with wrought-iron bedsteads, and half- and full-board options. The hotel will send its own boat out free for guests once the ferries have stopped running.

South of Stresa

It was in Arona (population 14,370), 20km south of Stresa, that the son of the Count of Arona and Margherita de’ Medici, who would go on to become San Carlo Borromeo (1538–84), was born. His birthplace, the Rocca Borromea castle, was later destroyed by Napoleon. But Arona’s saint is far from forgotten: in addition to a church and several chapels, the hill dedicated to him bears the revered religious monument, Sancarlone (admission €4; 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.15pm Apr-Sep, 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.15pm Sat & Sun Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm Sat & Sun Mar, Nov & Dec). Erected between 1614 and 1698, the 35m bronze-and-copper statue can be climbed, affording a spectacular view from the top.

Across the water, the imposing medieval hilltop fortress, the Rocca di Angera, houses the 12-room Museo della Bambola (Doll Museum; 0331 93 13 00; adult/child €7.50/4.50; 9am-5.30pm Apr—mid-Oct), displaying the Borromeo family’s priceless collection of dolls. Combined tickets with Isola Bella and Isola Madre are €20/10 for adult/child.

Various waterside cafes offer magnificent views of the castle, but for a culinary treat, head just outside the centre of town to Hotel Lido Angera ( 0331 93 02 32; www.hotellido.it; Viale Libertà 11; meals €45; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun, dinner Mon) for fresh lake fish. Set on the lake and surrounded by greenery, this hotel-restaurant serves up an original sushi platter of Lake Maggiore fish as a starter. The rooms (singles/doubles €78/110) are also tempting.

The Monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso (admission free; 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm) is one of the most spectacularly located places in northern Italy. Clinging to the high rocky face of this southeast shore of Lake Maggiore, about 13km north of Angera, it is reached by a spiralling stairway (a lift is being built too) from 60m above. The church is actually the cobbling together of a series of 13th- and 14th-century chapels to form an oddly shaped whole, and is filled with a carnival of frescoes.

North of Stresa

Heading 4km north of Stresa brings you to Baveno (population 4860), which has good ferry links to the Borromean Islands, and a fistful of hotels. If you’ve got energy to burn (or kids who do), stop off at Lake Maggiore Adventure Park ( 0323 91 97 99; www.sport-fun.info; Strada Cavalli 18, Baveno; adult/child €22/15; 10am-7pm Mar-Nov). Thrills and spills include suspension courses, an artificial climbing wall, a trampoline ‘acro-jump’, and a cycling course with jumps. Its cafe has stunning lake views from its patio.

Further north towards Switzerland, Verbania (population 30,940), the biggest town on the lake, is split into three districts. Verbania Pallanza is the most interesting district, with a tight web of lanes in its old centre and, the city’s highlight, the grounds of the late-19th-century Villa Taranto ( 0323 40 45 55; www.villataranto.it; Via Vittorio Veneto; adult/child €9/5.50; 8.30am-6.30pm Mar-Sep, to 5pm Oct). In 1931, royal archer and Scottish captain Neil McEacharn bought the villa from the Savoy family. He planted some 20,000 species over 30 years, and today it is considered one of Europe’s finest botanical gardens. Boats stop at Pallanza and at the landing stage in front of the villa.

Verbania’s tourist office ( 0323 50 32 49; www.verbania-turismo.it; Corso Zanitello 6-8; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri) is on the waterfront in Verbania Pallanza and has accommodation details. Backpackers will want to make a beeline for the lake’s only hostel, Ostello Verbania ( 0323 50 16 48; prenotazioni@ostelloverbania.it; Via alle Rose 7; dm incl breakfast €16, s/d €25/€50; reception 9am-noon & 4-10pm Mar-Oct & Christmas; ). It has lake glimpses for its privileged spot high up back from the old centre of Verbania Pallanza. Caffè Bolongaro ( 0323 50 32 54; Piazza Garibaldi 9; pizzas €4.50-8), on the waterfront in Pallanza, is the perfect place for pizza: they have an interminable and tasty selection.

Five kilometres short of the Swiss border is Cannobio (population 5120). The tourist office ( 0323 7 12 12; www.procannobio.it; Via Giovanola 25; 9am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun & holidays) is just inland off the main lakeside road, which here runs through the centre of town. Between that road and the lake, the tiny toy town’s spotless cobblestoned streets are impossibly quaint and the pastel waterfront a dream location for the passeggiata and a bite at one of several eateries.

Cannobio has an active sailing and windsurfing school, Tomaso Surf & Sail ( 0323 7 22 14; www.tomaso.com; Via Nazionale 7), next to a patch of gritty beach at the village’s northern end. Mountain bikes can be hired per hour/day for €4/14 from Cicli Prezan ( 0323 7 12 30; www.cicliprezan.it; Viale Vittorio Veneto 9).

Hotel Pironi ( 0323 7 06 24; www.pironihotel.it; Via Marconi 35; s €120, d €130-170), in a 15th-century palazzo amid Cannobio’s cobbled maze, is one of several charming hotels in the village. It also has a restaurant, with tables under the portico. Waterfront Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III is also lined by eateries.

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LAGO DI COMO

In the shadow of the snow-covered Rhaetian Alps, Lago di Como (also known as Lago Lario) is the most spectacular of the lakes. Shaped like an upside-down letter Y, its squiggly shoreline is scattered with villages, including exquisite Bellagio, in the centre of the inverted V on the lake’s southern shore. Where the southern and western shores converge is the lake’s main town, Como. Lecco, the other large town on the lake, sits where the southern shore meets the less-explored eastern shore.

Lombard kings once took refuge from invaders on Isola Comacina, the sole island in this beguiling 146-sq-km body of water.

GETTING THERE & AROUND

The Como-based ASF Autolinee ( 031 24 72 47; www.sptlinea.it, in Italian) operates regular buses around the lake, which depart from the bus station. Key routes include Como—Colico (€5.10, 1½ hours, three to five daily), via all the villages on the western shore mentioned in this section; and Como—Bellagio (€2.75, one hour, 10 minutes, hourly).

Trains from Milan’s Stazione Centrale and Porta Garibaldi station (€3.60 to €8.50, 40 minutes to one hour, hourly) use Como’s main train station (Como San Giovanni), and some continue on into Switzerland. Trains from Milan’s Stazione Nord (€3.60, one hour, hourly) use Como’s lakeside Stazione FNM (listed on timetables as Como Nord Lago). Trains from Milan to Lecco continue north along the eastern shore.

Navigazione Lago di Como ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it; Piazza Cavour) ferries and hydrofoils criss-cross the lake, departing year-round from the jetty at the northern end of Piazza Cavour. One-way fares range from €1.90 (Como—Cernobbio) to €10 (Como—Lecco). Return tickets are double.

Car ferries link Cadenabbia on the west shore with Varenna on the eastern shore and Bellagio.

Como

pop 83,170

Elegant Como is the main access town to the lake. Its twin claims to fame are the lake with which it shares its name, and its silk industry. Como’s mulberry trees died out in the early 1900s from a combination of disease and the Industrial Revolution, but although the yarn is now imported, silk is still woven and designed here.

INFORMATION

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

Como’s lakeside location is stunning, and its narrow pedestrian lanes are a pleasure to explore, with some notable sights along the way. Elements of baroque, Gothic, Romanesque and Renaissance styles can be seen in Como’s marble-clad Duomo (cathedral; Piazza del Duomo; 7am-noon & 3-7pm). The cathedral was built between the 14th and 18th centuries, and is crowned by a high octagonal dome. Next door, the polychromatic Broletto (medieval town hall) looks like a mere appendage of the church.

The circular layout of the original 6th-century Basilica di San Fedele (Piazza San Fedele; 8am-noon & 3.30-7pm), with three naves and three apses, has been likened to a clover leaf. Its 16th-century rose window and precious 16th- and 17th-century frescoes add to its charm. The facade is the result of a 1914 remake, but the apses are the real McCoy, featuring some eye-catching sculpture on the east side.

About 500m south of the city walls and just beyond the busy and rather ugly Viale Innocenzo XI is the remarkable 11th-century Romanesque Basilica di Sant’Abbondio (Via Regina; 8am-6pm). In addition to its proud, high structure and impressive apse with beautiful geometric relief decoration around the exterior windows, there are remarkable frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ on the inside of the apse.

Significant remains from prehistoric and Roman times are displayed at the Museo Archeologico ( 031 25 25 50; Piazza Medaglie d’Oro 1; adult/senior/child €3/1.50/free; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Tue-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun). A block south, Como’s city walls were rebuilt in 1162 following their demolition by the Milanese in 1127; They had forced Como to surrender, destroy all its buildings (save its churches) and walls, and become dependent on Milan until Barbarossa came along in 1152.

The lakeside Tempio Voltiano ( 031 57 47 05; Viale Marconi; adult/senior/child €3/1.50/free; 10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-noon & 2-4pm Nov-Mar) was built in 1927. This neoclassical temple is now a museum devoted to Como-born electric-battery inventor Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). The Monumento ai Caduti (War Memorial; Viale Puecher 9), nearby, is a classic example of Fascist-era architecture and dates to 1931.

South of the old town, the Museo della Seta (Silk Museum; 031 30 31 80; www.museosetacomo.com; Via Castelnuovo 9; adult/child €8/2.60; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Fri) unravels the town’s silk history, with early dyeing and printing equipment on display.

Northeast along the waterfront, past Piazza Matteotti and the train station, is the Funicolare Como—Brunate ( 031 30 36 08; www.funicolarecomo.it; Piazza de Gasperi 4; adult/child one-way €2.50/1.65, return €4.35/2.75; 6am-midnight mid-Apr—mid-Sep, to 10.30pm mid-Sep—mid-Apr), a cable car built in 1894. It takes seven minutes to reach hill top Brunate (720m), a quiet village offering splendid views. In San Maurizio, about a 30-minute, rather steep walk (mostly along a stone, former mule path) from Brunate’s funicular stop, there are 143 steps leading to the top of the lighthouse, built in 1927 to mark the centenary of Alessandro Volta’s death.

The tourist office has ample walking and cycling information.

SLEEPING

Ostello Villa Olmo ( 031 57 38 00; ostellocomo@tin.it; Via di Bellinzona 6; dm incl breakfast €15; reception 7-10am & 4pm-midnight, closed Dec-Feb; ) In a rambling garden right on the lakefront, Como’s HI hostel is two doors up from the heritage-listed villa of the same name. There’s a midnight curfew but a fun night-time bar (alcohol service ceases at 10pm). Meals cost €10. The hostel is 1km from the main train station and 20m from the closest bus stop. Take bus 1, 6 or 11.

In Riva al Lago ( 031 30 23 33; www.inrivaallago.com; Piazza Matteotti 4; s/d without bathroom €38/47, s/d with bathroom €45/63, 2-person apt from €70; ) Don’t be deceived by the unassuming exterior of this hotel, situated right behind the bus station. Simple but pleasing rooms with tile floors are tastefully furnished, some with original wood beams, and there are a handful of apartments for up to five people.

Le Stanze del Lago ( 339 544 65 15; www.lestanzedellago.com; Via Rodari 6; 2-/4-person apt from €70/90; ) Five cosy apartments, nicely decked out in modern but understated fashion, make for a good deal in the heart of Como. For stays of five days or longer you can use the kitchen too. They all feature double bed, sofa-bed, timber ceilings and tiled floor.

Albergo del Duca ( 031 26 48 59; www.albergodelduca.it; Piazza Mazzini 12; s/d €75/120; ) Set on a peaceful square in central Como, the hotel occupies a renovated 17th-century building with a pleasant internal courtyard. Rooms, which exude the warmth that comes from hardwood floors, look either on to the square or the courtyard.

Locanda Milano ( 031 336 50 69; www.locandamilano.it, in Italian; Via Volta 62, Brunate; s/d €80/100; ) Get away from it all in the hilltop village of Brunate, where Locanda Milano offers restful rooms in pretty yellow and blue hues, perched above its well-regarded restaurant (meals €45).

EATING

Trattoria dei Combattenti ( 031 270574; Via Balestra 5/9; meals €20; Wed-Mon) Set in the building of the Italian retired servicemen’s association, this popular trattoria offers seating inside or in a sunny gravel yard at the front. Simple but irresistible cooking is the name of the game. Opt for an insalatone (€9) if you want a ‘big salad’, or the €14 set lunch.

Osteria del Gallo ( 031 27 25 91; Via Vitani 16; meals €25; lunch Mon-Sat) This ageless osteria is a lunchtime must. The menu is recited and might include a first of giant ravioli stuffed with mozzarella and topped with tomatoes, followed by lightly fried fillets of agone, a local lake fish.

Ristorante Sociale ( 031 26 40 42; Via Rodari 6; meals €25; Wed-Mon) The Sociale is a local institution. The upstairs dining room has an outsized baroque fireplace and frescoes. The server will announce a constantly changing series of dishes of the day. Cooking is no-nonsense, ranging from risotto trevisana (with chicory) to huge Milanese scaloppine (veal escalopes).

Osteria Angolo del Silenzio ( 031 337 21 57; Viale Lecco 25; meals €35-40; lunch & dinner Wed-Sun, dinner Tue) The Corner of Silence is loved by locals for dishes like tagliatelle nere con gamberi e seppie (black tagliatelle with shrimps and cuttlefish) or a succulent, fancily presented petto d’anatra al pepe rosa (duck breast cooked with pink pepper).

Self-caterers can stock up on supplies at Granmercato (Piazza Matteotti 3; 8.30am-1pm Sun-Mon, 8.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Fri, 8am-7.30pm Sat) and Qui C’è (Via Natta 43; 8am-1.30pm & 3.30-8pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun). Fresh fruit, vegetables and delicacies abound at Como’s food market ( 8.30am-1pm Tue & Thu, 8.30am-7pm Sat) outside Porta Torre.

SHOPPING

La Tessitura ( 031 32 16 66; Viale Roosevelt 2; 11am-9pm Tue-Sat) Mantero, one of the biggest names in Como silk, runs this large-scale outlet-style store on the site of their former factory (which has been moved out of town). If you can print and weave it, you’ll find it here.

A craft and antiques market (Piazza di San Fedele; 9am-7pm Sat) fills the piazza out the front of the basilica.

Southern Shore

Locals say that if you’ve driven from Como to Bellagio, you can drive anywhere around the lake. The 32km western branch of the southern shore is a narrow, twisting, hillside drive, with a steady stream of traffic. Those with time could stop off in various villages along the way, but the ‘pearl’ of the lake is Bellagio itself, suspended like a pendant on the promontory where the lake’s western and eastern arms split and head south.

The mountains between the lake’s two arms (in the triangle formed by the water and the towns of Como and Lecco) afford sweeping views, and shelter some quaint, little-visited villages.

Another option for travelling between Como and Bellagio is to hike along a waymarked trail that follows old mule and cart tracks through this triangle. This scenic walk takes two days, with rifugi (mountain huts) and restaurants along the way. Como’s tourist office can provide a free detailed route description.

BELLAGIO

pop 3020

The place that inspired the Las Vegas casino (the same one involved in a heist in Ocean’s 11) lives up to its fabled reputation. Bellagio’s sapphire-blue harbour, maze of stone staircases and colourful shuttered buildings are truly enchanting. Although summers and weekends teem with visitors, if you turn up on a weekday outside high season, you’ll have the little village almost to yourself.

Bellagio’s tourist office ( 031 95 02 04; Piazza Mazzini; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm Mon, Tue & Thu, 9am-1pm Wed, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Fri & Sat), next to the boat landing stage, has information on water sports, mountain biking and other lake activities. Otherwise, PromoBellagio ( 031 95 15 55; www.bellagiolakecomo.com; Piazza della Chiesa 14; 9.30am-1pm Mon, 9.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-4pm Wed-Fri), in the basement of an 11th-century watchtower, also has information.

Internet access (terminals and wi-fi) is available at bellagiopoint.com ( 031 95 04 37; Salita Plinio 8-12; per 15min/hr €2/6; 10am-10pm). The place doubles as a cool little aperitivo bar in the evenings – the bar is laden to breaking point with snacks.

The lavish gardens of Villa Serbelloni ( 031 95 15 55; Via Garibaldi 8; adult/child €6.50/3; tours 11am & 4pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct) cover much of the promontory on which Bellagio sits. Visits are by guided tour only and numbers are limited; tickets are sold 10 minutes in advance at PromoBellagio.

MORITZ MANTERO & HIS SILK ROAD

Moritz Mantero (born 1946) is the third generation of one of Como’s largest silk producers, Mantero. We spoke to him in a reception room of the company’s historic 1923 headquarters in central Como’s Via Volta.

How did Como become a major silk producer?

Como had been a centre of wool production, and the spinning mills had tried silk, too, and fallen on hard times. Empress Maria Teresa [1717–80], seeing the plight of the Lago di Como area, declared all textile production there to be duty-free throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In essence, that’s how the modern Como silk industry got started.

There were other major silk centres in Europe. Why has Como survived?

In Krefeld [Germany] there is little left. Lyon [France] was the best known, but the French, shut in their ivory tower, said: ‘we’re French, we know best’. The Italians are more flexible, and our costs were lower.

Are costs still lower?

No, Como keeps the flag flying through innovation and flexibility.

How important is the silk industry?

Of all the natural and non-natural fibres consumed throughout the world, silk makes up just 0.2%. It’s a niche. But in Como it’s an important niche – a third of the workforce in Como province (27,000 people) is involved in the silk business.

How have those numbers changed over the years?

Ten years ago, the number was about 40,000.

What happened?

The first shock came from the WTO [World Trade Organisation] with the liberalisation of trade in all types of textiles.

Is China the main source of competition?

All our raw or partly finished silk has long come from China. For finished products, the Chinese concentrate on large-scale production of items of medium to low quality. Italian companies in that sector have had to close. We concentrate on top quality on a small scale.

You sell your products to the big-name fashion companies, but only their labels appear. So Como silk is top of the range?

We will never be a university canteen, churning out food, rather a top-quality restaurant serving meals as they are ordered. We don’t do TV dinners.

Mantero recently fused with one of the other big four Como silk firms. That stunned a few people.

It stunned everyone.

Why?

We had always been competitors. The alliance has been likened to a fusion of AC Milan and Inter [Milan’s arch-rival football teams]. We have found integration relatively easy, and this will reduce our combined fixed costs.

Will the big silk companies one day fuse to be one?

That would be science fiction, but I can see Ratti [until now the biggest firm] buying some smaller companies.

Are there many of those?

Hundreds! Como has the greatest concentration of textile-design studios in the world, some of them run by only one person.

Is the worst of the industry’s crisis over? How do you see the future?

That’s hard to say, but the Chinese character for crisis has two meanings: risk and opportunity. I am positive. Manufacturing in the West will increasingly be in high-performance sectors. Companies able to renew themselves constantly in order to be the first to meet changes in the market will do well.

Moritz Mantero is President of Mantero.

Garden-lovers can also stroll the grounds of neoclassical Villa Melzi D’Eril ( 339 4573838; www.giardinidivillamelzi.it; Lungo Lario Manzoni; adult/child €6/4; 9am-6pm Apr-Oct), built in 1808 for one of Napoleon’s associates and coloured by flowering azaleas and rhododendrons in spring.

Sleeping & Eating

For such an exquisite spot, there are a surprising number of affordable places to sleep and eat (and plenty of luxurious places where you can spoil yourself, too).

Bellagio Bed & Breakfast ( 031 95 16 80; www.bellagiobedandbreakfast.com; Salita Mella 38; s/d €50/60; ) Two snappy little apartments at the top end of one Bellagio’s narrow stone stairway streets make for a very good deal. They can hold up to six people at a pinch. They are self-contained, with kitchen and lounge area, and prices include cleaning and linen.

Residence La Limonera ( 031 95 21 24; www.residencelalimonera.com; Via Bellosio 2; 2-person apt €70-100; ) This elegant villa in an old lemon grove has been divided into 11 spacious and thoughtfully furnished self-catering apartments. Apartments for three and four people are also available.

Albergo Silvio ( 031 95 03 22; www.bellagiosilvio.com; Via Carcano 12; s/d from €65/85; Mar—mid-Nov & Christmas week; ) The high position over the western arm of Lago di Como is enough to recommend this spot, 1km short of the centre of Bellagio. It is worth shelling out the €15 extra for a room with lake views. The restaurant downstairs, with a balmy outdoor section, is one of Bellagio’s badly kept secrets. People flock here for well-prepared lake fish and the views (meals €25 to €30).

Hotel Bellagio ( 031 95 22 02; www.hotelbellagio.it; Salita Grandi 6; s/d €120/160; ) This two-star boutique hotel is tucked off a stair-lined street in the village centre. Views of the lake unfold from most of the artfully decorated, contemporary rooms, which have timber floors. It has a small gym and sun roof too.

Western Shore

Without the mountains blocking the light, the western shore gets the most sunshine on the lake. For this reason, it’s lined with the most lavish villas, where high-fliers from football players to film stars reside. The shore stretches 80km from Como north to Sorico at the lake’s tip; from here you can continue north into Switzerland or east into Trentino-Alto Adige.

CERNOBBIO TO LENNO

Ocean’s 11 may have been shot at Bellagio’s Vegas namesake, but scenes from Ocean’s 12 were filmed in the Lago di Como village of Cernobbio, at the 19th-century Villa Erba (Largo Luchino Visconti; closed to the public). Cernobbio is also home to the lake’s most magnificent hotel, Villa d’Este (www.villadeste.it). But if you don’t have a cool €800 to €950 to spend a night, try the cosy, wood-shuttered Albergo Centrale ( 031 51 14 11; www.albergo-centrale.com; Via Regina 39, Cernobbio; s/d €85/150; ). Situated away from the water on Cernobbio’s main street, it has a flowery terrace, a red-brick cellar and a tavern serving pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven. Rooms are pleasant, with parquet floors, muted pastel colours and high ceilings.

If you’re driving, follow the lower lakeside road (Via Regina Vecchia) north from Cernobbio, which skirts the lake shore past a fabulous row of 19th-century villas around Moltrasio. Fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was murdered in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1997, is buried in the village cemetery; his former villa is still owned by the Versace family.

A few kilometres north is the charming hamlet of Laglio, home to Ocean’s star, George Clooney. North again, Argegno is the departure point into the mountains on the Funivia Argegno—Pigra ( 0318 108 44; one-way/return €2.50/3.40; 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm). The cable car makes the five-minute climb to the 860m-high village of Pigra every 30 minutes. The views from there are marvellous. It runs for fewer hours in winter. Argegno’s Locanda Sant’Anna ( 031 82 17 38; www.locandasantanna.it; Via Sant’Anna 152; d €100-160; ) has a handful of beautiful lamp-lit guest rooms and a rustic restaurant.

In Lenno, scenes from Star Wars: Episode II and 2006’s James Bond remake, Casino Royale, were shot at Villa Balbianello ( 0344 5 61 10; www.fondoambiente.it; Via Comoedia 5, Località Balbianello; villa & gardens adult/child €11/6, gardens only adult/child €5/2.50; 10am-6pm Tue & Thu-Sun mid-Mar—mid-Nov), a villa built by Cardinal Angelo Durini in 1787 and used for a while by Allied commanders at the tail end of WWII. It is one of the most extraordinary locations on Lake Como, with magnificent gardens tumbling down the sides of the promontory and a curious collector’s museum of all sorts of items in the villa itself. If you want to see the villa, you must join a guided tour (generally in Italian) by 4.15pm.Visitors are only allowed to walk the 1km from the Lenno landing stage to the estate on Tuesday and at weekends; other days, you have to take a taxi boat ( 333 410 38 54; return €6) from Lenno or Sala Comacina (a few kilometres south).

TREMEZZO

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At the 17th-century Villa Carlotta ( 0344 4 04 05; www.villacarlotta.it; Riva Garibaldi; adult/senior & student/child €8/4/free; 9am-6pm Easter-Sep, 9am-5pm mid-Mar—Easter & Oct—mid-Nov), the botanical gardens are filled with colour in spring from orange trees knitted into pergolas and from some of Europe’s finest rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The villa, which is strung with paintings, sculptures (especially by Antonio Canova) and tapestries, takes its name from the Prussian princess who was given the place in 1847 as a wedding present from her mother. The extensive gardens have everything from Japanese camellias to American sequoias.

Tremezzo’s tourist office ( 0344 4 04 93; infotremezzo@tiscalinet.it; Via Statale Regina; 9am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct) adjoins the boat jetty.

A short stroll south, the 19th-century villa Hotel Villa Marie ( 0344 4 04 27; www.hotelvillamarie.com; Via Regina 30, Tremezzo; d €95-140; ) has a charming lakeside terrace and spacious, light-filled rooms. The two Liberty-style suites could be part of a museum.

CADENABBIA & MENAGGIO

Motorists can cross the lake by car ferry in Cadenabbia. You could decide to sleep over for the night at Alberghetto della Marianna ( 0344 4 30 95; www.la-marianna.com; Via Regina 57, Cadenabbia di Griante; s/d €65/95; Wed-Mon; ). They also have a welcoming restaurant, La Cucina di Marianna ( 0344 4 31 11; menus €30-45, children’s menu €12; Wed-Sun), where you can dine on original set meals whose theme changes daily.

A further 3km north is Menaggio (population 3260). The tourist office ( 0344 3 29 24; www.menaggio.com; Piazza Garibaldi 3; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat Nov-Mar) has several excellent brochures on walking and biking in the area. Just 100m uphill from Menaggio’s ferry wharf, its hostel, Ostello La Primula ( 0344 3 23 56; www.lakecomohostel.com; Via IV Novembre 106; dm incl breakfast €16; reception 8-10am & 4pm-midnight mid-Mar—early Nov; ), has lake views from rooms housing 35 beds, and meals (including vegetarian options) for €13. You can rent bikes and kayaks (€14.50 per day) or chill on the pebbled terrace.

LAGO DI PIANO & LAGO DI LUGANO

Menaggio is the jumping-off point for Lago di Piano in the Val Menaggio, a remote valley connecting Lago di Como with Lago di Lugano, which straddles the Italian/Swiss border to the west. Tiny Lago di Piano is protected by the Riserva Naturale Lago di Piano. Three marked nature trails, 4km to 5.3km long, encircle the lake, and the visitors centre ( 0344 7 49 61; www.riservalagodipiano.it; Via Statale 117, Piano di Porlezza; 9am-noon Mon, Tue & Sat, 2-4pm Wed May-Oct), on the lake’s northern shore, rents mountain bikes (€2.50 per hour), row boats (€7 per hour) and arranges guided visits on foot (€5/8 per person per half/full day).

A few kilometres east of Lago di Piano is Lago di Lugano. The main town on the Italian side is Porlezza (population 4470), from where ferries sail to Lugano in Switzerland.

You’ll find a couple of camping grounds just east of the reserve, signposted just off the Menaggio—Porlezza—Lugano road.

ALTO LARIO

North of Menaggio, the road hugging Lago di Como’s western shore flattens and widens (in relative terms), affording some spectacular views and an easier drive during which to appreciate them. This northern stretch of the lake is known as the Alto Lario (‘upper Lario’; Lario being Lago di Como’s alternate name).

An essential stop for water-sports enthusiasts is Gravedona (population 2750). Of the town’s several hotels, Hotel Regina ( 0344 8 94 46; www.reginahotels.it; Via Regina Levante 18; s €65-100, d €100-140; ) fronts the beach and has a full range of facilities, including a gym and mountain bikes for exploring the surrounding mountains. They have a sunbathing area and a courtesy shower for those leaving late in the day.

Tourist offices around the lake have a list of camping grounds in the area and loads of info about sailing, windsurfing, kite-surfing and waterskiing.

Eastern Shore

Lago di Como’s eastern shore is the least visited, but it shelters some really lovely villages. If driving, skip the motorway, and stick to the lakeside SS36 from Colico south to Lecco.

About 3km south of Colico, the Abbazia di Piona ( 0341 94 03 31; www.cistercensi.info/piona; 7am-7pm), a Cistercian abbey, is a pocket of peace. From the lakeside, SS36, follow the narrow road for 2km; the last stretch is cobbled.

VARENNA

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Villa-studded Varenna, 13km south of the Abbazia di Piona, has a web of cobbled streets crowned by a castle.

Varenna’s tourist office ( 0341 83 03 67; www.varennaitaly.com; Via del IV Novembre 7; 10am-12.30pm & 3-5.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-12.30pm Sun Apr-Sep, 10am-5pm Sat Oct-Mar) offers information on the lake’s entire eastern shore.

The gardens of Villa Monastero ( 0341 29 54 50; www.villamonastero.eu; Via IV Novembre; adult/senior/child 7-13yr/child under 7yr €4/2/1/free; gardens 9am-6pm daily, house 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays Mar-Oct), a former-convent-turned-private-residence in the 17th century, and Villa Cipressi ( 0341 83 01 13; Via IV Novembre 22; adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct) can both be visited. Magnolias, camellias and yucca trees are among their floral wonders. To get to both villas from Piazzale Martiri della Libertà, the square next to the boat jetty, follow the narrow lakeside promenade around the shore then bear left (inland) up the steps to Piazza San Giorgio, the village square. Both villas are signposted from here. Make the effort to walk (a steep half-hour hike) or drive (3km) up to Vezio, where the views from the ruins of Castello di Vezio ( 348 824 25 04; www.castellodivezio.it; admission €4; 10am-6pm) down over Varenna are vertigo-inducing.

At the blue-shuttered Albergo del Sole ( 0341 81 52 18; www.albergodelsole.lc.it; Piazza San Giorgio 21; s/d €85/120; ), the half-dozen whitewashed rooms with polished wood floors are inspired by the lake’s steamboats, and there’s a good on-site restaurant. At the lakeside Vecchia Varenna ( 0341 83 07 93; www.vecchiavarenna.it; Contrada Scoscesa 10, Varenna; meals €40-45; Tue-Sun Feb-Dec), you can dine on risotto prepared with pears and Taleggio cheese, or choose from mains of lake fish, duck breast or, say, a tagliata di struzzo con radicchio e noci (ostrich steak with chicory and nuts).

LECCO & AROUND

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Lecco’s attractive lakefront leads to a series of piazzas (but few specific sights), and in winter you can ski the adjacent mountains. Lecco’s tourist office ( 0341 29 57 20; www.turismo.provincia.lecco.it; Via Nazario Sauro 6; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm mid-Mar—mid-Oct, 9am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Mon-Sat mid-Oct—mid-Mar) has details. A day’s lift ticket costs €28.

From Lecco, it’s an easy train ride (€2.75, 45 minutes) southeast to Bergamo.

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LAGO D’ISEO

Less than 100km from both Bergamo and Brescia, Lake Iseo (aka Sebino) is one of the least known of the Lombard lakes. Shut in by soaring mountains, it is a magnificent sight. About halfway along the lake another mountain soars right out of the water to form an island.

With the exception of the south shore and a series of tunnels at the northeast end of the lake, the road closely hugs the water on its circuit around Lake Iseo and is especially dramatic south of Lovere. For information, check out www.lagodiseo.org.

Approaching Lago d’Iseo from the southwest brings you to Sarnico (population 6230), with its lovely Liberty villas and a smattering of hotels and restaurants. It is placed delightfully on the north bank of the Oglio river, where it meets the lake. For information, head for Pro Loco Sarnico ( 035 4 20 80; www.prolocosarnico.it; Via Lantieri 6; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun). You’ll find four B&Bs along Via Lantieri, a few minutes’ walk from the river. B&B Borgo dei Lantieri ( 035 91 40 76; www.borgodeilantieri.it; Via Lantieri 31; s/d €35/65) has a handful of rooms, a lovely plant-filled courtyard and a sundeck. For tasty cheese (like Lombard mountain Bagoss cheese) and meat platters, bruschetta and other snacks, as well as some great local wines, head downstairs to the Taverna Enoteca Lantieri ( 035 91 44 77; Via Lantieri 53; meals €10-15; Wed-Mon).

A 12km drive east along the camping ground—dotted south shore of the lake brings you to the main town, Iseo (population 9060). It’s a pleasant enough spot, with a lovely waterside promenade and a public beach where you can hire canoes and pedaloes. To the south stretches a 2-sq-km protected wetland, the Riserva Naturale Torbiere del Sebino (www.torbiere.it), formed from 18th-century peat beds. In late spring, the pools are smothered in water lilies. Getting in is hit-or-miss, although there is a walking path around it.

Iseo’s tourist office ( 030 98 02 09; Lungolago Marconi 2; 10am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Easter-Sep, 10am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-12.30pm Sat Oct-Easter) stocks information about the numerous walking opportunities around the lake and hinterland, and has a list of camping grounds.

Hotel Milano ( 030 98 04 49; www.hotelmilano.info; Lungolargo Marconi 4; s/d €50/90; ) is one of only two hotels in the centre of Iseo. It is right on the lakefront, and prices quoted are for rooms with lake views, giving you a front-row seat for sunset behind the mountains over the lake. It has its own restaurant.

Monte Isola (www.monteisola.com) is Europe’s largest lake island, at 4.28 sq km. Only the doctor, police and the priest are allowed to drive on the island, making its little fishing village a peaceful retreat. Walk or bike the 15km-long trail that encircles the island, and pitch up at its simple camping ground, Campeggio Monte Isola ( 030 982 52 21; Via Croce 144; per person with own tent €10), which is open year-round. Boats converge on the island from several points, including Iseo, but the most frequent and quickest crossings are to Carzano from Sale Marasino, or to Peschiera from Sulzano, both on the east shore (€3.10 return, 10 minutes, every half-hour).

The Franciacorta – a patch of rolling countryside synonymous with its renowned wines – spreads south of the lake and east to Brescia. The Iseo tourist office has several brochures on the area; it makes for beautiful back country driving or cycling amid vineyards and villages, with the occasional manor, castle, Romanesque church and some fine restaurants.

Perched on the lake’s northwest tip, the port town of Lovere (population 5410) is a working harbour with a higgledy-piggledy old centre and a wealth of walking trails in the hills behind it. Its cobbled old town curves around the harbour, shadowed by a leafy lakefront promenade. On the hill at the western end of the harbour is the lake’s hostel, Ostello del Porto ( 035 983 52 90; http://ostellodelporto.interfree.it; Via Paglia 70; dm/s/d €17/35/42; mid-Mar—Oct; ). Housed in a former workers’ meeting house, it is part of Lovere’s one-time steelworks (accessed by a narrow pedestrian ramp from the road). En suite rooms all have lake views. Short drives out of Lovere to nearby villages like Bossico and Esmate bring you to marvellous lookout points high above the lake.

North of Lago d’Iseo, the Valle Camonica weaves its way to the vast Parco dell’Adamello and, further north, to the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio. The area borders Trentino-Alto Adige and takes in the better parts of the Lombard Alps. The two national parks offer many walks and are dotted with Alpine huts where you can rest up.

About halfway between Darfo and Edolo, the Parco Nazionale delle Incisioni Rupestri ( 0364 4 21 40; www.arterupestre.it; Località Naquane; adult/child/senior €4/2/free; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, 9am to 1 hr before sunset Oct-Apr), at Capo di Ponte, is a 30-hectare open-air museum containing a representative array of rock engravings going as far back as the Bronze Age. Perched high on a rocky ledge over the Oglio river stands a grand Romanesque church, the 11th- to 12th-century Pieve di San Siro ( 3-6pm Sat-Mon).

The area north of Edolo offers some reasonable winter skiing, particularly near Ponte di Legno, at the northern end of the valley, and the nearby Passo del Tonale. Brescia’s tourist office (Click here) stocks plenty of walking, camping and mountain-hut information.

In the valley there are several tourist offices, including the helpful Pro Loco ( 0364 4 20 80; www.proloco.capo-di-ponte.bs.it; Via Briscioli 42; 9am-noon & 2.30-4.30pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun, Mon & holidays) at Capo di Ponte.

Getting There & Around

Frequent SAB ( 035 28 90 00; www.sab-autoservizi.it, in Italian) buses trundle between Sarnico and Bergamo (€2.80, 50 minutes). Trains link Iseo train station with Brescia (€2.85, 30 minutes, hourly), where you can connect to Bergamo.

Navigazione sul Lago d’Iseo ( 035 97 14 83; www.navigazionelagoiseo.it) operates up to eight ferries daily between (south to north) Sarnico, Iseo, Monte Isola, Lovere and Pisogne (and some other smaller stops). Single fares range from €1.90 to €5.75. In winter there are substantially fewer sailings.

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LAGO DI GARDA

A playground for Italians of all ages, Lago di Garda encompasses an immense 370 sq km. In the southwest corner, Desenzano del Garda is known as the porta del lago (gateway to the lake), with good transport connections around the lake and beyond. In the centre of the southern shore, on a sliverlike peninsula, is the impossibly quaint village of Sirmione. If you have kids to entertain, the lake’s southeast corner is home to two amusement parks.

Particularly as you head north, Lago di Garda’s Ora (southerly) and Peler (northerly) winds make it a windsurfer’s haven. Once you’ve hit flower-filled Gardone Riviera, the lake rapidly narrows as the altitude climbs. Across from Gardone on the eastern shore, a cable car glides from the windsurfers’ hang-out of Malcesine to Monte Baldo (2200m), where there’s wintertime skiing and year-round mountain biking. By the time you reach the hiking haven Riva del Garda, at the northern tip, craggy mountains tower over the lake, lending it a fjordlike air.

Garda is the most (over)developed of the lakes and, despite a plethora of accommodation, booking ahead is advised.

GETTING THERE & AROUND

Buses run by APTV ( 045 805 79 11; www.aptv.it) connect Desenzano del Garda train station with Riva del Garda (two hours, up to six daily) along the western shore. Peschiera del Garda train station (10km southeast of Sirmione) is on the Riva del Garda—Malcesine—Garda—Verona APTV bus route, with hourly buses to both Riva (€3.80, one hour 40 minutes) and Verona (€2.80, 30 minutes). Buses also run to/from Mantua (1¼ hours, up to eight daily) from Peschiera del Garda train station. The Riva del Garda—Milan (3¾ hours, three daily) bus route operated by Società Italiana Autoservizi (SIA; 030 377 42 37; www.sia-autoservizi.it, in Italian) also connects the western shore with Brescia. Trentino Trasporti ( 0461 821 000; www.ttesercizio.it, in Italian) runs hourly buses between Riva del Garda and Arco (20 minutes), Rovereto (45 minutes) and Trento (1¾ hours).

The two train stations serving the lake, Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda, are on the Milan—Venice train line. Most trains in either direction stop at one or the other.

Navigazione sul Lago di Garda ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it, in Italian; Piazza Matteotti 2, Desenzano del Garda) operates numerous passenger ferries year-round. Motorists can cross the lake using the car ferry that yo-yos between Toscolano-Maderno (on the western shore) and Torri del Benaco (on the eastern shore), or seasonally between Limone (11km south of Riva del Garda on the western shore) and Malcesine (15km south of Riva on the eastern side). One-way tickets (including change of ferry where necessary) can cost up to €11.30/6.50 (adult/child), eg from Peschiera to Riva del Garda. A one-day ticket allowing unlimited travel costs €25.80/13.40 (adult/child).

Desenzano del Garda

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The lake’s main transport hub, Desenzano del Garda, is more residential than its lakeside counterparts, and many tourists pass straight through with barely a backward glance. But while Desenzano is not as quaint as some other spots, it’s also not as touristy and buzzes with activity year-round. Hidden amid its urban sprawl is an attractive old port and historic centre. You can get information on the town here from the tourist office ( 030 374 99 90; Via Porto Vecchio 34; 10am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-12.30pm Sat).

Right on the lakefront by Desenzano’s main beach, Hotel Europa ( 030 914 23 33; www.desenzano.com; Lungolago Battisti 71; s/d €62/104; ) is a breezy modern place with a good restaurant.

Desenzano is also a hub for nightlife in high summer, with bars and discos scattered around town.

Sirmione

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Situated 9km northeast of Desenzano, quaint Sirmione sits on an islet at the end of a slender peninsula on Garda’s southern shore. Even the tourists who pour into the village in their thousands don’t detract from the village’s charm or its wraparound lake views. At the gateway to the islet, its square-cut castle (Castello Scaligero; 030 91 64 68; adult/child €4/2; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat) was built by Verona’s ruling family, the Scaligeri, in 1250. There’s not a lot inside, but the views from the tower are spectacular.

The tourist office ( 030 91 61 14; Viale Marconi 6; 9am-9pm Easter-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat Nov-Easter) adjoins a bank and the bus station. Motorised vehicles are banned beyond this point, except for those with a hotel booking on the islet. (Driving even the smallest car along the miniature, pedestrian-clogged main street isn’t fun, anyway.)

From the jetty near the castle, all sorts of vessels will make any manner of trip around the lake – at a price – and an array of water activities can be arranged.

North of the main cluster of shops and restaurants are the open-air and indoor pools of the Terme di Sirmione ( 030 990 49 22; www.termedisirmione.com; Piazza Virgilio 1; admission Mon-Fri for up to 5hr €29, all-day passes from €36; 2-10pm Mon, 10am-10pm Tue-Sun, to midnight Thur). The source of the lake’s hot springs, offshore from Sirmione, were discovered in the late 1800s, and the pools are a natural 37°C. The pools are accessible for wheelchair-users; massage and other treatments are also available. You must make a reservation. Night-time admission (4pm to midnight) is €39 and includes a cocktail.

At the northern tip of the peninsula is the maze of Roman ruins known as Grotte di Catullo ( 030 91 61 57; adult/child €4/free; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sat, to 5pm Sun Mar-Sep, 8.30am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-Feb). In fact it’s not a cave as the name suggests but was called this by explorers who saw the ruins overgrown with foliage on top and mistook them for grottoes. It’s actually the largest domestic Roman villa uncovered in northern Italy, dating to the late 1st century BC.

SLEEPING & EATING

An inordinate number of hotels are crammed into Sirmione, many of which close from the end of October to March. Four camping grounds lie near the town, and the tourist office can advise on others around the lake.

Pizzerias, gelaterie and restaurants crowd around Piazza Carducci and along the main street; you’ll also find atmospheric spots in the side streets leading to the lakefront on both sides of the peninsula.

Camping Sirmione ( 030 91 90 45; www.camping-sirmione.com; Via Sirmioncino 9, Colombane; camping 2 people, car & tent €36; late Mar-early Oct; ) This attractive, well-kept site at the base of the peninsula (2.5km from the castle) has smart, modern bungalows (€113 for up to four people) for those without tents and a restaurant, shop and waterskiing school.

Hotel Marconi ( 030 91 60 07; www.hotelmarconi.info; Via Vittorio Emanuele II 51; s €40-65, d €65-110; ) Even if you’re someone who takes nothing more than coffee for breakfast, the incredible spread of cakes, tarts and pies, made by hand by the family that runs this elegant hotel, is a feast for the eyes. Rooms are streamlined and spotless, and you can lounge beneath blue-and-white-striped umbrellas on a timber sundeck extending over the lake.

Hotel Catullo ( 030 990 58 11; www.hotelcatullo.it; Piazza Flaminia 7; d up to €140; ) One of Sirmione’s oldest hotels, dating to 1888, Catullo (named for the Roman poet who lived in the area) occupies a prime lakeside location and has a lovely garden and smart, contemporary rooms. Half- and full board are available, and lake-view rooms with a more old-world decorative finish cost just €10 extra.

Antica Trattoria La Speranzina ( 030 990 62 92; Via Dante 16; meals €60-65; Tue-Sun) This authentic little trattoria is tucked well away from the waterfront circus: dine in peace on a quiet lakeside terrace beneath the olive trees.

Lago di Garda Amusement Parks

The lake’s lower eastern shore is home to larger-than-life dinosaurs, pirate ships, roller coasters and a dolphinarium at the kid-oriented Gardaland ( 045 644 97 77; www.gardaland.it; adult/child €35/29; 9am-11pm mid-Jun—mid-Sep, 10am-6pm Apr—mid-Jun & last 2 wks of Sep, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct, late Dec, and early Jan).

To its north, CanevaWorld ( 045 696 99 00; www.canevaworld.it; Via Fossalta 1) has two theme parks. Aquaparadise (adult/child €23/18; 10am-7pm Jul & Aug, 10am-6pm mid-May—Jun & Sep) has lots of exhilarating water slides, while Movieland (adult/child €23/18; 10am-7pm Sun-Fri, to 11pm Sat Jul & Aug, 10am-6pm daily Easter-Jun & Sep, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct) has stunt-packed action shows. Exact opening times may vary slightly throughout the year, so check the website for details. You can take on an evening medieval show (dinner & show adult/child €28/20; Apr-Sep) and banquet (of sorts).

Free buses shuttle visitors the 2km to both parks to/from the Peschiera del Garda train station.

Gardone Riviera & Around

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Heading north from Desenzano del Garda on Garda’s western shore brings you to Salò (population 10,420), a pretty village on the gulf which gave its name to Mussolini’s puppet republic in 1943, after the dictator was rescued from the south by the Nazis.

Further north, at the head of a small inlet, is Gardone Riviera, once one of the lake’s most elegant holiday spots. Mountains rise up around the village, whose gardens are filled with palms, magnolias, jasmine blossoms and age-old cedar and cypress trees. The tourist office ( 0365 374 87 36; Corso della Repubblica 8; 9am-12.30pm & 2.15-6pm Mon-Sat) stocks a wealth of information on lake activities and accommodation.

Its heyday is recalled at the fabulous estate Il Vittoriale degli Italiani ( 0365 29 65 11; www.vittoriale.it; Piazza Vittoriale; adult/child Il Vittoriale grounds €7/5, Il Vittoriale & Museo della Guerra €12/8, Il Vittoriale, Museo della Guerra & Casa di d’Annunzio €16/12; Casa di D’Annunzio 9.30-7pm Apr-Sep, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Mar, closed Mon, Museo della Guerra 9.30-7pm Apr-Sep, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Mar, closed Wed, grounds 8.30am-8pm Apr-Sep, 9am-5pm Oct-Mar). Italy’s controversial poet and ultranationalist, Gabriele d’Annunzio (1863–1938) retreated here in 1922 because, he claimed, he wanted to escape the world that made him ill. Visits to d’Annunzio’s house are by guided 25-minute tour only (in Italian, every 10 minutes). The Museo della Guerra (War Museum) records d’Annunzio’s WWI antics – one of his most triumphant and more bizarre feats was to capture a battleship from the fledgling Yugoslavia shortly after WWI, when Italy’s territorial claims had been partly frustrated in postwar peace talks. In July and August, classical concerts, ballets, plays and operas are staged in the open-air theatre ( 0365 29 65 19) in the villa’s lush grounds.

More plant life can be admired at Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller ( 336 41 08 77; www.hellergarden.com; Via Roma 2; adult/child €9/5; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct). The botanic gardens were laid out in 1900 and redesigned in the late 1990s by multimedia artist André Heller. Sculptures by Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein sit among some 8000 plant species.

Locanda Agli Angeli ( 0365 2 09 91; www.agliangeli.com; Via Dosso 7; s €70, d €90-150; ), a rambling house no more than a five-minute stroll from Il Vittoriale, has a variety of rooms, some with exposed-timber ceilings and air-con.

About 12km north of Gardone, just past the car ferry port at Toscolano-Maderno, is Gargnano (population 3070), a charming harbour where Mussolini based himself during the short life of his Repubblica Sociale Italiana (or Repubblica di Salò). The lake’s most prized sailing regatta, the Centomiglia, starts near here each September.

Malcesine

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On the lake’s eastern shore, the windsurfing centre of Malcesine has a pretty, cobbled village centre crowned by the Castello e Museo Scaligero ( 045 740 08 37; Via Castello; adult/child €5/1; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, 11am-4pm Sat, Sun & holidays Nov-Mar). Inside there are a couple of natural-history museums and a collection of books by Goethe, who immortalised the castle. The top of the tower has fabulous views.

More eagle-eye views of the lake unfold during the 10-minute ride on the Funivia Malcesine—Monte Baldo ( 045 740 02 06; www.funiviedelbaldo.it; adult return €17, ski pass adult/child €18/14; 8am-6.45pm mid-Mar—Nov, 8am-4.45pm Dec-Feb), a cable car with rotating glass cabins. It departs every 30 minutes. Pick up trail information and maps from Malcesine’s tourist office ( 045 740 00 44; www.malcesinepiu.it; Via Capitanato 6; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm Sun). In winter you can ski on Monte Baldo’s slopes.

Olives harvested around Malcesine are milled into extra-virgin olive oil by the Consorzio Olivicoltori di Malcesine ( 045 740 12 86; www.oliomalcesine.com; Via Navene).

The peach-coloured Albergo Aurora ( 045 740 01 14; www.aurora-malcesine.com; Piazza Matteotti 10; d €50; ) is a one-star family-run inn in the village heart. Rooms are neat, with parquet floors. For €7 per person extra, throw in breakfast. Tasty home cooking makes half-board an astonishing value at €43 per person.

Nago-Torbole

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Goethe described the comune of Nago- Torbole, 15km north of Malcesine, as ‘a wonder of nature, an enchanting sight’, and its little township of Torbole still retains much of its original fishing-village charm.

Torbole’s tourist office ( 0464 50 51 77; www.gardatrentino.it; Via Lungolago Verona 19; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Sun May-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat Apr, Oct & Nov) has a list of windsurfing schools, distributes free mountain-bike and walking maps, and has accommodation information.

Picturesque strolls aside, most people come here to ride the wind. Throughout the summer, Torbole hosts various windsurfing and sailing competitions.

Beginners and pros alike can hook up with the Marco Segnana Surf Center ( 0464 50 59 63; www.surfsegnana.it; Foci del Sarca), which has bases at lakeside Lido di Torbole in Torbole and on Porfina beach in Riva del Garda. Three-hour lessons for beginners/advanced surfers are €59/68, excluding board hire (€18/42 per hour/day). It also rents catamarans (€39/89 per hour/half-day), kayaks and bikes.

One of the best-value lodging options is Residence Garnì Torbole ( 0464 50 52 16; www.hoteltorbole.it; Via Lungolago Verona 47; d €84-100; ), with spacious rooms as well as apartments. Most have balconies with lake views.

The most atmospheric place to eat is Ristorante Al Forte Alto ( 0464 50 55 66; Via Castel Pedede 16, Nago; 5 courses €30; dinner daily, lunch Sat & Sun), serving top-notch typical Trentino cuisine in an 1860s-era former defensive fort just near Torbole’s centre.

Riva del Garda

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Wedged between the towering rock face and the lake’s narrow northern rim, Riva del Garda lies across the border from Lombardy in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Like its neighbours Malcesine and Torbole, Riva is a well-known windsurfing spot and has several schools that also hire out equipment. The main tourist office ( 0464 55 44 44; www.gardatrentino.it; Largo Medaglie d’Oro; 9am-7pm May-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Apr) and its kiosk ( 0464 55 07 76; Lungolago d’Annunzio 4c; 10am- 5.30pm Fri-Wed Apr-Oct), which overlooks Piazza Catena where the boats dock, have a list. They can also advise on everything from climbing and paragliding to wine-tasting and flea markets.

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

The main reason to visit the local-history exhibits at the Museo Civico ( 0464 57 38 69; Piazza Cesare Battisti 3; adult/child €2/1.50; 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Nov) is the waterfront castle, Rocca di Riva, dating from 1124, in which it’s housed. You can scale the adjoining 34m-tall Torre Apponale (adult/child €1/free) for a stunning panorama of the lake and mountains. The 13th-century square tower is topped by an angel-shaped weather vane.

About 3km north of town – a pleasant 45-minute stroll – is Cascata del Varone ( 0464 52 14 21; www.cascata-varone.com; admission €5; 9am-7pm May-Aug, to 6pm Apr & Sep, to 5pm Mar & Oct, 10am-5pm Sun & holidays Nov). The cascading 100m waterfall is fed by the Lago di Tenno, a tiny lake northwest of Lago di Garda.

Riva makes a natural starting point for walks and bike rides, including trails around Monte Rocchetta (1575m), which looms over the northern end of the lake. Immediately south of the town, the shore’s long shingle beach is framed by a wide green park.

SLEEPING & EATING

Campeggio Bavaria ( 0464 55 25 24; www.bavarianet.it; Viale Rovereto 100; camping 2 people, car & tent €34; ) One of four camping grounds dotting Riva’s lakeside, this one is part of the Marco Segnana Surf Center (see opposite) and is a meeting place for windsurfers and mountain bikers.

Ostello Benacus ( 0464 55 49 11; www.ostelloriva.com; Piazza Cavour 10; dm/d €16/40; reception 7-9am & 3-11pm Apr-Oct; ) Riva’s HI hostel has a central location just off the main town square, a few moments’ stroll from the waterfront, with its own parking and meals for €10. Reception hours are hit-and-miss, so it’s a good idea to let them know in advance that you’re coming or you may be in for a wait.

Hotel Giardino Verdi ( 0464 55 25 16; www.giardinoverdi.com; Piazza Giardino Verdi 4; s/d €66/122; ) With balconies overlooking a quiet square, the bright, white rooms in this three-star hotel are small (and bathrooms tiny), but they’re streamlined and contemporary. The terrace out front is a coveted spot for regional cuisine; inside there’s a chic, damask-draped dining room (meals €35 to €40). They also cater well to children.

Hotel Sole ( 0464 55 26 86; www.hotelsole.net; Piazza 3 Novembre 35; d €106-160; Mar-Oct; ) This grand, golden-hued hotel, once patronised by Nietzsche, is a landmark on Riva’s lakefront. Many of its somewhat faded but perfectly pleasant rooms have balconies.

Riva has dozens of takeaway places and delicatessens for picnic supplies, in addition to lakeside cafes, pastry shops and gelaterie galore.

North of Riva del Garda

From the medieval village of Arco (population 16,160), 5km north of Riva, a 20-minute stroll through olive groves to Castello di Arco ( 0464 51 01 56; adult/senior & child under 18yr €2/1.50; 10am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct, Nov, Feb & Mar, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Dec & Jan) limbers up the muscles for the more strenuous terrain awaiting walkers a few kilometres north.

Anyone looking to experience this outdoor-lover’s paradise should hook up with Friends of Arco ( 0464 53 28 28; www.friendsofarco.it; Via Segantini 64, Arco; 5-10pm Mon-Fri, by appointment Sat & Sun, phone service from 9am), a mountain-guide service offering a huge range of courses and excursions, from gentle day trips taking in the local botany to multiday adventure courses, including canyoning, trekking, climbing and ski mountaineering. The Friends can also help you book accommodation. Arco’s tourist office ( 0464 53 22 55; Viale delle Palme 1; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Sun May-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat Oct-Apr) can also help.

Hotel L’Olivo ( 0464 51 64 30; www.hotelolivo.it; Via Roma 2; s/d €75/100; ) is an appealing three-star option with comfortable rooms in Arco’s town centre. It has a small spa, which will come in handy after a vigorous day of mountain biking. Prices are valid for stays of three days or more, otherwise you may find yourself paying more in July and August.


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