Lakeside Attractions
1. Isole Borromee, Lake Maggiore
This trio of islets off Stresa – two clad in gardens and palaces, the third with a fishing village – rank among the top ten sights in the whole region (for further details see Lake Maggiore’s Isole Borromee).
2. Santa Caterina del Sasso, Lake Maggiore
The façade and interior of this church perched just above the water are covered with decaying frescoes dating from the hermitage’s foundation in the 13th century to its suppression by the Austrians in the 19th; the Dominicans returned in 1986. Be warned: there are many steps down from the car park, and the ferries servicing the ancient dock are infrequent. Look out on the loggia for a winch assembly once used with a basket to raise the daily shopping – and the occasional frail monk – from the boat decks (for further details see also Santa Caterina del Sasso).
3. Rocca di Angera, Lake Maggiore
This 8th-century Lombard fortress dominates Angera’s headland. Expanded in the late 13th century by the Visconti of Milan, it later became the seat of its own county, and in 1449 passed to the Borromeo clan. Today the glowering fortress preserves delicate medieval frescoes and a Doll Museum (for further details see also Rocca di Angera).
4. Bellagio, Lake Como
Perhaps the loveliest town on any of the lakes has it all: a harbourside arcade of cafés, sumptuous gardens surrounding stately villas, steep medieval alleys, and hotels and shops in all price ranges. The Romanesque church of San Giacomo has a 12th-century pulpit with reliefs of the Evangelists (for further details see also Villa Serbelloni, Villa Melzi & Bellagio).
5. Como’s Duomo, Lake Como
The exterior of Como’s cathedral, begun in the late 14th century, is a festival of statues and bas-reliefs. Inside are Renaissance altarpieces and tapestries (for further details see Duomo, Como).
6. Villa Carlotta, Lake Como
Owing its beauty and fame to three owners, the villa itself was begun in 1643 for Giorgio Clerici. In 1801 it passed to lawyer Gian Battista Sommariva, and he filled it with Neo-Classical sculptures and Romantic paintings. The former include Palamede by Canova and Cupid and Psyche by his student Tadolini; the latter, a famed Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet by Francesco Hayez, master of stolen-kiss scenes. In 1847 it passed to the Prussian Princess Carlotta, who lent it her name while her husband, Prince Giorgio di Sassonia-Meiningen, furnished it in Empire style. He also created the magnificent botanical gardens (for further details see Villa Carlotta).
7. Varenna, Lake Como
Varenna is less touristy than Bellagio and almost as rewarding. It has a waterfront promenade, two small churches with medieval frescoes on the main square, two villas-with-gardens to wander, and the half-ruined Castello di Vezio high above town. Just south of Varenna, and only from March until October, the Fiumelatte gushes from the cliff face down about 250 m (800 ft) into the lake, making it the shortest river in Italy.
8. Il Vittoriale, Lake Garda
An over-the-top Art Nouveau overhaul of this villa owned by the flamboyant poet, adventurer and national hero Gabriele d’Annunzio was financed by none other than Mussolini himself – basically as a bribe to silence d’Annunzio’s criticism of the Fascist government (for further details see also Il Vittoriale).
9. Sirmione, Lake Garda
Jutting into the lake from the southern shore is a skinny peninsula. At its tip sits the postcard-perfect town of Sirmione, guarded by a striking castle complete with moat and drawbridge. It’s a popular resort, with plenty of hotels and shopping, but also some fine little churches and the ruins of a Roman villa at the promontory’s very tip.
10. Giardino Botanico Hruska, Lake Garda
Arturo Hruska, Swiss dentist to Europe’s royalty in the early and mid-20th century, laid out these sumptuous botanical gardens between 1940 and 1971 (for further details see Giardino Botanico Hruska).
