Our luxury tailor-made hotel holidays to the Italian Lakes span the northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Piedmont and the Veneto and placed as they are to the south of the Alps and to the north of the Po Valley they naturally possess a charming mixture of the vibrant coolness associated with the Alps but enlivened by the warmth of the South. The landscape is one of deep blue waters surrounded by greenish-blue tinged mountains, often snow-capped. On the shores of the Italian Lakes and the lower slopes of the hills you find a profusion of lemons and olives, chestnuts and palms, magnolias and camellias. Pretty villages with rustic stone and wood houses hug the sheltered bays and fishing boats still moor next to sailing boats. Wrought-iron balconies and colourful shutters adorn gaily-painted houses with terracotta roofs. Dining is usually al fresco in the summer months and a magical atmosphere is created with the lapping of the waters and the twinkling of the lights around the lake and in the hills above. For your holiday we offer you the undisputedly beautiful lakes of Maggiore, Como and Garda and also offer the smaller, quieter lakes of Orta, Lugano and Iseo, well-worth exploring in their own right. Each lake has its own character and atmosphere, distinctive topography, architecture and style. The close proximity to Milan and Verona means that you can visit the Italian Lakes quite easily for just a weekend or short break as well as a longer holiday. The region boasts the two great cultural cities of Milan and Verona, both within easy reach of the Lakes but also several less well-known but artistically interesting cities such as Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia and Mantua, a little bit further afield but worth exploring.
Local highlights
Cultural Highlights
Much of the artistic and architectural cultural wealth is concentrated in the great cities such as Milan and Verona but also in the less well-known but culturally-rich centres of Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Mantova and Vicenza (not directly on the Lakes but within reach for a day`s excursion). Highlights include the frescoes by Masolino at Castiglione Olona, the Rocca (castle) at Angera, the Flemish tapestries on the Isola Bella Lake Maggiore, the marble cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore at Como and the works of art in the Galleria dell`Accademia Tadini at Lovere on Lake Iseo. Milan has La Scala, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the Brera Gallery (containing Raphael`s `Marriage of the Virgin` and the Montefeltro altarpiece by Piero della Francesca) and its Gothic cathedral. Verona has its annual opera festival from June until the end of August, the Romanesque church of San Zeno, the Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio and the Roman Arena.
Festivals
The Opera Festival in Verona takes place in the Roman Arena every year with performances running from June until the end of August.Verona also celebrates Carnival every year culminating on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday. Como holds a flea market, the Fiera di Pasqua, over the Easter weekend. Music festivals take place in Bergamo throughout the year. The Mille Miglia veteran car race starts and ends in Brescia (via Ferrara to Rome in May each year).
Gastronomy
The cuisine of northern Italy tends to contain more meat and butter than further south and rice and polenta compete with pasta. Saffron is used extensively as in Risotto alla Milanese. Bresaola is cured raw beef served as an antipasta (now often with rocket and parmesan). Manzo al Barolo (beef in Barolo wine), Costolette alla Milanese (veal cutlets in breadcrumbs) and Ossobucco (veal in wine and tomatoes) are all popular dishes. Panettone cake and Zabaglione are two regional desserts. This region produces some of Italy's most famous cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, Fontina and Taleggio as well as some of Italy's most exportable wines such as Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella. Less well known but interesting wines are produced in the Valtellina in the north of Lombardy and in Franciacorta near Lake Iseo.
Getting out and about
Specialities of the region include silk from Como, wind instruments in Quarna Sotto, macaroons from Saronno and high class fashion in Milan. Historic villas are to be found on every lake from the Grotte di Catullo Roman villa at Sirmione on Lake Garda to Villa Melzi and Villa Olmo on Lake Como and the Palazzo Estense in Varese. Most of these villas also have extraordinarily beautiful gardens such as the Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, the Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore and Villa Taranto at Punta della Castagnola on Lake Maggiore. Monte Mottarone above Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Monte Baldo above Lake Garda can both be reached by cable car and afford spectacular views. At Gargnano on Lake Garda you can see the stone pavilions where lemons were traditionally cultivated. Within the region there are national parks such as the Stelvio National Park north of Orta and the Parco Nazionale della Val Grande above Verbania on Lake Maggiore.
Travel arrangements
How you get there
By Air: Airport at Milan (daily flights with British Airways from Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh and daily flights with Alitalia from Heathrow). By Air: Airport at Verona (daily flights with British Airways from Gatwick). By Air Airport at Brescia for Lake Garda, Lake d'Iseo and Verona (daily flights with Ryan Air from Stansted). Most of the hotels in the Lakes are no more than 90 minutes' drive from the airport. Hirecar: We include a hire-car with all our holidays to the Italian Lakes. However, you do not need to have a car in this area, particularly if you are going to stay at just one hotel on say Lake Como or Maggiore. We can arrange a taxi transfer for you instead of the hire-car. If you are going to combine a stay on the Lakes with say a stay in Verona or Venice, you can collect the car at the airport when you arrive, use it for your stay in the Lakes and then drop the car off when you arrive in the city.
With your own car you can reach the Lakes with just one overnight stop en route, perhaps in Burgundy or Alsace. We can book overnight hotels for you.