Milan, Lombardy, and the Lakes: Places to Explore

If you're driving from Milan to Lake Garda, the perfect deviation from your autostrada journey is the lovely medieval town of Bergamo. Bergamo is also a wonderful side trip by train from Milan. In less... Read more

Cremona is where the world's best violins are made. Andrea Amati (1510-80) invented the modern instrument here in the 16th century. Though cognoscenti continue to revere the Amati name, it was an apprentice... Read more

This small port town was an important Franciscan center in the 13th century, and now comes alive in the summer months when German tourists, many of whom have villas here, crowd the small pebble beach. An... Read more

If your idea of nirvana is palatial villas, rose-laden belvederes, hanging wisteria and bougainvillea, lanterns casting a glow over lakeshore restaurants, and majestic Alpine vistas, heaven is Lake Como... Read more

Mantua stands tallest among the ancient walled cities of the Po Plain. Its fortifications are circled on three sides by the passing Mincio River, which long provided Mantua with protection, fish, and a... Read more

Milan is Italy's business hub and crucible of chic. Between the Po's rich farms and the industrious mountain valleys, it has long been the country's capital of commerce, finance, fashion, and media. Rome... Read more

Pavia was once Milan's chief regional rival. The city dates from at least the Roman era and was the capital of the Lombard kings for two centuries (572-774). It was at one time known as "the city of a... Read more

Set on the northern tip of Lake Garda against a dramatic backdrop of jagged cliffs and miles of beaches, Riva del Garda is the lake's quintessential resort town. The old city, set around a pretty harbor... Read more

Dramatically rising out of Lake Garda is the enchanting town of Sirmione. "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle," sang Catullus in a homecoming poem: "It is the jewel of peninsulas and islands... Read more

One of the better-known resorts on the western shore, Stresa is a tourist town that provided one of the settings for Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. It has capitalized on its central lakeside position... Read more