Places to Explore

• Bellagio

  Sometimes called the prettiest town in Europe, Bellagio always seems to be flag-bedecked, with geraniums ablaze in every window and bougainvillea veiling the staircases, or montées, that thread through... (more)

• Bergamo

  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... (more)

• Cernobbio

  The legendary resort of Villa d'Este is reason enough to visit this jewel on the lake, but the town itself is worth a stroll. Despite the fact that George Clooney lunches here regularly, the place still... (more)

• Como

  Como, on the south shore of the lake, is only part elegant resort, where cobbled pedestrian streets wind their way past parks and bustling cafés. The other part is an industrial town renowned for... (more)

• Cremona

  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... (more)

• Gardone Riviera

• Gargnano

  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... (more)

• Mantua

  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... (more)

• Milan

  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... (more)

• Pavia

  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... (more)

• Riva del Garda

  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... (more)

• Sirmione

  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... (more)

• Stresa and the Isole Borromee

  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... (more)

• Tremezzo

• Verbania