We are arriving in Milan in the afternoon and have 2,5 days to spend away from the city. We are going to rent a car from Malpensa Airport and i would like some itinerary suggestions. A combination of lakes and one city (maybe Verona or Bergamo) is what i have in mind, but feel free to propose anything you might think its worth!

thanks

What time of year are you going and what are your interests?

Why away from the city? Milan is in itself a delightful destination...and is not like you have a lot of time anyways....

Early December. I've been to Milan several times and unlikes most italian cities, i am not a big fan of it. But in any case, i'd like to see something different, so any ideas are welcome

We were very pleasantly surprised by Pavia. We had been to the Certosa of Pavia (monastery, also worth seeing), but went into the city of Pavia instead this time. It is very easy to get to from Milan.

For December, you might consider heading a bit further south or to the Mediterranean if the weather forecasts are clear, rather than to the lakes. Parma and the area just south of La Spezia might be nice. Parma is 90 minutes from Milan. La Spezia and it surrounds are about an hour further. (2.5 hours from Milan.)