LakeComo
5
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Five days in Lombardy lets you explore the full extraordinary range of northern Italy's most diverse region. From the most beautiful lake in the world to the financial capital of Italy, from a medieval walled city on a hilltop to the city where Virgil was born and Romeo and Juliet was set. Lombardy is extraordinary in every direction. This route covers the complete hidden Lombardy. Lake Como's silk villages and clifftop gardens, Lake Maggiore's extraordinary Borromean Islands, Milan's Leonardo masterpiece and canal district, Bergamo's UNESCO Venetian walls, and the astonishing south Lombardy cities of Mantua and Cremona, each containing world-class art and architecture that almost nobody visits.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Milan Malpensa (MXP) or Milan Linate (LIN)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 170 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
LAKE COMO
MORNING
VARENNA, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE ON LAKE COMO
Varenna on the eastern shore is equally beautiful as Bellagio but far less visited. The Passeggiata degli Innamorati lakefront walk is accessible only on foot. The Villa Monastero has extraordinary terraced gardens. Arrive by the first ferry from Como for the empty morning light. Drive: 30 min ferry to hidden villages
MIDDAY
THE HIDDEN SILK VILLAGES OF THE WESTERN SHORE
The silk weaving towns of Moltrasio, Brienno and Argegno are almost entirely unvisited. Moltrasio has a beautifully preserved medieval centre and extraordinary lake views. The tiny village of Brienno is accessible only by single road and has barely changed in centuries. Drive: 30 min ferry to Lenno
AFTERNOON
VILLA DEL BALBIANELLO
The most extraordinary villa on Lake Como on its own promontory at Lenno. The 18th-century gardens are extraordinary, with loggias and terraces descending to the water. Filmed in Star Wars Episode II and Casino Royale. Entry approx 10 euros, book the boat ahead in summer.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The Greenway del Lago di Como is a 10km walking path along the western shore through ancient villages and below the Villa del Balbianello. The finest walk on Lake Como, almost entirely visited only by locals. Free and extraordinarily beautiful.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe del Molo, Varenna Finest cafe in Varenna on the lakefront. Espresso and pastries watching the morning ferries. | Lunch: Ristorante Il Cavatappi Outstanding traditional restaurant in Varenna. Lake perch and excellent Valtellina wine. | Dinner: Ristorante La Terrazza Extraordinary lakefront restaurant with Bellagio promontory views at sunset.
DAY 2
LAKE MAGGIORE
MORNING
THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY ISLAND GARDENS IN ITALY
The three Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore are among the most extraordinary places in northern Italy. Isola Bella has a 17th-century Baroque palace and extraordinary terraced gardens rising 10 storeys above the lake, with white peacocks roaming the terraces. Isola Madre has the finest botanical garden on any Italian lake, with extraordinary Kashmir cypress trees and exotic birds. Isola dei Pescatori is still a working fishing village with no cars. Take the boat from Stresa to all three. Drive: 10 min boat back to Stresa
MIDDAY
STRESA AND THE LAKEFRONT PROMENADE
Stresa is the finest town on Lake Maggiore, with an extraordinary Belle Epoque lakefront of grand hotels and a promenade of extraordinary views to the Borromean Islands and the Alps. The cable car from Stresa ascends to Monte Mottarone at 1,491 metres for a 360-degree panorama over both Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta. Drive: 30 min drive to Verbania
AFTERNOON
VILLA TARANTO, THE HIDDEN GARDEN OF VERBANIA
The Villa Taranto botanical gardens at Verbania are the finest gardens on any Italian lake and among the best in Europe. Created by Scottish Captain Neil McEacharn from 1931, the gardens contain 20,000 plant species including the finest collection of dahlias in Europe and extraordinary Victoria amazonica water lilies. Entry approx 11 euros and visited by a fraction of the people who visit the Borromean Islands.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The Sacro Monte di Orta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on a wooded hillside above Lake Orta, 30 minutes from Stresa. Twenty extraordinary Baroque chapels from the 17th century, each containing life-size terracotta groups telling the story of Saint Francis of Assisi. Free to walk and entirely unknown to most visitors to the lakes.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees, Stresa The most beautiful Belle Epoque hotel on Lake Maggiore. Ernest Hemingway stayed here. The breakfast terrace is extraordinary. | Lunch: Ristorante Borromeo, Isola dei Pescatori Lunch on the fishing island. Fresh lake fish, local wine and extraordinary views. Book ahead in summer. | Dinner: Ristorante Il Clandestino, Verbania Outstanding modern Piemontese cuisine near the Villa Taranto gardens.
DAY 3
MILAN
MORNING
THE LAST SUPPER AND LEONARDO DA VINCI
Leonardo's Last Supper in Santa Maria delle Grazie is one of the most important paintings in the world. Visits are limited to 15 minutes in groups of 30 , book months in advance. The Leonardo da Vinci National Science Museum nearby contains the largest collection of Leonardo's engineering designs anywhere. Entry approx 10 euros. Drive: 20 min metro to Navigli
MIDDAY
NAVIGLI, THE CANAL DISTRICT
The Navigli district is Milan's most atmospheric neighbourhood. Leonardo da Vinci designed some of the canal locks. The Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese are lined with extraordinary restaurants, artisan workshops and bars. Walk the towpaths and find the hidden courtyards behind the canal-side buildings. Drive: 20 min metro to Brera
AFTERNOON
BRERA AND THE PINACOTECA
The Brera district has extraordinary hidden courtyards concealed behind palazzo facades. The Pinacoteca di Brera contains the finest collection of northern Italian painting in the world, including Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin and Mantegna's extraordinary Dead Christ. Entry approx 15 euros.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The Pinacoteca di Brera holds the world's finest Lorenzo Lotto collection alongside major works by Raphael, Botticelli, Mantegna, Bellini and Titian. Entry approx 15 euros and almost never crowded despite containing masterpieces that would be headline attractions anywhere else in Italy.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Luini, Milan Most beloved traditional bakery since 1888. The fried dough pastries are extraordinary. | Lunch: Trattoria del Nuovo Macello Finest traditional trattoria in Milan. Ossobuco and risotto alla Milanese. Book ahead. | Dinner: Ripa di Porta Ticinese, Navigli Most beautiful restaurant in the Navigli on the canal towpath. Outstanding Lombard cuisine.
DAY 4
BERGAMO ALTA
MORNING
BERGAMO ALTA, THE UNESCO WALLED UPPER CITY
The Venetian walls encircling the upper city are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, built between 1561 and 1588. The Piazza Vecchia is one of the finest medieval piazzas in Italy. The adjacent Piazza del Duomo contains the extraordinary Cappella Colleoni, the finest example of the Lombard Renaissance anywhere. Drive: 10 min walk around upper city
MIDDAY
CAPPELLA COLLEONI AND HIDDEN BERGAMO
Built by the Venetian mercenary captain Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1472. The interior contains Tiepolo frescoes and an extraordinary equestrian monument. Free to enter. Walk the via Gombito to find the hidden medieval layers of Bergamo beneath the surface. Drive: 10 min funicular to lower city
AFTERNOON
ACCADEMIA CARRARA
One of the finest and least visited art museums in Italy. Major works by Raphael, Botticelli, Mantegna, Bellini, Titian and Lotto. The Lorenzo Lotto collection is the finest anywhere in the world. Entry approx 10 euros and almost never crowded.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The second funicular from Bergamo Alta to the hilltop fortress of San Vigilio gives the finest panoramic view over Bergamo, the Po valley and on clear days the Alps to the horizon. Free to walk the fortress walls and entirely overlooked by most visitors to the upper city.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe del Tasso, Bergamo Alta Oldest cafe in Bergamo on the Piazza Vecchia since 1476. | Lunch: Ristorante Colleoni, Bergamo Alta Finest restaurant in the upper city overlooking the Cappella Colleoni. | Dinner: Trattoria Ol Giopi e la Margì Most beloved trattoria in Bergamo. Casoncelli filled pasta, polenta and local wines.
DAY 5
MANTUA AND CREMONA
MORNING
MANTUA, THE CITY VIRGIL CALLED HOME
Mantua is one of the most extraordinary and overlooked cities in Italy, surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes created by the Gonzaga family. The Palazzo Ducale is one of the largest palace complexes in Europe, with 500 rooms including the extraordinary Camera degli Sposi, a room painted entirely by Andrea Mantegna in 1474 with a remarkable trompe l'oeil ceiling that appears to open to the sky. Entry approx 15 euros. The Piazza Sordello, the Piazza Broletto and the Piazza delle Erbe form one of the finest sequence of medieval squares in northern Italy. Drive: 45 min drive to Cremona
MIDDAY
CREMONA, THE VIOLIN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Cremona has been the world capital of violin making since Antonio Stradivari worked here in the 17th and 18th century. The Museo del Violino contains the finest collection of historic instruments in the world, including four original Stradivari violins. The extraordinary thing about Cremona is that dozens of traditional violin makers still work in the city today, and many workshops can be visited. The Piazza del Comune contains the finest sequence of medieval civic buildings in Lombardy. Drive: 30 min walk around city
AFTERNOON
THE HIDDEN CREMONA AND TORRONE
Cremona is also the home of torrone, the honey and almond nougat that has been made here since the 15th century and is considered the finest in Italy. The Pasticceria Sperlari has been making it since 1836. The Cathedral of Cremona has an extraordinary exterior and the adjacent Baptistery is the finest Romanesque building in Lombardy. The Torrazzo bell tower at 112 metres is the tallest medieval tower in Italy.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The Camera degli Sposi in the Palazzo Ducale is one of the most important painted rooms in Italy. Mantegna's extraordinary illusionistic ceiling, painted in 1474, appears to open to the sky above a circular balcony with people and a peacock looking down at the viewer. It is the first successful illusionistic ceiling painting in Western art.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Bar Modena, Mantua Excellent local cafe near the Palazzo Ducale. Coffee before the palace opens at 8:15am. | Lunch: Ristorante Il Cigno, Mantua The finest traditional restaurant in Mantua. Risotto alla Pilota, sbrisolona cake and local Lambrusco wine. | Dinner: Ristorante Duomo, Cremona Outstanding restaurant in the shadow of the cathedral. Local pike, tortelli di zucca and excellent Cremona wines.
Where To Stay
Varenna or Tremezzina, Night 1 Hotel Royal Victoria, Varenna or Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Approx 150 to 300 euros per night. Stresa, Night 2 Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. The most beautiful Belle Epoque hotel on the lakes. Approx 180 to 320 euros. Milan and Bergamo, Nights 3 to 4 Hotel Senato, Milan or Gombit Hotel, Bergamo Alta. Approx 130 to 210 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Book the Last Supper months in advance at cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.com. It sells out extremely fast.
2. Lake Como ferries are the best way to travel. A day pass covers all stops and costs approx 15 euros.
3. Varenna is far quieter than Bellagio. Take the first morning ferry for the lake completely to yourself.
4. The Villa del Balbianello boat from Lenno must be booked in advance in summer as it sells out.
5. Bergamo Alta funicular runs until midnight. Visit the upper city at dusk for the finest light.
6. Risotto alla Milanese with saffron and bone marrow is Milan's greatest dish. Order it at Trattoria del Nuovo Macello.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day