TWO WEEKS IN THE ITALIAN LAKE DISTRICT:
COMO, MAGGIORE, ORTA

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But first, please, even before considering a trip to the Italian Lake District, read our essay on this website, Can You Swim in an Italian Lake?

The following itinerary needs to be tailored by you to the specific lake where your vacation rental is located: Maggiore and Orta on the one hand; Como on the other. And remember: the lakes are meant to be seen from the lakes themselves or from the surrounding hills and mountains. The lakeside roads have some views, but nothing compared to those from a boat or from a mountain: And the road can be crowded with traffic and therefore stressful.

Also remember: When going into Switzerland, take your passports.

Day 1
Arrive and get acquainted with the village or town where you'll be based for the next week or two.

Day 2
Maggiore: Go for it: The classic all-day excursion from Stresa or Pallanza or Baveno to the Borromean Islands for the gardens and the white peacocks. Also: spend time in Stresa itself. All of these lakeside towns are totally charming and enjoy fantastic views.

Day 3
Como: Take a lake cruise from Como all the way up to Colico and back, making stopoffs on the way wherever you please: the lake is full of wonderful places from Menaggio to Bellagio to Varenna and many just as charming places in between

Day 4
Orta: the delightful lakeside town of Orta San Giulio with lunch, perhaps, on the Isola San Giulio, reached by motorboat from the dock at Orta San Giulio. Later, a walk up the Sacro Monte or a motoring trip up the Valstrona to Campello or (longer) up the Valsesia to Rimella, where a particular Germanic dialect is spoken by descendants of Swiss Germans who migrated here in the 1400s.

Day 5
The Villa Taranto Botanical Garden and the beautiful lakeside town of Pallanza

Day 6
A day at Lake Lugano, both the town of Lugano and then the little Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia for the casino.

Day 7
Relax at home, perhaps an excursion to one of the sports centers which dot the lakes: often, there's a tennis court, big swimming pool, sauna, boat rentals, windsurfing and water skiing possibilities.

Day 8
Milan - for a culture break plus unbelievable shopping and dining

Day 9
All day in Bellagio and the roads, hills, and water surrounding it, as well as the gorgeous garden of the Villa Serbelloni. Perhaps an excursion by boat to Varenna, another delightful town with gardens open to the public.

Day 10
Another culture day - this time to our personal absolute favorite medium-sized city city in all Italy: Bergamo. The direct-seeming road from Lecco is unpleasant and crowded and slow. It's actually better and faster to take the longer-seeming autostrada. The upper town of Bergamo takes a whole day to visit and is memorable for the Colleoni Chapel, Donizetti's house and museum, the Cathedral, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, several wonderful restaurants, and a delightful, sophisticated atmosphere all round. Take the little cablecar up to San Vigilio for great views. The Galleria Carrara is our favorite small art museum in Italy, especially with its fantastic room full of the still lifes of Bachenis, an unknown Bergamasco artist recently featured in a show at the Metopolitan Museum in New York. On the way to Bergamo, you could stop at Sotto il Monte, birthplace of John XXIII, perhaps the Papacy's most appealing recent figure.

Day 11
The Train of the Hundred Valleys between Domodossola and Locarno in Switzerland.

Day 12
Drive to Domodossola again, and then west, down the Valle Anzasca via Pontegrande, Macugnaga, to Pecetto. From here, you'll enjoy spectacular views of the Matterhorn, which Italians call Monte Rosa. You can take chairlifts and funiculars part way up.

Day 13
A day in the Valgrande Nature Reserve, Italy's largest wilderness.

Day 14
Como: The Villa Carlotta at Cadenabbia, exploring both Cadenabbia and Menaggio, followed, perhaps, at the Villa d'Este.

Day 15
And you thought there wouldn't be enough to fill up two weeks!

And we didn’t even have a chance to mention:

- the fantastic outlet shopping in the area

- Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix, where you can take a ride around the track in a race car