Mantua
The light, neoclassical Cattedrale pales before the magnificence of the Basilica di Sant’Andrea. The facade was erected in the mid-18th century, while the…
Must-see attractions in The Italian Lakes
Brescia
The Torre dell'Orologio, with its exquisite astrological timepiece, is modelled on the one in Venice's Piazza San Marco.
Central Lombardy
In Pagazzano, 25km straight south of Bergamo, is this decidedly fortress-like Visconti castle, which is surrounded by a (filled) moat. The museum inside…
La Basilica Cattedrale della Vergine Assunta
Central Lombardy
Lodi's iconic sight is its imposing cathedral. Work began in 1160 and its towering brick facade betrays Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance elements (the…
Monastero San Pietro in Lamosa
Central Lombardy
An 11th-century monastery founded by the Cluniac monks who first started to cultivate the region. On weekends you can visit the church and have a look at…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
A narrow steep-sided gorge located 3km from Cannobio. You can drive here, though the best way to come is by taking an easy, partially wooded walking path…
Lake Garda
It's worth timing a visit to Garda to coincide with its exuberant Friday market, one of the biggest on the lake's eastern bank. Look out for Lake Garda…
Lake Garda
The Romanesque Church of Saint Nick, the patron of fishermen, sits squat by the lapping harbour as it has done since the 11th century. Inside lurk the…
Lake Maggiore & Around
On the grounds of the Parco Archeologico di Castelseprio, this museum contains a small repository of objects and documents on the site.
Lake Maggiore & Around
The showcase attraction of Varese's centre is this ornate basilica, built between the 16th and 17th centuries. The more stolid facade was an 18th-century…
Lake Garda
Paved in waves of marble and brick, Lazise's promenade is the best on this side of Lake Garda. Grab an ice cream, feed the swans and lap up those views.
Cremona
The 12th-century baptistry houses some architectural fragments, including a 12th-century figure of the Archangel Gabriel that once perched on the roof.
Central Lombardy
From Valbondione, it's a three-hour (one-way) hike to Cascate del Serio, a triple cascade of 300m that constitutes one of Europe's tallest waterfalls.
Lake Garda
The privately owned Parco Baia delle Sirene rents sun loungers beneath the trees on Punta San Vigilio's beach. Entry is free at sunset.
Milan
Housed in the deconsecrated church in the centre of the extraordinary hectagonal structure of the Rotonda della Besana, MUBA is Milan's first centre for…
Milan
Maria Teresa had the towering gingko planted here in 1777, when she turned the former Jesuit orchard into an open-air lecture hall for budding botanists …
Milan
This pretty garden with its baroque fish pool and rare, well-tended flora, is the oldest park in the city. It was created in 1555 by the young widow…
Milan
San Simpliciano is one St Ambrose's four Milanese churches, built on a paleo-Christian cemetery with a red-brick Romanesque wrapping. Martyrs Sisinio,…
Milan
The arena was Napoleon’s mini-colosseum, which he opened in flamboyant style with a chariot race in 1807. Built by Luigi Canonica, its design allowed it…
Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa
Milan
This church dates from the 13th century, when its ossuary was used to bury plague victims from nearby San Barnaba hospital. It was rebuilt in rococo style…
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale
Milan
This grand neo-Romanesque building houses Milan's natural history museum, complete with dinosaurs, fossils and the largest geology collection in Europe…
Milan
The freestanding row of 16 Corinthian columns from Milan’s Mediolanum heyday were salvaged from a crumbling Roman residence and lined up here to form the…
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Central Lombardy
Some 25km northeast of central Bergamo, the town of Gandino is well worth a stop for its impressive Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, a baroque beauty with…
Brescia
Perhaps beautiful is not the word but this nonetheless fascinating piazza is a leftover of Il Duce's dreams of grandeur. Designed by Marcello Piacentini…
Porta Garibaldi & Isola
In the shadow of the Bosco Verticale, you’ll spot a neon sign stating boldly ‘Do Not Kill’. It seems odd in this quiet corner, but it serves the ‘House of…
Stresa
An easy 1km walk southeast of central Stresa along the SS33 main road, the Pallavicino is a 19th-century neoclassical villa set in banked lakeside grounds…
Bergamo
The imposing arches and columns of the Palazzo della Ragione sit at the southern end of Piazza Vecchia. Built in the 12th century, it bears the lion of St…
Como
This picturesque villa with extensive gardens is generally open only for special events (conferences, weddings and the like). The grounds, however, open…
Chiesa di San Gottardo in Corte
Duomo & San Babila
Milan’s founding father, murderous Azzone Visconti, is entombed in this ducal chapel that sports Milan’s prettiest, and oldest, octagonal clock tower,…
Como
Despite its inadequate labelling, Como’s art gallery has a sizeable collection with some rich pickings. Most interesting are the frescoes and sculpture…
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Lake Como West Bank
This tiny Romanesque church was first mentioned in 1169, and was likely built in the 11th century. Faint frescoes remain in the interior of the church,…
Antiquarium Archaeological Museum
Lake Como West Bank
Pay a visit to this tiny archaeological museum before heading out to Isola Comacina for an overview of the many historical objects unearthed on the island…
Santuario della Madonna del Carmine
Lake Garda West Bank
The sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine dates from 1452. Its simple Gothic-Romanesque exterior does little to prepare you for the technicolour frescoes…
Abbazia Olivetana di San Nicola
Central Lombardy
Set at the end of a short, cypress-lined avenue, this impressive monastic complex, which dates back to at least 1050, was set on an important crossroads…
Central Lombardy
Near the cemetery in Cemmo is one of the finest examples of Lombard Romanesque, the 11th-century Pieve di San Siro, or country church. Evidence suggests…
Lake Garda
From the centre of Riva, the Bastione is the chalk-white castle clinging to sheer cliffs high above the west edge of town. The 3.5km hike to this…
Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco
Bergamo
This dark chilly church is home to an entire Lorenzo Lotto fresco-cycle devoted to the Storie della Vergine (Stories of the Virgin Mother; 1525)…
Mantua
This huge, 13th-century palace sits between Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Broletto and was commissioned by Duke Ludovico Gonzaga. For centuries it served…
Central Lombardy
The highlight of this small atmospheric chapel is the collection of vibrant frescoes by Lorenzo Lotto depicting stories of St Barbara and St Brigid. Lotto…
Cremona
Once inside the 14th-century Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, head for the third chapel on the right, the Cappella Cavalcabò, which features a stunning late…
