Lombardy

Lombardy is Italy's economic engine and a land of contrasts. Milan offers the Duomo, Leonardo's Last Supper, La Scala and the fashion district. A short train ride away are the great lakes: Como with its villas and gardens, the western shore of Garda, Iseo and Maggiore.

The region is also rich in art cities that many travellers overlook, such as Bergamo with its walled upper town, Mantua with the Gonzaga palaces, Cremona, the home of the violin, and Pavia with its Carthusian monastery. To the north the Valtellina leads to the Alps and Bormio.

The region of lakes and art cities

Lombardy is Italy's most populous region and its economic engine, but anyone who knows it only for Milan and its factories is in for a surprise. Here you find the great pre-Alpine lakes, Como, Maggiore, Garda and Iseo, with their villas and gardens; art cities such as Bergamo, Mantua, Cremona and Brescia; the Alps of Valtellina and Val Camonica, whose prehistoric rock carvings were Italy's first UNESCO site; and the Po plain, dotted with abbeys, farmsteads and rice fields. Lombardy has more UNESCO sites than almost any other region and an excellent cuisine based on risotto, cheese and wines such as Franciacorta.

Milan, capital of fashion and design

Milan is a city to discover slowly, beyond its best-known sights. The Cathedral, with its spires and rooftop terrace, dominates the square from which the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the city's elegant drawing room, leads to La Scala opera house. In the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie you can see Leonardo's Last Supper, which must be booked well in advance. Sforza Castle houses the Rondanini Pietà, Michelangelo's last work, and the Brera Gallery holds masterpieces by Raphael, Mantegna and Caravaggio. Alongside historic Milan there is the contemporary city: the Porta Nuova district with the Vertical Forest towers, CityLife, the Navigli canals where locals gather for aperitivo, the fashion district and Design Week in April.

Lake Como

Lake Como, shaped like an upside-down Y, is surrounded by mountains that plunge steeply into the water. Bellagio, at the tip of the central promontory, is called the pearl of the lake, with stepped lanes and the gardens of Villa Melzi. On the western shore, Tremezzo has Villa Carlotta, with its park of azaleas and rhododendrons, and Lenno has Villa del Balbianello, a set for famous films; Varenna, on the eastern shore, is a village of colourful houses with the castle of Vezio above it. The town of Como has a fine cathedral, a lakeside promenade and a funicular up to Brunate. Ferries link all the villages and are the best way to explore the lake.

Lake Maggiore, Lake Iseo and Lombard Garda

The Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, with Laveno and Luino, looks across to the Borromean Islands on the Piedmont side; near Leggiuno the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso clings to the rock above the water. Lake Iseo, smaller and quieter, has Monte Isola at its centre, the largest lake island in Europe, a few minutes away by ferry. On the southern shore of Lake Garda, Sirmione stretches out on a narrow peninsula with its Scaliger castle, thermal baths and the Grottoes of Catullus, the remains of a large Roman villa. On the Brescia shore are Salò, Gardone Riviera with the Vittoriale, the extravagant home of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, and the spectacular road to Limone.

Bergamo, Brescia, Mantua and Cremona

Bergamo is divided in two: the modern lower town and the Città Alta, reached by funicular and enclosed by Venetian walls that are a UNESCO site, with Piazza Vecchia, the Colleoni Chapel and Santa Maria Maggiore. Brescia has the most important Roman archaeological complex in northern Italy and the Lombard monastery of Santa Giulia. Mantua, the city of the Gonzaga family surrounded by lakes, has the Ducal Palace with Mantegna's Bridal Chamber and Palazzo Te, Giulio Romano's masterpiece. Together with nearby Sabbioneta, an ideal Renaissance town, it is a UNESCO site. Cremona is the world capital of violin making: Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri worked here, and the Violin Museum lets you hear historic instruments being played.

The Lombard Alps

To the north Lombardy is high mountain country. Valtellina, along the Adda river, is a valley of terraced vineyards and ski resorts such as Bormio, with its thermal baths, and Livigno, a high-altitude duty-free zone. Valchiavenna has stone villages and crotti, natural cellars where people eat and drink. In Val Camonica the rock carvings of the Naquane park at Capo di Ponte tell thousands of years of human history. The Stelvio National Park, with the pass of the same name and its hairpin bends, is one of the largest parks in the Alps, loved by hikers and cyclists alike.

The plain, the abbeys and Franciacorta

The Bassa, the irrigated plain between Milan, Pavia and Lodi, is a land of farmsteads, canals and rice fields. Just outside Milan, Chiaravalle Abbey is a Cistercian gem, while near Pavia, the ancient Lombard capital with a covered bridge over the Ticino, stands the Certosa, one of the richest monuments of the Lombard Renaissance. The Oltrepò Pavese is a land of hills, castles and wine. Between Brescia and Lake Iseo, Franciacorta is the kingdom of traditional-method sparkling wine, with modern wineries and ancient monasteries. In Vigevano, the Piazza Ducale commissioned by Ludovico il Moro is one of the most harmonious squares in Italy.

Food and wine

Lombard cooking is rich and buttery. Saffron risotto alla milanese, ossobuco, the breaded cotoletta and cassoeula, a pork and cabbage stew, are the dishes of the city's tradition. In Valtellina people eat pizzoccheri, buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes and cheese, and bresaola, air-dried beef; around Mantua pumpkin tortelli and risotto alla pilota; in Cremona nougat and mostarda, candied fruit in mustard syrup. Lombardy is a great land of cheese: Gorgonzola, Grana Padano, Taleggio, Bitto, Quartirolo and Provolone Valpadana. Panettone, the Christmas cake, was born in Milan. Among the wines are Franciacorta, the reds of Valtellina such as Sforzato, Oltrepò Pavese and Lugana from Lake Garda.

Experiences to enjoy

An aperitivo on the Navigli at sunset, an evening at La Scala, a whole day on the Lake Como ferries, a bike ride along the towpath of the Naviglio Grande as far as the Ticino: these are some of the experiences that capture the character of the region. The Bernina Red Train, which leaves from Tirano and crosses the Alps to St. Moritz, is a UNESCO site. In September Monza hosts the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix in the circuit inside the park of the Royal Villa, while in winter Christmas markets and skiing in Valtellina attract visitors from all over Europe.

When to go and how to get around

Spring and autumn are perfect for the lakes, with gardens in bloom in April and May and warm colours in October; summer is ideal for the mountains. Milan can be visited all year round, but it is best to avoid August, when many places close, and to check the trade fair calendar, which pushes up hotel prices. The rail network is dense: from Milan you can reach Como, Varenna, Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Cremona, Mantua and Lake Garda by train. On the lakes you get around by ferry, while in the mountains and in Franciacorta a car is convenient. The airports are Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate and Bergamo Orio al Serio.