The Italian Lakes
Today I have a post written by my friend, Geoff Collins. In addition to being a big fan of travel, food, and wine, Geoff is an avid Formula One fan and blogger.
The Italian Lakes have always been a popular destination in Europe.
Located in northern Italy, the climate is mild rather than scorching, and any time of year is pleasant.
The towns and villages on the shores of the lake are without exception picturesque, combining Italian architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries with stunning backdrops of hills and mountains. There are plenty of hotels and campsites offering reasonably priced accommodations, and in summer, swimming in the lake is a popular leisure activity.
Being Italy, restaurants abound, and surprisingly, for a tourist destination, food is usually superb. Just trust your judgment. If somewhere looks less than wholesome, go somewhere else. The old rule that “a restaurant that has laminated pictures of its cuisine on the menu isn’t likely to appeal to discerning customers” still holds, but cheap restaurants are fine if you only want a sandwich or panini.
And of course, there’s ice cream. It’s hard to walk through a town without coming across a traditional Gelati shop. You might need a phrase book to translate the flavors, although cioccolata might not give you too much trouble. Fiore di Latte (which I rather unhelpfully translate as Flower of Milk) is a great favorite if you have delicate taste buds.
The main lakes to visit are Garda, Maggiore, Como and Orta.
Garda is the largest, and furthest from the Alps and so has less imposing shorelines, but the drive along the western coast is still spectacular. It’s very popular with German tourists and windsurfers, so if you want to avoid those, Garda may not be the place for you. But it is a handy base for trips to Verona, with its Opera in the Colosseum-like Arena each summer, or Brescia with its old and new cathedrals, and the running of the Mille Miglia rally for historic cars each May.
Maggiore shares its shoreline between Switzerland and Italy, but it’s hard to tell which side of the border you’re on other than by the price of the petrol/gasoline. It’s my favorite amongst the islands with its picturesque islands and palaces.
Como, named after the city at the southern end of the lake, is just as spectacular as Maggiore but less accessible. The city itself has a thriving market on Saturdays, but beware the fake bags and sunglasses as customs police in Europe, especially France, are taking a very aggressive stance against anyone possessing fake luxury goods. Being arrested or fined isn’t much fun. Just as pretty, and much less visited, the eastern leg of the lake goes by the name of Lago di Lecco, again with a town of the same name at its southernmost point.
Orta is still relatively undiscovered and is the smallest of the lakes. The island at its center, Isola San Giulio, is worth a visit for its picturesque buildings. The island has a history dating back to at least the 4th century when the saint after whom the island was named lived there.
There are a number of tour operators organizing excursions covering all the lakes and the major towns, or it really isn’t too difficult to drive around on your own.
While I was there I met a party from Rhode Island University. They loved the area!
Not surprising really: history, scenery, climate, food and wine all add up to a combination that’s hard to beat.
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POSTED IN: Things to See & Do
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