Italy's Lake Region

The north of Italy has four major lakes - Lake Como, Lake Garda, Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore.  With the exception of a day in beautiful Lugano on my way from Italy to Switzerland many years ago, I have spent time on only two of the lakes, and both were beautiful!

Lake Garda

The first time I visited an Italian lake was during a study abroad program in Florence in 1992.  The program's leader, Riccardo, had grown up spending summers at Lake Garda. One Friday afternoon when classes had ended for the week, Riccardo enthusiastically led about twenty of us on a train, followed by a bus, to the lake's northernmost town, Riva del Garda.  We arrived in this beautiful small town feeling like we had left the Italy we knew.  The other travelers were tall and blond.  We heard more German being spoken than Italian.  The aqua Mediterranean sea was replaced with a deep blue mountain lake. But the most stunning site was Riva itself. The magestic Alps plunge into the northern tip of Italy's largest lake, and Riva just sits quietly below these mountains, along the lake's edge, offering a sandy beach, outdoor cafes, and a summer vacation atmosphere. Riva was such a special place, that I returned there the following summer with my mother, who also fell in love with the town's beauty and its relaxed ambiance. I returned to Lake Garda a third time in 2023 with my friend, Susan, and this time I elected to stay in Malcesine, a beautiful town, from which we explored other lakeside towns like Limone. We also loved our hike from Riva along the Old Ponale Road. We also took the cable car up from Malcesine to Monte Baldo, where we watched paragliders taking off for the lakeside below.

If you have kids and find yourself traveling to Lake Garda, you may also want to check out Sirmione, a historic town on a peninsula off the southern shore of the lake with a pedestrian center and a 13th-century fairytale castle. Susan and I visited the castle in 2023, which was pretty, but Sirmione was very crowded, even in October. If you have the kids with you, near Sirmione is Gardaland, an amusement park. For the adults, Sirmione has hot springs and is an easy day trip to or from Verona (about 40 minutes). Click here to jump to my Verona tips.

Getting here:  The main train stations at Lake Garda are at Peschiera and Desenzano del Garda for the southern part of the lake, and Rovereto for the north.  From these stations, you need to take a bus or ferry to your destination. Or, you can take a bus straight from Verona to Peschiera (20 mintues), Sirmione (40 minutes), or Riva del Garda (1.5 hours).  If you are driving, from Milan to Riva del Garda takes approximately 2 1/2 hours, and from Milan to Sirmione takes about 2 hours.  From Venice, Riva del Garda is about a 2-3 hour drive, and Sirmione is about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Having a car is handy to get to and from the lake, but once we arrived we used the ferry to travel around the lake and among the towns. It is easy to catch the ferry from Malcesine for the 25-minute ride to Riva, or a 20-minute ride to Limone.

Where to stay on Lake Garda:

Susan and I liked our stay at Castello Lake Front, where we relaxed in lounge chairs on the lawn at the water’s edge. We were just a few minutes’ walk from town.

Lake Como

Lake Como is Italy's most well-known lake, both for its accessibility from Milan and the posh resort town of Bellagio.  When I visited Lake Como, I took a ferry from popular Bellagio just fifteen minutes across the lake to the quiet, authentic town of Varenna.  I stayed at a lovely little hotel called Albergo Milano, taking a room with a large terrace facing the lake.  I ate a delicious dinner at a tiny little restaurant recommended by Albergo Milano, and I wish I had written down the name. There were only five tables in its cozy interior. You could ask the proprietors of Albergo Milano, or try Il Cavatappi or Borgovino, both tiny and highly recommended (and I'm betting my amazing meal was at one of those two restaurants).  I wandered the town's picturesque lanes, and ate gelato on the waterfront by the little stone beach.  While I could easily hop on a ferry to explore bustling Bellagio, tour a lakeside villa, or spend an afternoon at a lakefront pool club, I was happiest on the ferry ride back to sweet little Varenna.  A friend of mine recently joined her husband on his business trip to Bellagio (nice, right?).  Although they stayed in Bellagio, she took the ferry to Varenna three times, she loved the town so much. She said if she returns to Lake Como, she will be staying in Varenna!

Getting here:  Lake Como doesn't have the majestic mountains that Lake Garda boasts, but it is certainly more accessible from Milan and its international airport.  By car, Varenna is about an hour and a half from Milan.  By train, the two lie an hour apart.

Verona is such a beautiful city and made for walking. My mom and I loved our days here many years ago, with my favorite memory being one of sitting outside Italy’s third-largest open-air amphitheater (you can guess where the largest one is), watching an opera one summer evening. It is hard to describe the feeling you get from sitting in an arena built in the year 30 A.D., listening to opera with a summer breeze on your face. It is magic, even for someone who is not an opera fan. Click here for ticket information. I returned to Verona in October 2023 with my friend, Susan, and we loved our two days here. Susan suggested we do a food tour in Verona, which I enjoyed so much that it has now become my favorite way to see a new city. The appeal of a food tour is, well, the food of course, but also it’s a chance to do a walking tour of the city and learn some of its history, but with a heavy focus on food. Click here to read about my food tour in Siena, my food tour in Barcelona, and my chocolate tour in Geneva.

When most people hear “Verona” they think of Juliet’s balcony, which you can visit. But remember, it’s fictitious from a work of fiction. That doesn’t stop couples from placing a padlock at the site, or even from paying hundreds of Euros for use of the balcony for a marriage proposal (we witnessed one during our brief visit.) For beautiful views of Verona, head up to Castel San Pietro. Verona also boasts beautiful piazzas, like Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Bra.

Where to stay and eat in Verona:

Susan and I liked our stay at Hotel Milano & Spa in Verona, which boasts a rooftop bar and jacuzzi with a view of the amphitheater. We enjoyed our scrumptious dinner at the casual La Molinara. Pizzeria da Vincenzo is a fantastic spot to grab a slice of Calabrian-style pizza (although when I sent the photo to my Neopolitan Italian teachers, they replied, “questa non è pizza” (this is not pizza). Regardless, I thought the pizza was fresh and tasty. Definitely grab lunch or a snack at the casual La Bottega della Gina and choose from a variety of freshly-made, melt-in-your-mouth pastas. De Rossi is a great pasticceria, and for gelato, head to Q.B. Gelato.

Click here for my tips on choosing a good gelateria while in Italy!

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