LOMBARDY

The beating heart of productive and cultural Italy, Lombardy is the region most populous of the country and one of the most dynamic areas in Europe. Stretching between the Rhaetian Alps to the north, which separate it from Switzerland, and the Po Valley to the south, it holds a wealth of natural, artistic, and architectural beauty of extraordinary variety. It is the region of Milan, the world capital of fashion and design, but it is also Bergamo and its Venetian walls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Brescia, the Lioness; Mantua and Cremona, cities of art; and its lakes—Como, Maggiore, Garda, Iseo—among the most famous and beloved in the world.

Lakes

The great pre-Alpine lakes of Lombardy are among Italy's most iconic destinations. Lake Como, with its deep waters and historic villas like Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, set against the backdrop of mountains and villages like Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio, is considered one of the most beautiful lake landscapes in the world. Lake Garda, Italy's largest, encompasses Sirmione, with its Scaliger fortress, and the villages of Gargnano and Limone on its Lombard shores. Lake Iseo and its Montisola—the largest inhabited lake island in Europe—offer a more intimate and authentic alternative.

Landscapes

The Orobie Alps and Valtellina, with their terraced Nebbiolo vineyards that produce Sassella and Sforzato, are among Lombardy's most spectacular mountain landscapes. Stelvio National Park, Italy's second largest natural park, boasts glaciers, alpine lakes, and the Cima Piazzi peak. Toward the plain, the Navigli Milanese canals—a hydraulic system invented by Leonardo da Vinci—cross the Lombardy countryside past farmhouses, abbeys, and rice fields. The hills of Franciacorta, with their vineyards that produce the eponymous DOCG sparkling wine, and Brianza, with its villas of the Milanese nobility, complete a region of inexhaustible richness.