A Week By Italy’s Lakes

Author: Marss (More Trip Reviews by Marss)
Date of Trip: November 2002

Italy has some of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The natural beauty they offer, together with excellent tourist facilites, makes a greater appeal than seaside or mountains. Starting up in the Dolomites, north of Belluno, is Lago Misurina. Its azure waters, breathtaking. It’s a fairyland.

Highlights:
My favorite of course is Lago di Como. 650 feet above sea level, it is one of Italy’s loveliest lakes, famous in literature as the setting of Manzoni’s unforgettable novel I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), and the equally unforgettable movie A Month at the Lake. You might stand on your hotel balcony and stare across Como to a real gem of the lake that is Bellagio — so lovely in summer and autumn. Not far away is the Villa Serbelloni, set in a huge park and said to be one of the loveliest villas in Italy. My next favorite is Lago Garda, Italy’s largest lake covering an area over 50km/31mi long and 171/2km/11mi wide, reaching up like a spearhead into the mountains of Trentino/Alto Adige.

Quick Tips/Suggestions:
If you love climbing, you’ll love the hike to the edge of olive-crowned cliffs on which are the remains of a Roman villa, known locally as the Grotte di Catullo. If your feet protest after the climb, you might join the children and return by the little trenino.

Best Way to Get Around:
All the centers provide excellently for tourists and it is possible to take trips on the lake itself, either by steamer or by hydrofoil.