Five Things To Do In Lombardy and Italian Lakes

A country of pasta and wine, sunshine and snow, renaissance palaces and roman ruins, Italy is as beautiful as it is complex, making this region of Italy so popular for people to come and have a self catering holiday here in a rental villa or a rustic rural house. Lombardy is an Italian region which occupies a major part of Po Valley.

Orobic Alps, Rhaetian and Lepontine form its northern borders and it has a hilly district having major Italian lakes from lakes of Iseo, Como and Varese to Easter slopes of the Lago Maggiore. This area is rich in water mainly because of Po and the affluents. The capital of the region is Milan and the major cities are Brescia, Bergamo, Varese, Mantua, Pavia, Cremona, Sondrio and Como.

The first thing you can do in Lombardy is to view its Romanesque architecture. Each major city of Lombardy has beautiful examples of this type of architecture and the most stunning monument from the Gothic period remains the Cathedral of Milan.

The period of Renaissance has left some sumptuous churches and splendid palaces in Lombardy that are worth seeing if you have visited the place. The Lombard paintings received their greatest splendor in the 15th century.

There are several art museums in Lombardy which include several sections dedicated to applied arts, sculpture and painting. The Brera Gallery exhibits some of the all-time painting masterpieces and the Poldi Pezzoli museum has a rich collection of paintings from great masters, art objects, fittings and jewelry. Painting masterpieces can also be seen in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.

The second thing that you will not resist from doing in Lombardy is participating in activities such as skiing and snowboarding. Being a region of snow, these activities are an all time favorites for the visitors of Lombardy.

There are even institutes that provide instant training to people who do not know how to ski or snowboard. Other activities that you will love to do include cycling, hiking, trekking, camping and wildlife viewing.Rental accommodation can be found in the towns or a chalet in one of the sky resorts.

Shopping is the third thing you will love to do in Lombardy as a visitor. Apart from Milan, there are other places also that provide great shopping facilities for the shopper's minds. Bergamo has the biggest shopping center of Italy named as Oriocenter and it offers everything that you can shop for including foot stuff, jewelry, clothes and Italian leather goods.

Bellagio also has several stores in its central district where you can buy some expensive leather and fashion goods. Visit the Strada Nuova area of Pavia which is a major pedestrian and shopping area of the town.

Some of the major Italian lakes include Lake Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. The fourth thing you can do here is to be on a steamer that cruises between stately gardens and resort towns. Also visiting the famous gardens of Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Borromean Islands is worth it.

The fifth thing you must do in Italian Lakes is to become a part of the film and music festivals, sporting competitions and local events that are held in the area all year through.

There are also several villas, villages and historic towns that are able to satisfy you if you are interested in exploring the culture of the area. The diversity of this region make it so accessible and easy for families to have a self catering holiday here.

Lake Como, A Perfect Spot For A Villa Holiday In Italy

Those keen to enjoy a break to a villa in Italy will surely find no better place to head than a luxury villa on the shores of Lake Como.
Italy has long been a popular place for Brits to head to for a sunshine break and Como, in the region of Lombardy, is a perfect spot to visit, with its beautiful scenery, wide range of historical attractions and plenty of Italy villas to choose from.

Visiting a villa in Italy is a great way to explore the Lombardy region as it offers unrivalled privacy and somewhere to relax and retreat to after a long day of exploring the area's many attractions.

What is there to do on a Lake Como break?

The beautiful area around Lake Como is perfect for any type of traveller, no matter what sort of holiday they are after.

From the woodland ideal for exploring, to the rolling hills and gardens which surround the water, the region is truly beautiful and visitors could easily spend an hour or two, camera in hand, snapping the spectacular scenery.

History buffs and museum lovers will want to find time in their Italy holiday villa break to visit the Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum, which holds fascinating exhibits showing the history of the area and artefacts dating right back to the prehistoric period.

Also, a visit to the neoclassical Voltiano Temple should not be missed on an Italy villa break. Tourists should also try and fit in a stroll around the region's beautiful cathedral, which dates back to the 14th century, and the Trennial Gallery.

Water sports and fun in the sun

While Lake Como may usually be seen as a place to hire an Italy villa and relax, sporty and active types could also find the region a perfect holiday spot.

The lake offers a wide range of water sports, including water skiing, rafting, sailing and swimming. There is no better way to see the amazing scenery around the lake than by boat and holidaymakers should certainly find time to have a lazy row around the shore.

Those feeling a bit more active could hire a bike and explore the area on two wheels and after a day of activity, what better way to relax that by sampling one of the region's well known wines or one of its 250 different food specialities.

A Dream Holiday On The Lake Como

Why not spend an unforgettable holiday surrounded by the pictuesque scenery of one of Italy’s most famous lakes?

Residence Geranio, a family run tourist resort, offers attractive packages, with a varied choice of accomodation, on the shores of the beautiful and
historically interesting Lake of Como.

The residence offers many options for people wishing to spend a relaxing holiday in this fascinating area.

• The self catering appartments, more suited to young people, are modern and comfortably furnished with kitchenette, satellite TV and balconies or terraces with nice views.
• The villas, for bigger families, are divided into 2 elegantly furnished spacious apartments, both equipped with BBQ area, access to the lake for
your boats, central heating, a lock-up deposit for beach equipment and a children’s playground in front.

Whether you decide on the appartments or the villas, Residence Geranio offers a wide range of outdoor facilities such as;
• Swimming pool with hydro-massage
• Children’s pool
• Volleyball court
• Football ground
• Tabletennis
• Free wi fi internet
• Acess to private beach with bathroom facilities & beach huts

For the more adventurous holiday-makers, nearby there is also
• Windsurfing
• Catamaran
• Water skiing
• Motorboat and mountainbike rental to explore the surrounding area.

We recommend that you don’t miss the chance to experience at Residence Geranio the excitment and enchanting beauty of a lake that has long inspired poets and writers.

Lake Como – A Cure For Ill Humour

Lake Como has a particular effect on visitors, best summed up in words like relaxing, calming, re-invigorating and even inspiring. You could describe the process as stress busting, wellness creation, holistic therapy or just plain getting your head straight.
But if we’re going to use jargon, I’d rather use the jargon of an earlier millennium. It seems to fit the place better. To be specific, I prefer to employ terminology used by the scholar Galen and say there are cures at Lake Como for all excesses of humours. That may well be a travesty of Galen’s work and achievements: but I think he’d forgive me if we ever met at Lake Como. If he wasn’t dead, that is.

Galen apparently recognised four different kinds of personality, by reference to their dominant ‘humour’ - fiery, cold, melancholic and irritable. Many of us arrive on holiday suffering from an excess of one or the other. In fact, with the complexity of life today, we could easily exhibit the signs of all four in a single day – possibly the day we set out on vacation. No problem. Lake Como can bring those humours back into equilibrium.

It can do that because Lake Como is probably the most harmonious place on earth, for two reasons. The first is the way in which the Lake, mountains and weather combine to provide a seemingly endless variety of different but equally breathtaking views. The second is the fact that humanity has not only not spoiled the environment but has actually added the finishing touches.

They come in the form of grand villas and picturesque villages, beautifully posed along narrow strips of waterside or scattered like colonies of seabirds across steep hillsides. Nothing jars. You can explore Lake Como for days and come across nothing ugly. That’s got to put you in a good frame of mind.

Whether you’re planning a completely restful holiday, or lots of sightseeing and/or activities, you’re very likely to go home feeling ‘better’ in body, mind or spirit. than when you arrived – not just because of what you did but because of where you did it.

So, if you’re not in good humour, try the Lake Como cure. Unless I’m much mistaken, you’ll soon be able to bin the alternative remedies - powdered unicorn horn and dried stag’s tears - and put the leech farm into storage.