Enjoy a day out on one of northern Italy's lovely lakes, whether it's Como and its opulent lakeside villas, Maggiore with its gorgeous Borromean islands, the sweeping expanses of Lake Garda or one of the areas smaller undersung gems such as Lake Orta or Iseo.

As with the whole of Italy, each lake has its own special beauty, scenery, food and wine specialties and offers a wide range of activities, from windsurfing to wine tasting or cookery classes. 

You can spend a day in the lap of luxury on Lake Como hiring a private boat that will take you to the promontory of Bellagio and then on to lunch at a palatial lakeside hotel. Or you can delight in the sights and scents of one of the beautiful gardens and indulge in some shopping in one of the delightful villages dotted along the lake shores using the very efficient public boat service.