Suggested Itinerary:

Day 1: Fly into Milan’s busy Malpensa Airport and head north for the town of Como. Spend the afternoon enjoying the sunshine in this attractive lakeside haven. Como is the perfect base for visiting the area.

Day 2: Explore the charms of Lake Como. Begin with the short journey up the coast to the achingly beautiful town of Bellagio. Take some time to wander the narrow streets and visit the cafés and shops. Then take the boat across the lake to the sophisticated Villa Carlotta with its elegant gardens.

Day 3: If you have time, it‘s well worth making the trip into Milan. The traffic can be terrible, but there is a direct train link from Como into the city centre. The big draw is the city’s shopping, which showcases the finest wares of the great Milanese fashion houses – but the city has art treasures too, including Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece The Last Supper.

Day 4: Spend a day before you fly back from Malpensa at nearby Lake Maggiore. Take a boat out to the Palazzo Borromeo (above) to see the house and its fine gardens and then another boat to the delightful Fisherman’s Island for a leisurely lunch. Then back to the mainland for the flight home.