A selection of photos from the Italian Lakes (also going over into Switzerland). Lake Garda was an amazing lake to visit with many towns around it. Lake Como was also nice with many towns and places to visit. Lake Maggiore had a palace on an island that you can visit. Lake Lugano goes between Italy and Switzerland. Many of these lakes have ferries and boats that you can go on.

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Italian Lakes


Italian Lakes


A selection of photos from the Italian Lakes (also going over into Switzerland). Lake Garda was an amazing lake to visit with many towns around it. Lake Como was also nice with many towns and places to visit. Lake Maggiore had a palace on an island that you can visit. Lake Lugano goes between Italy and Switzerland. Many of these lakes have ferries and boats that you can go on.


Lake Garda

The following photos were taken during July 2010 in Northern Italy.

Boats seen from the town of Garda, this was where we were based during that week on Lake Garda. World flags.

dndimg alt="Boats on Lake Garda seen from Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Boats on Lake Garda seen from Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Bardolino was not too far from Garda. More boats and more world flags. The visit to this town was on a free day.

dndimg alt="Boats at Bardolino on Lake Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Boats in Bardolino on Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Boats seen in the town of Castelletto. That day we went all the way around Lake Garda on the coach and we had certain stops at certain points, to have a look around.

dndimg alt="Boats at Castelletto on Lake Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Boats at Castelletto Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

You could get ferries across Lake Garda, and one day we went past Salo on a ferry. A few days later we headed to this town. Boats seen on the coastline. The day of this visit was during the coach tour of Lake Garda. We were following the holiday rep towards the main square in Salo.

dndimg alt="Boats on Salo from Lake Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Boats from Salo on Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The view from the Apponale Tower at Riva del Garda. This town is at the top tip of Lake Garda. The visit during the day of getting the coach all the way around the lake. The cost to go up the tower was €1. In Italian it is called La Torre Apponale. The tower dates to at least 1273 or earlier. It is 34 metres high.

dndimg alt="Riva del Garda from the Apponale Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Riva del Garda from the tower on Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Castello Scaligero is a 13th century castle in the town of Sirmione. It is at the bottom tip of Lake Garda. It was built by the Scaliger family. Construction started in 1277 by Martino della Scala. The town was an important military centre until the 16th century. Sirmione was a part of the Republic of Venice from 1405 until 1797 when the Austrians took over. Sirmione became a part of a unified Italy in 1888. The visit to Sirmione was by a car ferry, a journey which started at Garda, then went over to Salo, then down to Sirmione.

dndimg alt="Castello Scaligero - Sirmione" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Castle at Sirmione on Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

This is one of the views from Castello Scaligero di Malcesine in the town of Malcesine. You get amazing views of Lake Garda from up here. It was built by the Lombards during the middle of the first millennium, and destroyed by the Franks in 590. It was rebuilt by 806. It became property of the Scala family from 1277 until 1387. Over the centuries it has been occupied by various different powers such as the Republic of Venice, later the French and Austrian Empires. The Austrians had it until 1866 when it was handed to the Italians after reunification of Italy. The visit to Malcesine was also on a free day.

dndimg alt="Castello Scaligero di Malcesine view of a beach" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Malcesine from the castle at Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The car ferry called Brescia seen arriving at Garda. This was the boat that we travelled over one of the days on Lake Garda. This view below was during our final morning on the lake before we returned to Verona Airport. The usual thing with these holidays is that you have to wait around at the hotel for hours before your coach comes to pick up up to take you back to the airport.

dndimg alt="Brescia car ferry arriving at Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Brescia car ferry at Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

This view from the car ferry we were on was of the hydrofoil boat named Goethe. The day we headed to Gardone Riviera to visit a garden. The boat was probably named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and statesmen. Goethe was caught doing drawings in Malcesine and was arrested as a spy during his visit in 1786.

dndimg alt="Goethe hydrofoil boat on Lake Garda" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Goethe hydrofoil boat on Lake Garda.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Lake Como

The following photos were taken during June 2016 in Northern Italy.

We arrived at Bellagio on a small boat (seen below) from Villa del Balbianello (after a tour of the villa). Was a wet day, but had stopped raining by the time we got to the wonderful town of Bellagio on Lake Como.

dndimg alt="Adda ferry and a boat at Bellagio on Lake Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Adda ferry and boat at Bellagio on Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Bellagio's splendid architecture seen with Lake Como. Plenty of restaurants and shops here. We got the car ferry Adda later back to our hotel at Cadenabbia from near here.

dndimg alt="Bellagio from Lake Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bellagio from Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

View of Cadenabbia from the car ferry Adda we travelled on from Bellagio back to our hotel. You can see the dock where the boat will eventually stop. Plenty of hotels and bars along that coastline in Cadenabbia. Many mountains around too!

dndimg alt="Cadenabbia from Lake Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Cadenabbia from Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

On our free day, we travelled down to the City of Como on a hydrofoil boat from Tremezzo (after a morning at Villa Carlotta). It was very fast. The boat was named Citta di Como.

dndimg alt="Hydrofoil boat at Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Hydrofoil boat at Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Arriving at the City of Como on the hydrofoil boat. Not far from Piazza Cavour. Wonderful historic architecture here. Lots of fountains. Plenty of restaurants and shops. They also have a railway station here. We later left not by boat, but by bus (much slower journey) to return to the hotel at Cadenabbia.

dndimg alt="Como from Lake Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Como from Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Tremezzo was a short distance away on foot from the hotel in Cadenabbia. Plenty of bars down here. Plus lake side swimming pools! You can also visit Villa Carlotta down here, or get the ferry.

dndimg alt="Tremezzo buildings near Lake Como" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Tremezzo buildings at Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Kept seeing this road train around the towns of Lake Como. The Trombetta Express seen not far from outside of Villa Carlotta near Tremezzo. At this point it was outside of the Oratorio Sommariva (The Sommariva Oratory). While we didn't ride this road train, did days later on a visit to Lugano in Switzerland go on the road train there, while near Lake Lugano.

dndimg alt="Road train at Tremezzo" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Road train at Tremezzo(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A visit to Villa Carlotta. It is between Cadenabbia and Tremezzo on Lake Como. It was built for the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici in 1690. It was completed in 1745 and remained in the hands of Marquis Clerici until 1795.

dndimg alt="Villa Carlotta" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Villa Carlotta.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Stunning views of Lake Como and the mountains around it from the balcony at Villa Carlotta. Was also some nice gardens to explore during the visit here as well.

dndimg alt="Villa Carlotta" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Villa Carlotta view of Lake Como.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A visit to Villa del Balbianello for a guided tour of the villa. I did not take any photos inside (not sure if that was allowed). The villa was built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery for the Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini. There was wonderful gardens here. On our visit there was a torrential rain storm, so wasn't much chance to fully explore the garden before leaving on the boat to Bellagio.

dndimg alt="Villa del Balbianello" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Villa del Balbianello (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A few days later on a day with beter sunny weather, got this view of the villa from the hydrofoil boat we got down to the City of Como. Plenty of mountains and trees on both sides of Lake Como.

dndimg alt="Villa del Balbianello" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Villa del Balbianello (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Lake Maggiore

The following photos were taken during June 2016 in Northern Italy.

A couple of boats on Lake Maggiore seen from the town of Stresa. Earlier that day we had got a boat from Stresa to Isola Bella to visit Borromeo Palace. We didn't go onto Isola Madre like some people did, and instead returned for a look around Stresa in the afternoon.

dndimg alt="Stresa on Lake Maggiore" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Stresa on Lake Maggiore (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A road train seen in Stresa.This one was called The TourisTic Tour. From DottoTrains. It was on the Corso Umberto I at the time near the Hotel Milan Au Lac.

dndimg alt="Road train in Stresa" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Stresa on Lake Maggiore (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A view of Lake Maggiore from the coach heading towards Stresa. Mountains around this lake too!

dndimg alt="Lake Maggiore from the coach" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lake Maggiore from the coach.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Isola dei Pescatori seen from the boat on Lake Maggiore. We were heading towards Isola Bella. It's name means Fishermen’s Island. We did not visit that island. There is restaurants on the island providing fish caught by the local fishermen.

dndimg alt="Isola dei Pescatori - Lake Maggiore" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Isola dei Pescatori - Lake Maggiore.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Approaching Isola Bella for a visit to the Borromeo Palace. From this view the Teatro Massimo (Theatre Maximum) is seen to the left. The palace and the gardens was well worth a visit, at such a unique location!

dndimg alt="Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Exterior of the Borromeo Palace on Isola Bella after our visit. The entrance was round to the right. It dates to the 17th century and was built by members of the House of Borromeo.

dndimg alt="Borromeo Palace - Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Borromeo Palace - Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

A view of the Teatro Massimo (Theatre Maximum) from the gardens of the palace.

dndimg alt="Teatro Massimo - Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Teatro Massimo - Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Lake Lugano

The following photos were taken during June 2016 in Switzerland.

The coach journey from Italy into Switzerland along the coast of Lake Lugano. This lake is in both countries. Lots of tall mountains along the way. Was tunnels at the border control.

dndimg alt="Lake Lugano from the coach" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lake Lugano the coach to Lugano (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

The approach to the city of Lugano on the coach, with Lake Lugano to the left. Architecture was very Italianette here.

dndimg alt="Lake Lugano arriving at Lugano" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lake Lugano the coach to Lugano (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

One of the first things we did in Lugano was ride on the Lugano City Tour (road train). They accept Euros or Swiss Francs. A nice tour around this Swiss city. The tour starts near to the Piazza Manzoni. This view from the road train I was on, the Red Arrow. View of the starting point, also where it later ended.

dndimg alt="Lugano City Tour" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lugano on Lake Lugano (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Boats on Lake Lugano seen from the Lugano. Didn't go on a boat trip while we were here though. Went to an art gallery while we were there.

dndimg alt="Lake Lugano from Lugano - boats" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lugano on Lake Lugano (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Would assume that you could hire these boats? The walk along the lake front towards a park. They have a lot of nice pieces of public artwork here too. Many of these lakes have small beaches. There was a beach here to the right of this view below.

dndimg alt="Lake Lugano from Lugano - boats" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lugano on Lake Lugano (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.