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The track at Monza, one of Europe’s best, hosts the Italian Grand Prix in September (entry 7 opposite).

Carnevale in Milan is a combination of religious pomp, fancy-dress parade and Bacchanalian bash. Whereas carnivals elsewhere in the world – everywhere from Rio to Venice – end on Martedì Grasso (“Fat Tuesday”), Archbishop St Ambrose decreed that in Milan the party should go on until the following Saturday. No wonder they made him a saint.

Whether speeding down the Mincio Valley, mountain-biking, or ambling along the lakeside roads, Lombardy is great on two wheels.

August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, is the day most Italians head to the beach or lakes for a two-week holiday, and life outside the resorts comes to a virtual halt. Mantua does have a 15 August celebration of street artists, but Milan virtually shuts down. Only the restaurants and bars of the Navigli remain open.

Milan’s trendy Navigli canal district celebrates the start of summer on the first Sunday in June by bursting into a street fair with artisan stalls and live music.

Lombardy boasts four Serie A teams, two of them in Milan (see Attractions for Children). San Siro stadium is the main venue (see San Siro (Stadio Meazza)).

The luxury hotels of the lakes have all invested in designer golf courses (see Playing a Round of Golf and A Round of Golf).

The biggest Formula One race of the year takes place in mid-September. At other times, you can still watch macho men driving cars at mind-boggling speeds from April through to October.

Take a bracing trek into the hills above the lakes.

Milan’s Ippodromo is the place to go for a flutter at the races.