DK Travel : Milan and the Lakes : Places of interest

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Bormio

This year-round skiing village high in the Valtellina is equal parts high-class resort and medieval village. It’s also a gateway to a park of glaciers, peaks, trails and gorgeous Alpine vistas.
Brescia

The industrialized face of Brescia hides a fine medieval and Renaissance centre, with several mementos of its time as a Roman colony (including a temple and theatre in the heart of the town). Installed in the ancient San Salvatore e Santa Giulia monastery is the excellent Museo della Città, a repository of prehistoric, Roman and medieval objects and artworks. The painting gallery (Pinacoteca Tosio-Matinengo) sports works by local Renaissance artists as well as the great Raphael and Tintoretto.
Brunate Funicular, Como

The classic journey to this hillside village is to take a short boat ride from Como’s harbour to the funicular station, then ride the cog-train up to Bru-nate. You’re rewarded with vistas over Como and the lake, and the starting point of many trails into the surrounding hills (the tourist office has maps).
Cannero Riviera

The name “Riviera” is apt, for this sheltered promontory has a truly Mediterranean clime, enabling citrus trees and camellias to flourish, despite its relatively northern locale. The lake vistas, steep medieval streets and 18th-century houses give it a pleasant feel. Most striking are the scraps of islands just offshore, sprouting glowering castles built by lake pirates in the 1400s (see Lake Maggiore) and used by the Borromeo clan as a defensive line against the Swiss.
Cannobio

By the Swiss border at the base of a rushing mountain stream near the pretty Orrido di Santa Anna gorge, Cannobio dates back more than 3,000 years, though its steep, crooked pebble lanes and old plastered buildings are mainly medieval. The harbour is filled with restaurant tables in summertime.
Castello di Arco, near Riva

Perched above town, this 12th-century castle is in a state of near-total ruin. Only one wall remains of the imposing central keep, and the sole room in the complex to survive intact was filled with debris until 1986. When it was cleared, a surprise discovery found several excellent late 14th-century frescoes depicting nobles playing at board games and war.
Castiglione Olona

In the 14th century Cardinal Branda Castiglione fell in love with the new Gothic painting style he saw in Florence and was determined to import it to his hometown. The aging painter Masolino did some of his best works in the cardinal’s palace and the Chiesa della Collegiata. The Chiesa della Villa nearby is a Brunelleschian church with colossal saints flanking the entrance.
Chiavenna

The chief town of the Alpine valley is littered with crotti – caverns used to cure meats and cheeses – many of which have been converted into osterie . An old stone quarry above town is now home to a botanical park; the Parco Marmitte dei Giganti contains glacial potholes and prehistoric carvings.
Civate

On tiny Lake Annone in the Brianza triangle between Como and Lecco, Civate is the access point to San Pietro al Monte, a wonderful 11th-century monastic complex.
Civate

The main town on little Lake Annone was a medieval stop for pilgrims visiting its 8th-century abbey, which was said to house a set of Saint Peter’s Keys to Heaven (long-vanished). In the hills above town is the stunning Romanesque retreat of San Pietro al Monte.