DK Travel : Milan and the Lakes : Places of interest

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Stresa

The gateway to the Isole Borromee is a pretty lakeside burg that offers hotels, a grid of trattoria-lined pedestrian streets and quite a good summer music festival (see Settimane Musicali, Stresa). Just south of town, the Villa Pallavicino has a botanical garden and small zoo.
The Best Science Museum in Italy

Milan’s Museo Nazionale della Scienza e delle Tecnica has the usual impressive collection of a major science museum – historic cars, TV sets, steam engines, a planetarium and (in the Naval Museum upstairs) thousands of model ships – and it also has Leonardo. The Renaissance genius “invented” (at least on paper) everything from helicopters to labour-saving mechanical devices. Full-scale models help bring his visions to life and may just help pique a youngster’s interest in the whole Renaissance thing (see Museo Nazionale della Scienza e delle Tecnica – Leonardo da Vinci).
Torbole

History put Torbole on the map in 1439 (see Lake Garda). Aside from that, the town is known chiefly as a good base for lake sports.
Torri del Benaco

This little town was once the capital of Lake Garda and important enough in the 14th century for Verona’s Scaligeri family (who controlled much of Lake Garda) to build one of their solid, stoic castles. This one contains a modest museum on local history including the prehistoric rock carvings found on the nearby mountainsides. To see some of these 8,000-year-old etchings, follow signs off the main road up to Crer then walk up the trail about 15 minutes to a spot where the mountain’s rock face shows through the undergrowth.
Toscolano–Maderno

These twin towns enjoy a great beach and the glorious church of Sant’Andrea, with its Romanesque capitals and fading frescoes.
Tremezzo

A tiny resort whose main claim to fame is the Villa Carlotta (see Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo).
Val Calmonica Villages

The villages of Capo di Ponte and Nadro di Ceto are the best access points for the prehistoric rock carvings found in the valley north of Lake Iseo. The images are at least 3,000 years old and include hunting scenes.
Varenna

Arguably, Varenna makes a better base for exploring the lake than crowded Bellagio. It has ferry links with the major towns and everything from frescoed churches to lovely walks (see Villa Monastero, Varenna, Villa Cipressi, Varenna).
Varenna, Lake Como

Varenna is less touristy than Bellagio and almost as rewarding. It has a waterfront promenade, two small churches with medieval frescoes on the main square, two villas-with-gardens to wander, and the half-ruined Castello di Vezio high above town. Just south of Varenna, the Fiumelatte gushes from the cliff face down about 250 m (800 ft) into the lake, making it the shortest river in Italy. Oddly, it flows only from March to October (see Villa Monastero, Varenna, Villa Cipressi, Varenna and Varenna).
Verbania

In 1939 Mussolini gave the ancient Roman name “Verbania” to a group of villages here that include little Suna, industrialized Intra and Pallanza, an important town in the Middle Ages. Pallanza’s main sight is the landscaped garden of Villa Taranto (see Villa Taranto, Lake Maggiore), while its Palazzo Viani-Dugnani houses a collection of landscape paintings.