While it is true that the lakes of Maggiore, Como and Garda are the best-developed and most obvious tourist destinations of the region, offering a wide range of accommodation and watersports facilities, do not overlook the lesser-known lakes and towns of Lombardy. The museums of Bergamo, Mantova and others may not be as important as Milan’s, the villas less grand than Como’s, but a few days spent off the beaten path can offer a rewarding break from the crowds that throng Milan’s great sights and back up traffic for hours along the Big Three lakes.
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Cosy taverna serving lake fish, local game and creative regional dishes. Always the freshest ingredients.
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Hearty bergamasco fare and some good tasting menus in the simple rooms of a wedge-shaped medieval palazzo .
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Well worth a visit, especially for the massive discounts (30–50%) on men’s and women’s clothing.
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A vibrant city of medieval streets, fashionable boutiques and Renaissance churches, Bergamo is one of the Top 10 of the region.
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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.
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This historic café on the main piazza has been a local living room (and site of rebellious debates) since the 16th century.
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Fancy hearing a string quartet composed entirely of Stradivarius instruments? Cremona’s Teatro Ponchielli is about the only place in the world where this happens regularly.
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This town has been home to some of the world’s finest ever makers of stringed instruments, a craft that reached its pinnacle in the 17th century at the workshop of Antonio Stradivari. It is hardly surprising, then, that Cremona’s top sights are fiddle-oriented: the Raccolta dei Violini is a roomful of exquisite 17th- and 18th-century instruments; while Museo Stradivariano pulls out all the big names in violin-making (Amati, Stradivarius, Guaneri).
Piazza del Comune, Cremona
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Elegant restaurant mixing French and Italian cuisine, famed for its homemade fois gras and polenta slow-cooked over the dining room’s open fireplace.
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Satisfying foodies for over a century with local cuisine and a choice of settings: around a 16th-century courtyard fountain or by the fireplace inside.
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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