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The classiest hotel in Bergamo opened in 1998 in a converted convent at the north end of the atmospheric upper town. The service is impeccable, and the rooms done in a pleasing minimalist style.

Built in 1600, the hotel has a mountain chalet look to it. The receptionists can be brusque, but the rooms are cosy, if unimaginatively furnished. Book a room at the front, where small, flower-filled balconies give views over the bustling main drag below.

This lovely hotel is furnished with luxurious appointments and 18th and 19th-century panache. It occupies a set of town-houses amid the pedestrianized historic district and has a roof terrace offering a panorama of Mantova.

A 16th-century palazzo of wood-beamed ceilings and a vaguely rustic contemporary décor sits a mere 100 m (300 ft) from Lake Inferiore.

The contemporary rooms may be simple and spare, but they are comfortable. Best of all, those facing the pedestrianized street have a view (or rather, half a view) of the Duomo façade half a block away. Its restaurant and pizzeria are reasonable.

Set in its own quiet park high above the lake on the road to Polaveno, this family-run hotel offers a countryside escape of rustic-tinged rooms and splendid views of the lake and mountains. There are tennis courts, a pool and an excellent restaurant (see I Due Roccoli, Iseo, Lake Iseo).

The Iseolago mixes the best of a resort hotel with the class of a fine inn, so you get parquet floors and silk drapes but also a modern fitness centre, two pools, tennis courts, and watersports at the beach. The one drawback is that it is in the suburbs, so you need a car.

A fantastical 1879 Moorish-style villa, complete with minaret, lies at the turn-off for Orta San Giulio. Suites and rooms are sumptuous, with either mosaic or parquet flooring, carved wooden furnishings, silk brocaded walls, and bed canopies. The restaurant serves excellent regional cuisine.

This bastion of 19th-century luxury overlooks Lugano from its Swiss hillside. Facilities range from a business centre to a fitness room, beauty spa and swimming pool. The Villa offers sumptuous suites; the Residence annex more subdued double rooms.

Brescia’s only real hotel in the historic centre offers all the five-star amenities you could ask for in an imposing Fascistera pile. Freestanding columns in the suites are a nice touch. Shame it’s priced for businessmen’s expense accounts.