traveldk.com

This is one of the main organizations for self-catering accommodation – called “Residence” in Italian, and usually available on a monthly basis. On the website is a downloadable brochure with dozens of options in Milan and throughout the region.

A dozen classy mono-apartments right in the heart of Milan’s chichi shopping district. Expect walnut floors, satellite TVs, and flowering ivy cascading down the walls of the private courtyard. Linens are changed daily; kitchenettes cleaned twice a day.

Boringly modular but spacious apartments of two or three rooms, with A/C, VCR, modem hook-ups, kitchenettes, laundry service, and thrice-weekly cleanings. Daily and weekly rates are available.

This oasis of tranquillity sits on the promontory of a natural reserve along a private sandy beach. It’s one of the best-equipped in the region, with a market, pizzeria, restaurant, video games, pool, mountain bike excursions, Latin dancing, windsurfing lessons and even a disco.

The verdant campground lies outside Baveno in the Toce stream natural reserve. Amenities include a restaurant, mini-market, bikes and kayaks, video games and sports on a white-sand beach.

This small, two-star campground sits right on the beach, with a bar and laundry room, beach volleyball, and plenty of shops and watersports nearby.

Set in greenery near the beach, the camping and caravan site has minigolf, swimming and tennis. Small tents can be pitched amid olive terraces.

Just outside the historic centre of Limone, on its own private beach, this camping site offers wind-surfing and sailing, and two pools. The grounds include a fish restaurant, wood-oven pizzeria, beach grill, and supermarket.

This large camping site offers plenty of greenery right on the lake (book ahead for the precious few lakeside sites). Facilities include a restaurant, market, cycle hire, laundry, as well as two pools and tennis and basketball courts.

Milan’s only campground is by the SS22 road to Novara (take bus 72 from the De Angeli Metro stop) near the San Siro stadium. It’s got four-star facilities – pool, sports, disco – plus a waterpark nearby.