Events For Lombardy - Lombardia
<<	September 2010					>>
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

	'INSIDER TIPS'
	First City Pass to Milan Buy the 3-day city pass called the MilanoCard, covering public transport, provides discounts at museums, monuments, restaurants, spas and shops, as well as guided tours.  Plus discounts on bike and car rental, and on the Malpensa Express, the shuttle to Milan's Malpensa airport. Surprisingly, the pass also includes some areas and services well beyond the city boundaries, including Lake Como and the city of Genoa. To buy online: http://www.milanocard.it/ or at around 50 outlets in Milan.   Costs €10 - valid for 72 hours. Swim in Sirmione Spa Swimming in the Aquaria spa in Sirmione, with its bubbling thermal pools overlooking Lake Garda is one of the highlights of a visit to Lombardy's shores. This is a reasonably-priced day spa, and its bubbling thermal pools and bubble beds make a lovely experience, day or evening. It is best to try it in winter or spring as the waters can feel uncomfortably hot in summer. Sirmione also happens to be the most charming resort on the Lombardy shore. From Brescia, Sirmione is 15 minutes by train, then 20 minutes by bus to the historic centre, where the spa is located. Contact: (+39) 030-916044 and see: http://www.termedisimione.com/ Book to See Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper In Milan, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece adorns a wall in the old Dominican mon­astery refectory next to Santa Maria Delle Grazie. The masterpiece has been fully restored after years of deterioration. Essential to book tickets in advance. (http://www.cenacolovinciano.org/).

Milan is Italy's business, fashion and design capital. In this style-conscious city, you can spot hotels, clubs, cafes, restaurants and even flower shops that have been 'branded' by the major designers. Beyond Milan is the glittering 'lake district', framed by the jagged pinkish peaks of the Alps. Whether on Lake Como or Lake Garda, the illusion is of the Mediterranean meeting the mountains. Milan and the lakes might be the highlights of Lombardy but 'art cities' such as Brescia, Bergamo and Mantua also have great appeal, especially as a weekend break

Milan has become a brand, a glitzy galaxy where you can live, eat and sleep fashion by following in the footsteps of the grandest designers. On 'Planet Fashion', you don't so much name-check designer brands as breathe them, sip them, eat them, sleep them, and even live their dreams. The power of brand brainwashing will have you going to bed with Bulgari, waking up with Frette sheets, and breakfasting with Gucci before trimming your designer stubble at the Dolce & Gabbana barber's.  

Yet Milan is far more than a fashion capital. Apart from Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a monumental 19th-century shopping arcade, there is a magnificent Gothic cathedral and La Scala nearby. The Pinacoteca di Brera is Milan's finest art gallery but Milan's most famous painting, and one of the great works of the Renaissance, is Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper (1495-97), painted in tempera on a wall in an old Dominican refectory.

Framed by the Alps, and stretching northern Lombardy to the Veneto and Piedmont, the lake district offers stunning scenery. West of Bergamo, Lake Como is matched by Lake Iseo and Lake Garda to the east. In terms of scenery, cognoscenti consider Como the most beguiling lake. With its snow-clad peaks, romantic scenery, and sluggish steamers, Como still stirs visitors. There are gorgeous villas and gardens, especially around touristy Bellagio and sleepy Varenna, an unspoilt village shaded by pines and plane trees.

Pocket-sized Lake Iseo is a timeless place with tempting fish restaurants, rewarding hikes and a leisurely pace of life. Iseo is the biggest lake island in Europe but is alpine in character, with olives and horse chestnuts rather than lemon groves and palms. Neighbouring Bergamo is one of Lombardy's most beguiling cities, especially the lofty 'citta alta', with its well-preserved historical centre.  

North of Lake Iseo is Valle Camonica, famed for its Unesco-listed prehistoric rock carvings. Between Iseo and Brescia stretches the Franciacorta wine-growing region, which vaguely resembles Tuscany. A patchwork of abbeys, castles and wine estates make this a perfect weekend break.

Lake Garda is Italy's largest, grandest lake but Lombardy is lucky enough to possess much of the loveliest stretches, including the rugged western shore and refreshing resorts such as Gardone Riviera, Salo and Limone.  Il Vittoriale is one of the most compelling villas, both an Italian shrine and a monument to a megalomaniac. Further south is Sirmione, strung out along a thin peninsula on the lake. This was the Romans' setting for a bit of R&R, where they bubbled in the hot springs. The springs are still in there, as is the moated medieval castle with its swallowtail battlements.

Neighbouring Brescia is unfairly dubbed a 'mini Milan' but in fact has Latin-style outdoor cafes and the largest Roman heritage north of Rome. The city's Museo di Santa Giulia is Italy's finest historical museum and Brescia's Longobard and Carolingian heritage is Unesco-listed. From Brescia, even on a weekend, you can combine city culture with side-trips to the city's back garden. Brescia's serious industrialists treat the lakes as their summer playground.