This is the Milan & the Lakes chapter from Lonely Planet’s Italy guidebook.

Sprawling between the Alps and the Po Valley, Lombardy (Lombardia) has one of Italy’s most varied landscapes. Industrious cities, medieval hill towns and lakeside resorts are interspersed with powdered slopes, lemon groves, vineyards and rice paddies.

• stroll among the peacocks in Lago Maggiore’s prettiest island garden, Isola Madre
• maps
• admire Milanese artistry and inventiveness in the haute couture of the Quadrilatero d'Oro and Leonardo da Vinci's groundbreaking mural, The Last Supper
• transport
• restaurants & accommodation
• marvel at one of Italy’s finest and least known art collections at Bergamo’s Accademia Carrara

Coverage includes: Milan & around, Lago Maggiore, Lago d’Iseo, Lago di Como, Lago d’Iseo, Lago di Garda, the Po Plain, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantua and Cremona.