About The Italian Lakes

A visit to Italy should definitely include a visit to the Italian Lakes. Most who visit Italy concentrate on visiting the city of Florence for its history of art, Venice for its canals and romantic gondolas, or Rome for the antique collections, just to name a few. If you take the time to do your research and learn about the Italian Lakes you will find that visiting these lakes will be on the top of your mind and to-do list while in Italy. The Italian Lakes are located in the Italian Lake District North of Italy, not far from the Alps. The lakeside towns offer the tourist beautiful scenery with mountains meeting the lake shore where you can stay in an Italian lakes hotel or bed and breakfast.

A few of the more popular Italian Lakes include Lake Como, Lake Lugano, and Lake Maggiore. The town of Como, known for its 400 year old buildings and church of San Abbondio, are part of the breathtaking view from the banks of Italian Lake Como. You can walk or drive along the western side of Lake Como to see historic classic temples made with mosaic floors and marble columns. You will also see many luxury Italian villas scattered around the lakeshore. 

Visit Lake Maggiore, the second largest of the Italian Lakes following the largest, Lake Garda. Both summer and winter tourists will find a mild climate that produces an abundance of Mediterranean vegetation. Just north of Lake Maggiore is Isola Madre, Isola Bella, and Isole DI Brissago are famous gardens where exotic plants are grown surrounds the lake.

Lake Garda is located in Northern Italy between Venice and Milan. This alpine region lake was formed by glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Many an exclusive Italian lakes hotel and resorts are located along the shores of this major tourist destination. Mountains surround the northern part of the lake, and the lake has five main islands, as well as several much smaller ones.

Lake Lugano, located between Switzerland and Italy is a glacial lake named after the City of Lugano. This Italian lake is located between Italian Lakes Maggiore and Como. Abundant cherry trees line the shores of this beautiful lake.

Lake Iseo, located between Lake Garda and Lake Como is one of the lesser known Italian lakes. This lake is a narrow steep inhabited island surround by many interesting tourist attractions.

Just outside the alpine region a little further south a tourist can find several of Italy's other lakes, such as Lake Trasimeno, the fourth largest of the Italian Lakes. Tourists enjoy the city of Tuscany and beautiful landscapes when on this lake.

North of Rome, in Lazio a province of Viterbo, are three lakes that are popular with foreign tourists and even Italians. Lake Bracciano, the first of the three lakes, is a large circular lake surrounded by several small historic towns. City of Bracciano occupies a steep hill is a city full of Italian history and overlooks the water of the lake. There is a famous castle opened to the public located there. Tourists can go through the castle on a guided tour or even hold a wedding reception or other private event. Anyone on the guided tour will hear scandalous stories about illicit lovers, mysterious deaths and secret passageways in the castle.

Lake Bolsena, the second of these three lakes is the largest volcanic lake of Italy and has two small islands. Vineyards on hills surround this lake. The smallest of the three lakes is a volcanic crater, Lake Vico. The main attraction drawing the tourist to this lake is nature reserves along its shore.

The top three tourist destinations in Italy are Rome, Venice and Florence. Naples, Milan, Sicily and Genoa are also major tourist destinations.  Traveling in Italy between cities is not difficult to do because of the train system.  After you have seen one of the more popular Cities of Italy grab an Italian Lakes map and make reservations at an Italian Lakes hotel and check out the parts of Italy that are not always on the to-see lists of the typical European traveler.  The Italian Lakes district is also nice because you will get to be interacting with a lot of Italian people in a less touristy way.  No matter where you visit in Italy you will find a history of romance, art, and the cradle of many different European cultures. Italy is known for culture, arts, sciences, literature, cuisine, and music. Cultural artifacts, the renaissance, middle ages, and the roman empire are part of the reason Italy is one of the top visited countries in Europe. The northern part of Italy like the Alps are visited for their winter sports and the southern coastal areas offer the Mediterranean Sea for sun. With all these famous well known sites and reasons to visit the most famous cities of Italy don't forget about the less visited (but tourist friendly) Italian Lakes for a leisurely relaxed vacation and a time you will never forget.