Our Team 
Our Tour Experts The Italian Lakes
Close to Milan, explore the dramatic lake region, most famous for Maggiore and Garda, backed by the snow-capped Alps.
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Our Team Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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Our Tour Experts We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
Italy – The Northern Lakes
Combine the pretty towns, palaces and gardens of the stunning Italian Lakes with historic Verona and cosmopolitan Milan.
Key Highlights of this Itinerary
1
2Beauty of Isola Bella
Lake Maggiore, in the west, is home to the most romantic of the three Borromean Islands, famous for their palazzi and gardens.
3Verona and Milan
Enjoy the contrast of the historical town of Verona, visiting the main city squares and monuments and cosmopolitan Milan, ideal for a shopping trip before returning home.
4Wine Cellars of Soave
Visit a wine cellar in Soave for a tasting of the famous Soave Classico and Veronese Mount seasons cheese.
Why we like it
This lovely holiday to Italy combines the culture of Verona with the bustle of Madrid, plus time amidst the spectacular scenery of Italy’s Northern Lakes. Take to the roads to drive some of the countries most scenic routes, circumnavigating vast inland lakes backed by soaring snow-capped mountains. Stay at Grand Hotel Tremezzo, one of our favourite properties on the shores of Lake Como and spend time exploring pretty lakeside villages or head into the hills to explore on foot. A sense of romance weaves throughout this holiday, from the exotic gardens and aristocratic villas of the lakes to the Shakespearean scenes of Romeo and Juliette in Verona.
Explore our suggested itinerary
- Day 1Milan - Stresa
- Day 2Stresa
- Day 3Stresa - Tremezzo
- Day 4Tremezzo - Verona
- Day 5Verona
- Day 6Verona - Milan
- Day 7Milan
Now for the details
The Italian Lakes
In the northern border region of Lombardy, lie dramatic lakes, embraced by green wooded escarpments and backed by the snow-capped Alps. Using the beautiful town of Stresa as your base, explore The Borromean Islands with their stunning palaces and ornamental gardens, an unmissable destination for aesthetes. A boat trip on Lake Maggiore includes Isola Bella, crowned by Palazzo Borromeo, full of spendid terraces, fountains and statues, Isola dei Pescatori, a place with restaurants and local markets to visit, and finally Isola Madre, the biggest of the Borromean Islands.
Visit Villa Carlotta
Tremezzo, a medieval town on the shores Lake Como is home to Villa Carlotta, a 17th-century neo-classical style villa that looks out over the breathtaking Bellagio setting. It has a magnificent botanical garden and inside the residence, there are art galleries with master artworks. Check out the seasonal exhibitions happening each year, with late openings during the summer until 7.30pm. Take time here to relax and enjoy the tranquillity of the area.
Time in Fair Verona
Verona, home to a 14th-century house said to have ‘Juliet’s balcony’. However, Verona is also famed for its Grand Arena, a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre still hosting concerts and an annual opera festival. One afternoon during the stay here, be sure to visit Soave, a small medieval village with many wine cellars. Enjoy a small tasting of the famous Soave Classico and the Monte Veronese cheese.
Shopping in Milan
Milan is a place for people who love cosmopolitan cities, from the fashion runways to the frescoes inside the churches. In Milan, you find Da Vinci’s Last Supper, San Siro/Guiseppe Meazza Stadium, Duomo’s statues, Alla Scala Theatre, Sforza Castle and the famous Vittorio Emanuele’s arcades in Piazza Duomo, the worlds’ oldest shopping centre. Milan is also home to lovely parks, great ice-cream shops and a renowned nightlife.
Make It Your Own or Extend
Extend your trip and let us organise a train to, and fantastic hotel in Venice or south to the sunshine of Italy’s coastal towns and islands. Let us make it ‘your own’ with personalized private touring with expert guides and drivers, a restaurant and spa reservation service, performance and sporting event ticket arrangements and around-the-clock support in each destination during your trip.
Let’s chat
Speak to our experts
Our team is waiting to help you tailor a trip that will leave you with stories for a lifetime. Call us on
01285 601 784A note on price
Prices will vary depending on the time of year you are travelling. Prices do not include international flights. Please ask one of our Travel Experts for an accurate quote. Flights purchased through Steppes Travel departing from the UK are ATOL protected.
This Itinerary
Price
From $2,604 Per person
When to travel
Italy’s cities are wonderful to visit at any time of the year. Coastal regions are best between June and September. Mountainous regions such as the Dolomites are wonderful for winter sports between December and March and extremely pretty for summer stays from June through to October.
Holiday Inspiration
Our experts have created and curated these tailor-made holiday ideas to get you started. Take the time to search through them and find something that is the spark for your unique adventure.
Why Choose Steppes?
Our knowledge and expertise sets us apart. So too our curiosity. A curiosity of the world and of you, and your passions. It is this that drives us to create a journey that is really bespoke to you, all the while ensuring we travel and operate sustainably.
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