The Lombardy is a region full of charm, history, culture , architecture and buildings of great interest. This incredible region also offers numerous and beautiful places ideal for spending a weekend away from the stress of the cityand from everyday life. Lombardy with its landscapes lends itself well to illustrating the richness and variety of the Italian cultural heritage: prehistoric archeology, pictorial refinement and natural beauty.
If you are looking for a special place to spend a weekend in sweet company or if you simply want to go and discover new corners of this region, take a look at our special selection of places in Lombardy to spend a few days to remember. The splendid destinations that we present here have an important story to tell and an unusual and fascinating beauty to show.
San Pellegrino Terme
Considered the “capital of the valley”, San Pellegrino Terme is located within the Val Bembrana, in the province of Bergamo. Famous for its thermal waters (soldier-alkaline-earthy) that flow from the times of the Middle Ages at a temperature of 26 degrees. In the time of the Belle Epoque, San Pellegrino Terme was a fashionable location, very popular and admired. In the early 1900s this beautiful location was equipped with some structures such as the Casino with a scenographic entrance, with particular environments such as the Salone delle Feste. San Pellegrino Terme is the ideal place for people looking for well-being and relaxation, accompanied by the tranquility of the natural areas that surround it. Numerous excursions and walks are organized to discover the most evocative places and you can practice any type of sport.
Sirmione
Let’s go back once again to Lake Garda, in the lower part, where Sirmione stands, an important center of care and well-being. The water of Sirmione is of meteoric origin: it comes from the impluvium basin of Monte Baldo at an altitude of over 800 meters, penetrates 2500 meters below sea level, where it is enriched with minerals and increases in temperature and finally flows from the source Boiola (it takes 20 years for the entire cycle to complete). Its mineral water has therapeutic properties and flows at a temperature of 69 ° C. Sirmione is also famous for its historic center, with its narrow and irregular alleys, for the Thermal Baths of Catullus, for the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and San Pietro in Mavino, and for the ruins of the Roman villa of the poet Catullus.. In the days of the summer, a rather crowded walk takes place that passes through a long series of shop windows of bags, shoes, made in Italy clothes and souvenirs.
San Biagio Island
Also known as “Isola dei Conigli”, San Biagio is an island of Lake Garda which is located in front of San Felice del Benaco, inside the Emerald Bay. It was once used for hunting, and later as a test area for large-caliber weapons. In periods of low tide in Lake Garda it is possible to reach it on foot, otherwise the island will always be accessible from Porto Torchio by boat-taxi. Near the island of San Biagio is the Scoglio dell’Altare, famous for being a diving site on Lake Garda. It is said that a Christian liturgy was celebrated on this rock which was attended by the fishermen gathered in the area.
Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso
Located on an overhanging rocky wall overlooking Lake Maggiore, the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is one of the most evocative scenarios of Lake Maggiore. It is a monastery built on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, in the municipality of Leggiuno (VA). The construction of the complex of Santa Caterina dates back to the twelfth century, when Alberto Besozzi, due to a shipwreck, made a vow to Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, there he would have built a chapel to the Saint, still identifiable today at the bottom of the church.
The garlic
On the western part of Lake Como, 202 meters above sea level, lies the town of Laglio. The toponym derives from the Latin personal Lallius. In the first half of the twentieth century a Roman funerary plaque was found dedicated to Calpurnia, the wife of Claudius Epaphroditus. The town became famous thanks to the actor George Clooney who in 2002 bought two properties, Villa Oleandra and Villa Margherita. In the inner area of Laglio you can admire the parish church of San Giorgio which preserves beautiful stucco decorations made in the eighteenth century by Stefano Salterio, a well-known local artist and some sculptures and paintings including the “Martyrdom of San Giorgio” made by an Arlotti.
Soncino
Photo by Marcolambruschi
In the center of Lombardy, in an area full of springs and springs between Cremona, Brescia and Bergamo, is the town of Soncino, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Here you can admire the Rocca Sforzesca, a defensive wall made up of fortifications erected to defend the town from the Hungarians. The walls date back to the 10th century and were completed in 1118 when the Municipality of Cremona bought the castle, curia and court of Soncino from the Counts of Bergamo. In the House of the Printers there is a curious collection of printing machines whose oldest pieces belong to a Jewish printing house of the fifteenth century. The medieval village hosts historical and artistic monuments such as the bell tower of the Pieve di S. Maria Assunta, the civic tower, the heptagonal tower of the church of S. Giacomo, the Rocca and the church of S.
Vezio Castle
In Vezio, a small fraction of the municipality of Perledo in the province of Lecco, the castle of the same name stands on a promontory. The building, which dominates Varenna from above offering an extraordinary panorama, is a typical example of a castle-enclosure, consisting of a central tower surrounded by a wall of walls on which the smaller towers rise. The construction dates back to Roman times and was built as a tower to control the shores of the lake. The castle later became the property of the parish of Varenna, then of the Serbelloni, who kept it until the nineteenth century. The Greppi Di Robilant family, owner of the estate, has been renting the building to the Castello di Vezio Tourist Association since 1994. In the castle there are some armours found in 1955 during the renovation works. The “ghosts” live in the castle during the summer, they are plaster sculptures made by tourists who pose after being covered with gauze and plaster. The castle enjoys a view of the oldest part of Varenna and its garden is full of olive trees that produce an excellent oil.
Mantua
Mantua is one of the most beautiful Renaissance cities in the Italian territory. In 2008 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is a city-court of great splendor that extends like a small peninsula in three artificial bodies of water created in ancient times to defend the city and obtained from the meanders of the Mincio river: Lake Superiore, Lake Mezzo and Lake Inferiore. This particularity makes the town completely unique, which seems to be born on the water. Absolutely not to be missed is the Doge’s Palace with its 500 rooms. The buildings connected by corridors and galleries make it look like a city-palace with an extension of 35 thousand square meters. Inside, the Rooms of the Pisanello and the apartment of Troy, which owes its name to the cycle of frescoes painted in the main room and the work of Giulio Romano. Among the reeds hide the nests of the reedbill and the sideburn. It is also possible to navigate the lakes of Mantua, with cruises that allow you to see the whole city from the water. Hares, pheasants, foxes, ducks and swans populate the shores of the lakes, combining a city of art with nature.
