Milan, Lake Como & the Many Jewels of Lombardy
May 4 - 14, 2022
We travel in a small, intimate group of 10-16 people in a private van as we explore the major sites of Lombardy and off-the-beaten places you never knew existed.
I hope you'll join me for the fun and unforgettable experiences I have in store. An Itinerary Like No Other! Enjoy: 10 nights/11 days
The tour includes all lodging, transportation in a private van, all city tours and excursions including a cooking class, a wine tasting, a boat trip to the Borromeo islands and a visit to a violin making school. All breakfasts and most all lunches and dinners are included and of course, my own personal presence and attention. Cost per person: $3,750 per person (based on double occupancy) $700 single supplement |
"Open My Heart And You Will See, Engraved Inside Of It, ‘Italy" |
Our itinerary
Day One | Wednesday, May 4
What more memorable way to begin a tour than with a visit to one of the greatest masterpieces of Western Art – Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. A short walk from our hotel, we stand before this painting of one of the most important moments in the life of Christ to appreciate what Da Vinci captured like no other artist of his time or any other. After lunch we enjoy a Hop On, Hop Off tour of Milan to get an overall view of this historic city of fashion and commence. After dinner, you are free to spend the rest of the evening exploring Milan on your own. |
Day Two | Thursday, May 5
This morning we enjoy a walking tour of Milan’s most historic sights. The Duomo, the world’s third largest cathedral, took close to six centuries to complete with the last detail finalized as late as 1965. La Scala Opera House is where the operas of Puccini and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II considered to be Milan’s drawing room. After lunch you are free to explore on your own. Consider taking in a museum in the Brera art district or explore Milan’s Via Montenapoleone around which Milan’s fashion industry centers. We will meet for dinner in Milan’s very charming canal neighborhood of La Naviglia. |
Day Three | Friday, May 6
This morning we leave Milan for the medieval hilltop historic center of Bergamo’s “Citta Alta” – to be reached by cable car. We will walk its narrow streets, visit its grand cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, walk its UNESCO World Heritage Venetian fortress walls and taste its trademark Polenta & Osei sweet. After lunch we enjoy riding through the countryside of vineyards known as Franciacorta, famous for Italy’s equivalent of the finest champagne. We will stop for an afternoon for a wine tasting of these effervescent wines before checking into our hotel on the shores of Lake Garda in the village of Desenzano. |
Day Four | Saturday, May 7
The charming town of Sirmione is our destination today and we will take a ferry to get there. The morning will be spent enjoying a private tour that will take us from its imposing fortress castle at the beginning of the peninsula that extends out to Lake Garda to the most extensive Roman ruins of a private villa in northern Italy at its tip. Sirmione was where many rich Roman families from Verona vacationed. It is also the place where the famous opera singer Maria Callas once had a villa. The town has a history that goes back as far as the 5th century BC. It is also known for its healing thermal waters. After our tour and lunch you are free to wander its charming back streets and enjoy its many beautiful alleyways and shops. Consider stopping for a gelato in one of Sirmione’s many gelato shops. |
Day Five | Sunday, May 8
This morning, we head south to visit a cheese factory in the lower Po River Valley. We will see how the nutty, aged “grana padano,” originally developed a thousand years ago by the Cisterian monks, is made and enjoy a tasting. Lunch will be in the countryside before heading to Mantova, the birthplace of the Roman poet Virgil. We will enjoy a guided tour of this magnificent Renaissance city where the noble Gonzaga family ruled. We return to Desenzano for our last dinner on Lake Garda. |
Day Six | Monday, May 9
We say goodbye to Lake Garda and head for Cremona, the city of music. The Academia Cremonensis awaits our arrival in the town where Stradivarius was born and where violin-making studios can be found on many a street in the historic center. We will see what is involved in constructing a violin of quality and perhaps meet some of the students who want to make this a profession and livelihood. We spend the afternoon in Pavia, what once was the capital of the Lombards, a Germanic people that ruled most of Northern Italy from 572 to 774 and after which the region is named. The afternoon is spent relaxing in the university town’s Piazza Vittoria and enjoying people watching and window shopping. We then head for a very special kind of lodging called an agriturismo, a country stay which will be our base for the next three days. |
Day Seven | Tuesday, May 10
Today is a day of island hopping in Lake Maggiore. We take the ferry from Stresa and visit three unique islands, owned by the noble Borromeo family from the 1300s to this day. They transformed Isola Madre and Isola Bella into havens of grand palaces and sumptuous gardens. The third island is a lively fishing village where we will enjoy lunch. Heminway loved this area and the French poet Montesquieu called it “the most beautiful place in the world.” Soon you’ll find out why for yourself. |
Day Eight | Wednesday, May 11
Risotto will be on our minds today as we travel to a most unique landscape of rice paddies where the grain for Italy’s world famous risotto is cultivated. We don’t just walk the fields and learn the story behind this ancient grain but we also don aprons to learn to make this classic dish and enjoy its flavor as in no other place. After lunch, we will visit the Certosa Monastery complex to appreciate its tranquility and Gothic and Renaissance beauty. Cisterian monks live on the grounds and we will pay a visit to their gift shop for the herbal liqueurs, soaps and scents they make. |
Day Nine | Thursday, May 12
Today we check out of our hotel and head for Lake Como. Our destination is Bellagio, “the pearl of the lake”. Bellagio along with Varenna and Menaggio are the three villages that make up the lake’s golden triangle. With a ferry ticket in hand, the day is yours to explore at your own pace one or all three of the towns. With frequent ferries and a 15 minute ride in between villages, consider taking in the beautiful villas of Bellagio, the romantic Walk of Lovers in Varenna and Menaggio’s lakeside promenade. Enjoy lunch in one village and an aperitif in another. Once we meet up at the appointed time, we will head to the city of Como for dinner and to check into our hotel. |
Day Ten | Friday, May 13
This morning we will stroll along Como’s lakeshore till we arrive at the Como-Brunale funicular. This very short and steep 7 minute cable car ride, which has been in operation since 1894, will take us to “the Balcony on the Alps,” where we will enjoy breathtaking vistas of the lake and its surrounding mountains from 2100 feet. We’ll stop for a snack while taking in the sights. You are then free to take a short hike or return to Como, for your last free afternoon. Como once produced more silk than China and Japan together in the 1960s and so has some wonderful silk shops and a museum to explore. The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, a native of Como, who invented the battery and had the word “volt” named after him also has a museum dedicated to his life. Our last dinner together will be spent sharing memories of the wonderful experiences we have shared and how we enjoyed living, laughing and loving Italy. |
Day Eleven | Saturday, May 14
Today is the day we say our goodbyes. Goodbye to Lombardy! Goodbye to Lake Como! Goodbye to each other as we leave to return home or venture forward to other adventures. We take home with us a piece of Lombardy, its beautiful and diverse nature, its distinctive food and wine and its wonderful people. We take home with us the memories that we’ve made and the friendships that we’ve created and who knows there may even be plans for future travels together. Interested in joining? Get in touch to begin the process |
Dates: May 4 - 14, 2022
Cost per person: $3,750 (based on double occupancy) for 10 nights/11 days.
Single supplement is $700
The price includes lodging, transportation, all admissions and tours, a wine-tasting and a cooking class. All breakfasts, all lunches except for three and all dinners except for three are included. We will provide special pre-tour information and preparation to deepen your appreciation of this unique area.
Not included: airfare, airport transfers, beverages unless otherwise stated, gratuities.
Cost per person: $3,750 (based on double occupancy) for 10 nights/11 days.
Single supplement is $700
The price includes lodging, transportation, all admissions and tours, a wine-tasting and a cooking class. All breakfasts, all lunches except for three and all dinners except for three are included. We will provide special pre-tour information and preparation to deepen your appreciation of this unique area.
Not included: airfare, airport transfers, beverages unless otherwise stated, gratuities.