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The northern Italian region of Lombardy (Lombardia) is flanked to the west by Piedmont (Piemonte), to the south by Emilia-Romagna, to the east by Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige (South Tyrol) and to the north by Switzerland. Its northern border is formed by the Alps, its southern border by the River Po’s valley. A large, well-developed and affluent region, it’s the fourth largest in Italy, and a sixth of the country’s population lives here, some 9.1m people. Lombardy is split into 12 provinces, reflecting that size and head count, and major towns include the regional capital of Milan (Milano), and Bergamo, Pavia, Brescia, Cremona, Mantua, Lecco, Come and Varese. Lombardy contains northern Italy’s Lake District, with Lakes Garda, Iseo, Como, Lecco, Lugano and Maggiore within its borders. You can view Lombardy villas and apartments on our Google maps here.

Lombardy often seems to have more in common with France and Germany to the north than to Mediterranean Italy. It was named for the Lombards (or Longobardi), a Germanic tribe who controlled the area after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and the Lombard region once stretched over the whole of northern Italy. Lombardy’s proximity to northern Europe, and its control of the Alpine passes between north and south made it both vulnerable and valuable down the ages. Milan early became a powerful commercial centre, and to this day it remains the hub of Italian economic power, much more so than the political capital of Rome. For centuries, Milan was the de facto capital of Italy, with rulers from Charlemagne to Napoleon coming to Lombardy to be crowned rulers of Italy. Lombardy and Milan are, of course, the base of Silvio Berlusconi’s economic empire. Check out Lombardy villas and apartments in one of Italy’s most buzzing cities.

The region has excellent communications, with Milan forming a road and rail hub. The A1, A4, A7, A8 and A9 highways radiate out from the capital, and the crossing into Switzerland and mainland Europe is just north of here. Just about every town we mention is on Italy’s excellent rail network (as are the Lakes), comprising the ‘S’ Line Suburban services, and ‘R’ Line Regional trains, and there are airports at Milan (Linate and Malpensa), at Bergamo and Brescia.

Sights to see in Milan include the Duomo, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper‘, a host of excellent art galleries and museums, including the Gallery of Modern Art, the Pinacoteca Brera and the Museo del Cinema. There is La Scala opera house, the San Siro (for lovers of soccer) and the Castello Sforzesco. Heading south you reach the ancient town of Pavia, known as ‘the city of a hundred towers’ in medieval times. With fine Romanesque and Gothic churches, a Duomo, cobbled streets and little alleyways, Pavia is a quite charming place to explore. Set in the heart of the River Po Plain, Cremona is famed for violin production (Stradivarius was a scion of the town). There are around a hundred makers today. Mantua was described by Aldous Huxley as ‘the most romantic city in the world’. Set on an island between three lakes, it has a medieval core of cobbled streets and piazzas, some superb buildings including the Palazzo Ducale (once the largest palace in Europe) and the Palazzo Te (once seat of the ruling Gonzaga dynasty). Knowital has some terrific Lombardy villas and apartments in Mantua and Cremona.

Skiing in Lombardy
Airports, roads, cities … where’s the countryside you cry? Lest we make Lombardy sound completely urbanised, let’s consider the wild open spaces that make this such a compelling region. We have skiing, we have lakes, we have national parks, and you can quickly be out of delightful historic cities such as Pavia and Mantua and into the hills. With its northern reaches in the Alps, Lombardy has some excellent ski resorts, and there are slopes at Madesimo, Aprica, Santa Caterina Valfurva, Bormio, Livigno, the Tonale Pass, Ponte di Legno, numerous resorts in Valsassina and a fair distance south, including the valleys around Brescia and Bergamo (within easy reach of the Po Valley) and in the Apennine slopes at Oltreph Pavese, near to Pavia. Thus you can be skiing in the morning and sitting by Lake Garda or Maggiore in the afternoon. And when those snows melt in the summer you have countryside that’s quite marvellous for walking, hiking and exploring. Check out our ski listings for Lombardy villas and apartments based around the major ski resorts.

There are some 130 national parks and nature reserves including Stelvio and Adamello, and there are the lakes. ‘One can’t describe the beauty of the Italian Lakes,’ opined no less than Henry James, ‘nor would one try if one could’. Verdi, Bellini and Rossini sought inspiration by renting villas on their shores, and they continue to inspire and delight today. With dozens of smaller lakes dotted amidst Maggiore, Como and the rest. Starting from the west, there is the small and undervisited Lake (Lago) Orta. Next is Lake Maggiore, which lies half in Lombardy half in Switzerland; lake towns include Cannobio, Verbania and Stresa, and the Borromeo Isles are a popular boat trip onto the lake. A collection of small lakes and Lake Varese itself lead on to the charming town of Varese itself. The forked Lake Como is very pretty (Wordsworth was a fan), and the pretty towns of Varenna and Bellagio (’the most beautiful town in Italy’) are worth a visit.

Through the valleys of Valchiavenna and Valtellina and we come to the split town of Bergamo: Bergamo Bassa, the modern town in the valley and Bergamo Alta a lovely medieval town, 1200ft up within gated walls, and with superb clean air. Lake Iseo is a delight, with steep, pine-clad banks which plunge down from the mountains. Heading west we come to Brescia, another fine, affluent medieval city with superb Renaissance piazzas, a good cathedral and a clocktower (the Torre dell’Orologio) modelled on the belltower in Venice’s St Mark’s Square.

Two minor lakes, Lago d’Idro and Lago di Ledro lead us on to the easternmost of the lakes, Lago di Garda. The biggest of the lakes, with the cleanest waters, Lake Garda is great for watersports (a stiff breeze for windsurfers) and has very pretty, and lushly planted shoreline. Towns to check out include Desenzano del Garda, Sirmione, Gardone Riviera, Salo, Gargnano, Riva del Garda, Torbole, Malcesine and the very pretty village of Torri del Benaco. Pay a visit to the lovely former fishing village of Garda, to Bardolino (where the excellent red wine comes from) and Lazise. And the theme park of Gardaland is great for the kids. Again, You can view Lombardy villas and apartments on our Google maps here.