Historical tour of the old town centre: tour of the alleys in the city centre during which it will be possible to see the remains of the walls and gates into the town, the Basilica of San Nicolò, the Church of Santa Marta and the Teatro Sociale theatre.

Lakeside tour:

• Abbadia Lariana: “Monti” Silk Museum (open Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00. On weekdays it is only open by prior appointment, which should be made with the Municipality of Abbadia and the Library).
  
  
• Mandello: Church of San Giorgio (open Saturday 14:00 to 18:00; Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00); Moto Guzzi Museum (open every afternoon from 15:00 to 16:00; Saturday guided visits by appointment).

• Dervio: it is possible to go up as far as its outlying village of Corenno set atop a rocky spur high up above the lake, and to enter the walled castle of the Andreani Counts; it is also possible to walk along the ancient staircases carved into the rock and visit the church which, strangely enough, is dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury.
  
  
• Colico: the Lusardi Fortress on Montecchio hill. Open from April to July on Saturday from 14:00 to 17:00, Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00; August open from Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 18:00, Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00; September and October on Saturday from 14:00 to 17:00, Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00; November and December on Saturday from 14:00 to 16:00, Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00; extraordinary opening times: Easter, 25 April, 2 June, 1 November from 10:00 to 18:00. All other periods: visits by appointment only.

Day 3 – Visit to the town of Como.

• Comacina Island: a trip to the only island on the lake is a must. Called “Zoca de l’Oil” because the climate is so mild that olives can grow there, the island is now uninhabited but a restaurant keeps the traditions and legends of the island alive.
  
  
• Path through the Larian Mountains: a hiking trail that links Cernobbio with all the villages dotted along the mountains on the western shores of Lake Como. Various mountain refuges and hotels are located along the 125 Km trail, where hikers can spend the night and have a meal.
  
  
• Tremezzo: visit to Villa Carlotta and Villa Collina, the summer residence of chancellor Adenauer.
  
  
• Menaggio: è considered a metropolis at the heart of the lake.
  
  

Day 4: visit to the city of Bergamo.

Bergamo Alta

• Colleoni Chapel: built in 1472 when Bartolomeo Colleoni, a once-famous condottiere in the pay of the Venetian Republic and the General Captain of the Venetian army, decided to build his own mausoleum here. Having overcome the resistance put up by the canons of the basilica, Colleoni had his soldiers demolish the sacristy of S. Maria Maggiore and work got underway. A cultured and progressive man, Colleoni designed a monument which, located in the heart of the city, would create new perspectives. The project was placed in the hands of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, a sculptor and architect involved in works on building the enormous Charterhouse of Pavia. Yet the task was to reveal itself a complex one: it was necessary to build a construction for housing the remains of the Captain himself whilst also being suitable for celebrating the divine offices, and which would also be in keeping with the basilica alongside it.
  
  
• The Venetian walls: the walls of the “Città Alta” or Old Town existed in Roman times, and were rebuilt in the course of the Middle Ages only to be renovated and modified many times in the years that followed. In the early sixteenth century, the walls were in great disrepair. In 1556 the Senate of the Republic of Venice, which had had political and territorial control of Bergamo for over a century, decided to build the city’s fortification walls from scratch.
  
  
• Church of San Bernardino: dates back to 1450. It was made a national monument of historical and artistic importance and is considered a keystone of Lombard mannerism.
  
  
• The Fortress: a fortress which lies on the hill of Sant’Eufemia; dating back to 1331 it played a key role in the defence and prestige of the city.

Sotto il Monte

Religious and cultural tour: covers the places where Pope Giovanni XXIII was born and lived. Inside the town is Cascina Palazzo, where the pontiff was born, and Cascina Colombera, where the pontiff actually lived. The route takes in the Church of San Giovanni Battista, the stately villa of Cà Martino, the Tower of S. Giovanni and the Sant’Egidio Abbey.

Day 5: Visit to the city of Milan.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: By definition it is “La Galleria”, “Milan’s sitting room”. The construction itself is the work of architects Giuseppe Mengoni. Set out in a cross-shape, its wings cross over in an octagon made of iron and glass. From north to south it measures 196 metres, whilst from east to west it measures 105.5 metres. The Galleria is home to restaurants, bars, cafes, bookshops and clothes shops that draw in Milan’s inhabitants and tourists alike.

Castello Sforzesco: Built from 1450 – 66 by Francesco Sforza as a fortress and residence on the area of the dismantled Visconti fortification, the Castle appears in the guise given it by the restoration work Beltrami carried out on it when he saved it from demolition. The imposing Filarete tower was reconstructed thanks to him. The famous Piazza D’Armi is home to the ruins of ancient constructions. Two other towers are defining features of the structure. Today the Castle houses the Civic Collections of Ancient Art, Applied Art and engravings with ceramics, ivory, bronzes, tapestries, musical instruments, stamps and philately as well as the Trivulzian Library.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: Donato Bramante and Leonardo Da Vinci consigned this church to the history of civilisation. Built between 1466 and 1490 to a design by Guiniforte Solari, a few years later the apse was rebuilt. The Cloister and Old Sacristy were added later. In the refectory of the old Dominican refectory, Da Vinci was to pain the renowned “Last Supper” on one of its walls. He started it in 1494 and finished work two years later. Da Vinci painted using a dry-wall technique using a special tempera.

Palazzo di Brera: started in 1651 by Richini, work on this imposing building finished in 1773. Piermarini added a colossal doorway. In the centre of the rectangular courtyard, with its double row of arches on twin columns, is the bronze statue of Napoleon I by Antonio Canova. The building is now home to the Brera Picture Gallery, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Braidense National Library and the Astronomical Observatory.

Leonardo Da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology: Established in 1953, today it is the largest Italian science and technology museum, where visitors can explore collections dedicated to materials, energy, transport, the borderline area between art and science, and the new frontiers in science and technology, not to mention sciences for children.

Milan for shopping and art: Milan is the city of fashion. This type of tour is suitable for everyone, and shopping and culture take centre stage. The fashion quarter is a magical area in which the dreamlike creations proposed on all the very greatest catwalks come to life. On this junction of streets, between one shop and another, some of the city’s most representative and often-visited monuments also find room. They include:

• The Fashion Quarter, one of the most refined in the city, both in terms of the shopping and the architecture, with its neoclassical buildings.
  
  
• Piazza Duomo: the neuralgic heart of the city. A short distance away lies Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a pedestrian area brought to life by bars, cinemas, bookshops and clothes shops.
  
  
• Piazza San Babila: the ancient church by the same name is worth visiting. The square also finds the Teatro Nuovo theatre and Teatro San Babila theatre.

Day 6– Trips on the lake by motorboat or private speed boat.

Itinerary 1: Bellagio. Departure from the dock at Lecco. Coasts the northernmost shores of Lario with its characteristic villages. On arriving in Bellagio visitors disembark to visit the village’s narrow streets and steep stairways. The sailing tour continues in front of Villa Melzi and Villa Serbelloni with its colourful gardens. The tour lasts around 3 hours, of which 1 and a half hours are for the break at Bellagio.

Itinerary 2: Manzoni Tour. Departure from the dock at Lecco. Offers a tour of the places that inspired Manzoni and some of the key locations in his novel “The Betrothed”. The tour takes in the statue of San Nicolò, the Fortress overhanging the lake at Malgrate, the River Adda, Garlate Lake, Pescarenico, the fluvial island of Lecco and the three bridges. The tour lasts around 45 minutes.

Itinerary 3: Thee bridges and centre of the lake. Departure from the dock at Lecco. Tour of the villages along the water’s edge along the middle of the eastern shores. The tour takes in Mandello, Abbadia, Onno, the River Adda, Lake Garlate, Pescarenico, the fluvial island and the Azzoni Visconti Bridge. The tour lasts around 70 minutes.

Itinerary 4: Varenna, the pearl of Lario. Departure from the dock at Lecco. The tour reaches Varenna by sailing alongside the villages on the shore, Fiume Latte, Villa Cipressi and Villa Monastero, with all their colourful gardens, and the ruins of Vezio Castle. On reaching Varenna visitors can disembark to visit the village and walk along the well-known “Lovers’ Path”. On the return journey the route takes in the shores of Bellagio, Pescallo, Oliveto Lario, Vassena, Parè and Malgrate. The tour lasts around 3 hours, of which 1 and a half hours are for the break at Varenna.