Milan, Bellagio, Garda and Dolomites in 8 days

Milan is the pole of Italian fashion, so why not taking some time to walk around iconic streets such as via Monte Napoleone and via della Spiga and have a look at the posh  boutique and at their clients? 

Since you are there, have a look at Cova, one of the oldest and high end cafes, and maybe indulge with a pastry and a cappuccino.

When you are done, take Corso Vittorio Emanuele from Piazza San Babila and get to Duomo square. If you like electronics, there's an amazing Apple Store on the right, in Piazza Liberty. 

Again on the shopping side, the Rinascente building on your right, just before the Duomo, is the most famous and upscale department sore in Milan.

The cathedral is the symbol of Milan. Building began in 1386 and was not completed until 500 years later. It is a late Gothic masterpiece, made more interesting by the fact that this style can’t be seen anywhere else in Italy. Towering over the Piazza del Duomo, the marble building is marked by 135 spires and countless statues.

You need a ticket to enter (unless you participate to a mass) and you can actually climb on top of the roof, with great views on the square and on the Galleria

San Satiro is a tiny renaissance church, a few steps away from Piazza del Duomo.

Despite its small size, it's an absolute jewel, built by the famous architect Bramante. It hosts an incredible trompe l'oeuil, but I'm not going to tell more, no spoiler... 

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Italy's oldest active shopping mall and a major landmark of Milan, Italy. 

Housed within a four-story double arcade in the center of town, the Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy.

Here you will find the designers boutiques and two famous restaurants: fashionable Cracco (creative cuisine) and the more traditional (and touristic) Biffi. 

Milan doesn’t have as many artistic treasures as Venice and Florence, but it does not fall too far behind. The city’s foremost art museum, the Pinacoteca di Brera, showcases works by Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, Bramante, and Caravaggio, among others.

In the morning I suggest you visit the Navigli, one of the most famous districts in Milan.

Even if channels aren't the first thing you think about when you visit Milan, you shouldn't miss The Navigli. These channels were constructed by Leonardo da Vinci to make the building of Il Duomo and the transportation of heavy materials easier. The neighbourhood around the Navigli is today one of the most popular, filled with cafés, bars and small shops.

To get there, take a taxi and ask the driver to stop in Piazza XXV Maggio, so you can explore this lively area. There are 2 "navigli" here, the most interesting one is the Naviglio Grande.

Again, it's a touristic place. If you want to have  a good lunch I suggest the Sant'Eustorgio restaurant, a few steps away from were the taxi left you.

Cenacolo Vinciano is the home of one of the world’s most legendary and beloved works of art, Leonardo da Vinci’s "Last Supper". It’s rarely possible to simply walk in and take a look though, so a good way to avoid the long queues is to book a time in advance like you did.

Take the opportunity to visit the beautiful Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, one of the most beautiful examples of renaissance style in Milan

This is another hidden jewell in Milan.

The church of San Maurizio and its adjoining cloister (now Milan archaeological museum) are all the remains of the Monastero Maggiore, the oldest and largest female convent in the city, built between the 8th and 9th centuries close to the walls and near the Roman circus.

The present church, begun in 1503 on the site of an earlier place of worship, has a single nave and is divided into two distinct areas by a screen extending up to the large rib-vault ceiling.

The first hall, entered from the street, was where the faithful gathered. The second, connected to the rest of the convent, was reserved to the nuns. Nuns couldn’t get in touch with male attendance, not even the priest. To take the holy communion, the host had to be given through a hole in the screen (look at the photo).

Along the side walls are ten barrel vaulted chapels over which is an elegant matroneum.

The walls are decorated with one of the most important fresco cycles from the 16th century Lombardy, mainly by Bernardino Luini and his followers.

Walking distance from San Maurizio, the Castello Sforzesco definitely deserves a visit. 

In addition to the famous and outstanding Duomo, this 15th century castle is a landmark of Milan. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was a symbol of power and different dukes used it as their residence. Today it houses a wide selection of cultural sights, such as museums and exhibitions.

Unmissable are the Leonardo painted room and the unfinished Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanoni. 

Another amazing destination completely out of the beaten path is the Cimitero Monumentale.

This cemetery opened in 1866 and is one of the two largest in Milan. To be buried here, the deceased had to be from higher echelons of society, and one can pay homage to the memory of a few celebrated artists and political figures here. The grave yard is also decorated with a wide array of contemporary and classical Italian works of art.

It's a beautiful and quiet area, amazing if you like liberty style sculptures.

The Cimitero Monumentale closes at 6:00 PM, you will probably need to chose between visiting the castle and the Cimitero Monumentale.

After your lunch, time for some exercise. I suggest you take the easy and really scenic walk in the Vallunga, just behind Selva di Val Gardena. It's a hidden valley, with vertical pink dolomite rock walls on both sides. The trail gets you pretty far, but just walk one hour, enjoy the scenery, then come back to your car. 

There's a small parking at the entrance of the park, bring plenty of coins for the park meters!

Have your Tyrol breakfast, get into your car and start your driving day. 

First stop: Passo Gardena, with breathtaking views on the Sassolungo and the Sella Mountain. 

When you are fine with your views,  you can start your descent towards Corvara, among high Dolomites peaks. It shouldn't take more than one hour / one our and half, depending on the stops you make for the pictures.

Sheltered by overhanging Sassongher mount, Corvara is the Alta Badia main destination. I wouldn't spend too much time there, but would rather continue towards the Passo Falzarego.

If you feel energized, after the turn to San Cassiano you could take an easy but rather steep trek that will lead you to the Rifugio Scottoni, where you can eat excellent grilled meat in an astonishing scenario.

Otherwise, continue to the Passo Falzarego and consider having lunch at the Rifugio Scoiattoli, with a view on the Cinque Torri.

The Cinque Torri (five towers) are five impressive pinnacles (hence the name), and one of the most famous mountain views of the Dolomites.

The easiest way to get there is to take the Cinque Torri chairlift which will lead you to the Scoiattoli refuge. The view all around is great, and so is the food! You can go back by taking the chairs or just walking down hill.

When you are done, get back to Passo Falzarego and take the cable Car to the Lagazuoi peak. Here you can enjoy one of teh best views of the Dolomites and visit the tunnels that the WWI soldiers dig into the rock.

Long descent to Cortina were you will get by the end of the afternoon.

This is one of the most classical day visit from Cortina and, unfortunately, could be rather crowded in high season. On the other hand, the sights you will discover are just breathtaking.

Followin the road to the Tre Cime national park, after roughly 45 minutes driving you will get to the beautiful Misurina lake. I would suggest you keep it for teh afternoon.

Even though it’s probably not the best Dolomites lake, the surroundings are gorgeous and you can take the easy trail that goes around the lake.

Once you are finished, you can continue to the tre Cime.

After a short ride, you will get to the park entrance, where you will be charged the entrance + parking fee, 24 €, outrageously expensive in my opinion. 

From the parking lot and the Auronzo refuge an easy trail will lead you to the Lavaredo refuge, where you can admire the first view of the Tre Cime. For the very best view you’ll need o continue to the Locatelli Refuge, which is just in front of the Tre Cime.

On your way back from the Tre Cime, you can take some time to walk around the lake (one hour for the full tour). The views are gorgeous, and you can indulge sipping an aperitif (here you have to ask for a Spritz) or a Gelato.

Posh Cortina Cortina d’Ampezzo is the perfect hub to wander and to discover the Dolomites uniquely beautiful world of immense vertical walls, spires and pinnacles, green valleys, high mountain pastures and alpine lakes.

But it's also one of the top touristic destinations for affluent Italians, along with Capri and Portofino.

You will arrive in Cortina on time for an evening stroll an to admire the sun set on the mountain surrounding this lovely city.

San Candido is a delightful hamlet, very Tyrolean, and with great views on the mountains. It's a little bit out of your way, but if you leave early it could be worth a 30' stop.

Twenty minutes driving down the road, you will get to the Lago di Braies, one of the most beautiful and famous in the Dolomites.

Braies lake is gorgeous, you can take the trail that goes all around it or hire a boat and explore the lake from the water.

Unfortunately it gets really crowded in high season, so better to come very early or at the end of the day in August and during Summer Week Ends.

I suggest you take a rather winding and narrow mountain road to admire on of the most beautiful Dolomites peak, the Sass de Putia. Here you will find much less tourists than anywhere else!

Try to get there by lunch time, park your car in the parking space (5 €) and follow the path to the various trails. After 500 metres you will get to the loop that goes around the Putia peak (5 hours for the complete tour) and some really nice huts ("Malghe") where you can have a simple lunch and a mesmerizing view.

The image of the small white church lost in the emerald green fields, and the Sass de Putia in the background is for sure one of the most iconic views of the Dolomites, I'm sure you must have seen it already. This is what makes Santa Magdalena village in Val di Funes so popular to absolutely deserve a visit.

Brixen in South Tyrol is a compelling symbiosis of Tyrol’s oldest city with pretty narrow streets and a lively city centre, the surrounding romantic holiday villages and the local leisure mountain Plose. It's main square and its old Austria athmosphere maks it simply unique. 

Brixen is a cultural and natural experience. Don't miss the ancient portico ed streets in the city center and the amazing central square with its double cathedral.

This is still a well kept secret, even if it's getting more an more popular.

Just parallel from the highway you took to get to Ortisei lies a beautiful valley, full of vineyards and wine makers. The villages are charming and you can visit the caves and taste their wines. The visit can take from one hour to a full day, depending on the number of stops and wine tasting.

Main could be in Termeno and in Caldaro.

There are a lot of local restaurants in case you decide to have lunch there, just choose the one which inspires you the most. 

Garda Lake is the largest Italian lake and Sirmione is its pearl.

Sirmione is a lovely small town and Garda lake main destinations. Enjoy the old town, the nice beaches and the Grotte di Catullo. These are impressive remains of a huge Roman villa, with a breathtaking view on the lake; you can get there by a small "tourist train" (it's the one in the picture). 

You can easily spend half a day in Sirmione (or more!), but a couple of hours could be enough to get a glimpse of it. You can find many SPA and shores to sun bath and to swim in the lake. It’s a beautiful place, unfortunately very touristic and likely crowded.

It could be a good place where to have lunch. Take the Sirmione exit on the highway, then follow the signs to the Rocca Scaligera. There's a parking lot before the fortified city center where you can leave your car.

This is likely an alternative stop to the wine road, but it really depends on how much time you wish to dedicate to the 2 places. It's roughly 1:30 drive from Bressanone and you'll need at least an additional 2 hours to get to Bellagio.

Few places are as romantic as Como lake, and even fewer have the elegant beauty of Bellagio. 

Called the “Pearl of the Lake”, Bellagio is one of the most famous travel icons in Italy, and is characterized by century-old buildings, stone lanes, picturesque cobbled stairways and gorgeous villas, on top of its fabulous views on the Como lake, the “Lario”.

Bellagio is unfortunately a rather touristic place, but if you walk on the other side of the peninsula the Pescallo hamlet is a delightful, quite and scenic place to discover without the tourists hurdles. 

Como lake villas are charming and can't be missed. I suggest you dedicate your last day to Como Lake exploration, starting with the ones you need a ferry to visit and leaving the Bellagio villas for the afternoon, just to be on the safe side.

Alternatively, since the villas are on the lake west shore (so conveniently located to drive to Malpensa), you can cross the lake with your car on a Ferry around lunch time, and visit them by car. Give you plenty of time, traffic jams can happen on the narrow lake roads.

Ask your hotel concierge to give you directions for the visits, to check villas visit hours and to help you with reservations. Do this when you check in on the 11th.

There are two enchanting villas you may visit while you you are in Bellagio, without taking any ferry: villa Serbelloni, located just in the center of the town, and villa Melzi.

Villa Serbelloni stands on the promontory of Bellagio, where you can enjoy fantastic views of the town and the lake. During the XIX century the property was marvelously embellished with precious decorations and oeuvres made between the XVII and the XVIII centuries. The owners, the Serbelloni family, redesigned the wide park – considered one of the most interesting in Italy – with valuable plants and trees like rhododendrons, cypresses, sequoias, beeches and rare exotic species. You will find caves, sculptures, remains of medieval walls and, on top of the promontory, the ruins of an ancient Romanesque church located inside old boundary walls. The park of Villa Serbelloni is open to visits from 1st April to 31st October – two guided visits per day, from 11 am to 4 pm, 30 people maximum – closed on Monday. Better to book in advance, especially during the week ends, at the I.A.T. box office (info@promobellagio.it).

Villa Melzi: walking distance from Bellagio, it was built in pure neoclassic style between 1808 and 1810 by architect Albertolli, by the order of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, an eminent politician during the Napoleonic era.

The Villa is rich in archaeological finds, statues, sculptures and there is also an Arabic temple in the parkland. But the botanical gardens, stretching out along the lake shore and are harmoniously inserted into the hilly scenery of the Bellagio peninsula, that are the real highlight of the villa.

Other villas deserve a visit, and you can reach them by ferry from Bellagio:

Villa Balbianello was built at the end of the eighteenth century for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini, and has one of the most enchanting views on the lake and surrounding hills. It has been possessed by many owners throughout the centuries, and it was completely renewed in the seventies by Guido Monzino, who enriched it with incredibly beautiful works of art (like Chinese vases). Reservation is usually needed for the visit.

Villa Carlotta: located in Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta is a luxurious eighteenth century building, that was completed in 1690 by the Milanese banker Giorgio Clerici.

The villa was property of Princess Marina from Nassau, the wife of Alberto from Russia. It was later given to their daughter Carlotta. Hence the name Villa Carlotta. The villa became a temple of XIX century art. You will find, among others, marble statues by Antonio Canova and paintings by Francesco Hayez, such as the famous “The Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet.” In the interior there is a copy by Boldini of the sculpture “Amore and Psiche”; the original sculpture by Canova is in Leningrad at the National Museum. 

The villa is surrounded by a park containing about five hundred species of plants and flowers. The gardens of Villa Carlotta chiefly owe their reputation to the rhododendrons’ and azaleas’ spring flowering, consisting of over 150 different sorts (unmissable visit in spring!). But the gardens are worth to visit in every period of the year: old varieties of camellias, century old cedars and sequoias, huge planes and tropical plants, the Rock garden and the Ferns valley, the Rhododendrons wood and the Bamboos garden.

Sadly, time to get back home.

The navigator will tell you you need 1.30 hours to get to Malpensa. I would add one hour to this estimation, because roads are narrow and traffic jams can happen.