Lake Como is what you picture when someone says 'Italian lake' — the narrow fjord between the Alpine cliffs, the Villa del Balbianello on its promontory, George Clooney's villa (and the tourism industry that has grown around it). Lake Maggiore is what people who have been to Como come to next — wider, more accessible, with the Borromean Islands and the most extraordinary garden architecture in the Italian lakes. The two lakes are 50km apart and completely different landscapes.
Read the guide →Lake Como (Lago di Como, also Lario — the ancient name) is the deepest lake in Italy (410m maximum depth — the fourth deepest lake in Europe) and one of the most dramatically situated: the Y-shape of the lake (the two upper arms converging at Bellagio on the promontory — the most celebrated Como viewpoint) is set between the Alpine foothills rising immediately from the western and eastern shores to 1,000–2,000m above the water surface. The combined effect — the dark, deep water, the steep cliff shores, and the vertical scale of the mountains — produces the specific Como drama that made it the preferred destination of European Romantic-era artists and writers and that has maintained its position as the most internationally iconic Italian lake.
The specific Como experiences that justify the premium: Villa del Balbianello (Lenno, west shore — the 18th-century villa on a wooded promontory accessible only by boat or on foot — €12 gardens, €22 including interior, by appointment for the interior; the most photographed Como building and the filming location for the Casino Royale garden scene and the Star Wars Padmé scenes); Bellagio (the village on the central promontory between the two upper arms — the Como postcard, the ferry crossing, the Villa Serbelloni gardens [€12, guided tour, advance booking at villaserbelloni.com]); Villa Carlotta (Tremezzo, west shore — €13, the most accessible Como villa, the rhododendron garden in April–May is the most intensely coloured garden event in northern Italy, the Canova sculptures in the interior include one of the finest Amor and Psyche groups after the Louvre original). The Como price level: approximately 30–40% higher than Lake Maggiore for equivalent accommodation; the Bellagio and Varenna waterfront hotel prices in peak season (July–August) are among the highest in northern Italy.
Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore, also Verbano — 65km long, shared with Switzerland — the northern 20km of the lake are in Canton Ticino) is wider and more gently contoured than Como — the mountains are further from the shore, the towns are more accessible by car, and the resort infrastructure is less pressured. The specific Maggiore advantage: the Isole Borromee (the Borromean Islands — the three islands owned by the Borromeo family since 1445: Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Isola dei Pescatori).
Isola Bella (the most visited: the 17th-century Borromeo palazzo with the 10-terrace formal garden — the most extravagant baroque garden composition in northern Italy, designed by Carlo Fontana, the whole island transformed into a ship-shaped formal garden platform by Count Carlo III Borromeo in the 1630s; entry €20 includes palazzo and garden): the specific Isola Bella character — the island is essentially a single enormous baroque garden set into the lake, the terraces of topiary and classical statuary rising above the water with Stresa visible across the 300m channel. Isola Madre (the largest island, the more botanically significant garden — Kashmir cypress, magnolias, wisteria pergola in spring, white peacocks and parakeets in the garden; €15): the most botanically diverse Borromeo island and the most serene. Isola dei Pescatori (the fishing village island, no entry fee — the one Borromean island that is actually inhabited by a fishing community rather than managed as a heritage monument; the most specifically Italian lake experience, 50 residents year-round, two restaurants open for lunch).
Lake Como vs Lake Maggiore comparison: Como is better for the most dramatic Alpine lake landscape (the Y-shape, the steep cliff shores, the deepest Italian lake), the most internationally celebrated Como villas (Balbianello, Carlotta, Serbelloni), and the most consistently upmarket resort atmosphere. Maggiore is better for the Borromean Islands (the 17th-century baroque garden on Isola Bella has no equivalent at Como), lower prices (30–40% below comparable Como accommodation), easier accessibility by car (Stresa and Verbania are more accessible than Como's narrow lakeside road), and the botanical gardens of Isola Madre. For first-time Italian lakes visitors: Como for the landscape drama and the villa heritage; Maggiore for the island experience and the more accessible resort infrastructure. For families with children: Maggiore (the island boat trips, the Isola dei Pescatori fishing village, the broader beaches). For couples seeking the most spectacular scenery: Como.
The Borromean Islands (Isole Borromee) are three islands in the Stresa bay of Lake Maggiore, owned by the Borromeo family since 1445 and today the most visited Italian lake cultural heritage complex: Isola Bella (the 17th-century Borromeo palazzo with 10-terrace baroque garden, the most extravagant, €20 including garden and palace); Isola Madre (the largest island, botanical garden with white peacocks, wisteria pergola, Kashmir cypress, €15); and Isola dei Pescatori (the inhabited fishing village, free entry, 50 year-round residents, two restaurants). Accessible by regular boat service from Stresa, Baveno, and Verbania (Navigazione Lago Maggiore, navigazionelaghi.it — day circular ticket covering all three islands from Stresa: €12). Combined Isola Bella + Isola Madre ticket: €29. Open April–October; closed November–March. Related: Lombardy lakes guide.
From Milan: Lake Como: Lecco line train to Como San Giovanni (40 minutes, €4.80) or regional train to Varenna-Esino (1 hour 20 minutes, €7). Lake Maggiore: Domodossola line train to Stresa (1 hour, €8.50). Both lakes are day-trip accessible from Milan; both reward staying overnight. The road question: Lake Como's western shore road (the SS340, the Regina Road) is among the narrowest and most congested roads in northern Italy in summer — driving is not advisable in July–August; the boat service and the train are significantly faster. Lake Maggiore's western shore (the SS33) is a wider and more practically navigable road. The ferry networks: Both lakes operate ferry services (Navigazione Laghi — navigazionelaghi.it — covering both Como and Maggiore); the ferry is the definitive way to see both lakes. The Lake Como ferry crossings (Bellagio to Varenna, 15 minutes; Bellagio to Menaggio, 20 minutes) are among the most scenic short ferry crossings in Europe. The Lake Maggiore island circuit from Stresa is the most logistically complete lake boat experience in northern Italy. Related: Northern Italy lakes guide.
Villa del Balbianello boat access and booking, Isola Bella and Isola Madre day ticket, the Milan–Stresa train timing, and the Bellagio Villa Serbelloni advance booking link.
La Redazione di TourLeaderPro.comItaly's Borghi (the medieval hilltop villages designated by the "I Borghi più Belli d'Italia" programme — the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, borghi.it, 370 designated villages) include many of the finest and most specifically Italian urban environments in the country — environments that receive 200 visitors per year rather than 200 per day:
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio): The "dying city" — a medieval village on a tufa pillar isolated from the surrounding plateau by erosion, accessible only by a 300m pedestrian bridge (€5 entry). The tufa is still eroding; Civita loses approximately 30cm of cliff face per year to rain erosion. The population: 6–12 people year-round (the exact number varies). The visual: a complete medieval village on a rock island surrounded by eroded tufa canyons — the most visually extraordinary borghi in Italy. From Orvieto by bus and foot (1.5 hours); from Rome by car (1.5 hours). Pentedattilo (Calabria): The abandoned Greek village clinging to a five-finger volcanic rock formation (the name means "five fingers" in Greek) above the Strait of Messina in the Aspromonte foothills. Partly abandoned in 1971 after earthquake damage, partly reoccupied by artists and summer residents. The approach (15km of narrow mountain road from Melito di Porto Salvo) and the village itself (the church of the SS. Pietro e Paolo still standing, the abandoned houses roofless) is the most specifically southern Italian borghi experience available. Sermoneta (Lazio): The most complete intact medieval village in Lazio — owned entirely by the Caetani family from 1297 to 1896, when Prince Onorato Caetani died and the village passed to a Caetani Foundation (still managing it as a heritage complex). The Caetani castle (Castello Caetani, €8, Tuesday–Sunday) is the most intact medieval fortress in Lazio.
Italy's most extraordinary borghi beyond the standard circuit: Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio — the dying city on the eroding tufa pillar, 6 permanent residents, €5 bridge entry); Pentedattilo (Calabria — the five-finger rock village, partly abandoned, 15km mountain road access); Bussana Vecchia (Liguria — the 1887-earthquake-abandoned village reoccupied by international artists since the 1960s, no entry fee, studios and galleries open); Ostana (Piedmont — the Occitan-speaking mountain village, repopulated from 4 to 80 residents since the 1990s, the Ousitan cultural festival in August); and Bomarzo (Lazio — adjacent to the Parco dei Mostri, the 16th-century mannerist monster garden with Etruscan-scaled stone sculptures). All are accessible by car; few by public transport.
Italy has the most extensive mosaic heritage in the world — from the Roman floor mosaics (the most complete surviving in Europe are at the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, Sicily, described in the Villa Romana del Casale guide) to the Byzantine gold-ground mosaics of Ravenna and Venice:
Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna — 1.5 hours from Bologna by train): The most important Byzantine mosaic complex outside Istanbul — the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia (425–450 AD, the oldest of the eight UNESCO buildings in Ravenna; the specific deep blue of the vault, studded with gold stars, is the most serene interior in Italy), the Basilica di San Vitale (547 AD, the apse mosaic of Justinian and Theodora — the most politically significant 6th-century image in the Western world; the Empress Theodora was a circus performer's daughter who became the most powerful woman in Byzantine history, and the mosaic shows her in full imperial regalia equal to the Emperor), and the Battistero Neoniano (5th century, the most complete dome mosaic of the Early Christian period). Combined ticket for all eight Ravenna UNESCO buildings: €12. Piazza Armerina, Sicily: The Villa Romana del Casale mosaics (4th century AD, the largest and most complex Roman mosaic floor in the world — 3,500 m² of intact figurative mosaic, including the famous Bikini Girls panel — described in the Villa Romana del Casale guide). Monreale Cathedral, Sicily: The largest figurative mosaic programme in the world — 6,340 m² of gold-ground mosaic covering the entire nave and transept of the Norman-Arab cathedral (1174–1189, €4 entry). The Christ Pantocrator in the apse (7.5m tall — the largest Byzantine mosaic face in Italy) is the most technically accomplished single mosaic image in the country.
Italy's most significant mosaics: Ravenna UNESCO sites (5th–6th century Byzantine, 8 buildings, combined €12 — the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia's blue vault and the San Vitale Justinian/Theodora panels are the most historically significant); Villa Romana del Casale Piazza Armerina Sicily (4th century Roman floor mosaics, 3,500 m², the largest intact Roman mosaic in the world, €10); Monreale Cathedral Sicily (12th century Norman-Arab gold-ground mosaic, 6,340 m², €4); Basilica di San Marco Venice (11th–13th century Byzantine-Venetian, the most ornate interior surface in Italy, free entry to the basilica — the Pala d'Oro €5 additional); and the Cappella Palatina Palermo (12th century, the most concentrated Norman-Arab mosaic interior, the gold-ground Christ Pantocrator and the Islamic stalactite ceiling, €12 as part of the Palazzo dei Normanni complex).
The overnight ferry crossings to the Italian islands are the most specific and most underused Italian transport experience — arriving at Palermo by overnight ferry from Genova or Naples, watching the Sicilian coast emerge from the dawn light as the ship enters the port, is the most atmospheric Italian arrival available at any price. The three crossings worth knowing:
Genova–Palermo (GNV or Grandi Navi Veloci, 20 hours, overnight): The most scenic Italian ferry crossing — departing Genova in the evening, the ship crosses the Ligurian Sea (passing the Cinque Terre coast at night, visible in the cliff lights), rounds the Tuscan Archipelago, crosses the Tyrrhenian, and arrives Palermo at dawn. Cabin from €60 per person (GNV, gnv.it, includes bunk in 4-berth cabin); deck passage (lounger on deck, no cabin) from €30. The deck crossing in summer provides the most atmospheric deck crossing in the western Mediterranean; the cabin is essential in winter. Naples–Palermo (GNV or SNAV, 10 hours, overnight): The shortest and most popular Sicily overnight crossing — departing Naples at 8pm, arriving Palermo 6am. Cabin from €45 per person. The Stromboli volcano (visible in the dark on both sides as the ship passes through the Aeolian Islands channel, the volcanic glow orange against the night sky) is the most specific sight of the crossing. Civitavecchia–Olbia or Genova–Olbia (Grimaldi Lines or GNV, 7–9 hours, overnight): The Sardinia overnight crossings from Rome (Civitavecchia port, 1 hour from Rome Termini by FS train) or Genova — the most practical way to bring a car to Sardinia without the 9-hour daytime ferry from Genova. Cabin from €55 per person (car included in the car ferry rate: €120–180 for a standard car + 2 passengers).
Italy's best overnight ferry crossings: Genova–Palermo (GNV, 20 hours — the most scenic, the Tyrrhenian crossing in comfort, cabin from €60 per person); Naples–Palermo (GNV or SNAV, 10 hours — the Stromboli night glow, cabin from €45); Civitavecchia–Olbia for Sardinia (Grimaldi, 7 hours — from Rome's port, cabin from €55, car rates €120–180); and the Livorno–Bastia (Corsica) crossing (Moby Lines, 4 hours by day, €25 per person — the fastest Corsica connection from Tuscany, worth considering as an add-on to a Tuscany visit). All bookable directly at gnv.it, grimaldi-lines.com, or moby.it. Advance booking for summer car ferries (July–August): essential 4–8 weeks ahead. Foot passenger availability: more flexible, book 1–2 weeks ahead for peak season.