GARDENS & VILLAS OF THE ITALIAN LAKES

Day 1 | Thursday 9 April
Arrive Milan - To Varese
We meet at Milan’s Malpensa Airport this morning and join our coach for the short transfer to our hotel overlooking the lovely town of Varese in the heart of the Italian lakes’ region. After time to freshen up, we take the funicular to the Sacro Monti, enjoying spectacular views as we go. Built in the late 17th century and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003, the Sacro Monti is the culmination of a holy road which winds its way up the slopes of Mount Velate through a series of chapels. We then enjoy a reviving aperitivo before visiting the gardens of the Palazzo Estense. Once the seasonal residence of Francesco III d’Este, Duke of Modena, the beautiful gardens of the palazzo were designed after those of the French and Austrian courts. A stroll through the old town of Varese brings us to a local restaurant where we have a light dinner. Overnight Varese (D)

Day 2 | Friday 10 April
The Island of Lake Maggiore
The islands of Lake Maggiore have been in the possession of the aristocratic Borromeo family for centuries, developed as both places of repose and as a unique site for the display of the family’s wealth and magnificence. After a talk in our hotel our full day tour takes us first to peaceful Isola Madre, famous for its English landscaped gardens and exotic birdlife, then on to Isola dei Pescatore, the only continuously inhabited island on the lake, where we’ll enjoy lunch with time to explore the quiet paths and markets. In the afternoon we cruise to Isola Bella, a riot of splendid baroque terraces complemented by parading peacocks and a huge shell grotto. Returning by private launch, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Varese (B, L)

Day 3 | Saturday 11 April
Villas of the 16th Century
Today we visit two beautiful villas in the Varese region – the Villa della Porta Bozzolo and Villa Cicogna Mozzoni. Built in the second half of the 16th century, the interior of the Villa Bozzolo is decorated with impressive trompe l’oeil frescoes but the main attraction here is the monumental baroque garden, designed by architect Antonio Porrani in the mid-18th century, which rises through four terraces to a vast natural theatre and fountain. A shady avenue lined with lime trees leads to a more intimate “secret” garden containing a shrine with frescoes of Apollo and the Muses. We enjoy lunch in the villa’s restaurant before continuing to the Villa Cicogna Mozzoni. This private Renaissance villa grew from a 15th-century hunting lodge, enlarged and embellished with frescoes depicting country scenes. The loggias of the villa merge into beautiful formal gardens, complete with a water staircase, fountains and a grotto which then segue into a romantic, English style park. We’ll enjoy a very special guided tour of the estate by the owner, Count Jacopo Cicogna Mozzoni, before returning to Varese. Overnight Varese (B, L)

Day 4 | Sunday 12 April
Neo-classical Villas
Today we visit three lovely neo-classical villas, each enjoying very different destinies. We begin at the Villa Panza, restored in 1935 for Count Ernesto Panza di Biumo by renowned architect Peiro Portaluppi, who also redesigned the vast park in a formal English style. The villa holds an exceptional collection of American contemporary art amassed by Count Ernesto’s son Guiseppe. After a tour of the collection and gardens we have lunch on site before continuing to the grand Villa Arconati, once known as the “Little Versailles of Milan” and now a museum and event venue. Our private tour will take us through the villa and gardens designed in the French style with numerous water features, a theatre and a labyrinth, which provide the perfect setting for an annual music festival. The Villa Litta, originally commissioned by a member of the illustrious Borromeo family in the late 16th-century, is renowned for its extraordinary nymphaeum, considered to be one of the most important in Europe. The playful design surprises visitors with unexpected showers and jets of water as they navigate the succession of colourful mosaic covered grottoes. Returning to Varese, the evening at leisure. Overnight Varese (B, L)

Day 5 | Monday 13 April
Medieval Castell’Arquato
We depart Varese this morning and head to Cremona via Castell’Arquato. Perched in the foothills of the Val D’Arda, Castell’Arquato is a beautifully preserved medieval town dominated by the Rocca Viscontea, an imposing 14th-century fortress whose towering keep offers spectacular views across a landscape dotted with vineyards. We have time to explore the fortress and town before making our way to lunch at nearby Da Faccini, a restaurant specialising in delicious local cuisine and wine. Rejoining our coach after lunch, we continue to Cremona and check into our hotel, followed by an evening at leisure. Overnight Cremona (B, L)

Day 6 | Tuesday 14 April
Music, Art & Botany
The city of Cremona has long been associated with history’s finest “luthiers” or violin makers, including Guiseppe Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari. This morning we visit the excellent Museo del Violino, whose extensive collection celebrates the production of the violin and includes a “treasure room” displaying the most valuable instruments in their collection and a “luthier’s workshop” where the intricate process of violin making is explained. Joining our coach we then head to the town of Fontanellato where we visit the fortress of Rocca San Vitale to view Parmigianino’s beautiful 15th-century frescoes of Diana and Acteon before retiring to a local restaurant for a relaxed lunch. We then continue to the Fondazione Rocca Magnani for a guided tour and time to explore this intriguing private collection of old masters and modern art, assembled by music and art critic Luigi Magnani and displayed in his elegant villa. Returning to Cremona the evening is at leisure. Overnight Cremona (B, L)

Day 7 | Wednesday 15 April
The Architecture of Vicenza
An early departure this morning as we make our way to Asolo via Vicenza, a city inextricably linked to the work of the great Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio. Our guided walking tour explores Palladio’s early contributions to the city’s streetscape from his first commission, the celebrated Basilica Palladiana, and his urban palazzi, inspired by both antique and contemporary architecture, to the late masterpiece of the Teatro Olimpico – an iconic example of his innovative and practical designs. In the afternoon we visit the lovely Villa Valmarana ai Nani, renowned for its Tiepolo frescoes, unique statuary and glorious parklands, then continue to Palladio’s magnificent villa-temple, La Rotonda, one of the architectural jewels of the Renaissance. On arrival in Asolo, we check into our hotel, meeting this evening for dinner. Overnight Asolo (B, D)

Day 8 | Thursday 16 April
Exquisite Painted Villas
After a talk in our hotel this morning, we join our coach for a full day tour through the countryside of the Veneto. Our first stop is Palladio’s stunning Villa Barbaro in Maser, which fuses elements of classical temple architecture with contemporary design. Blending harmoniously into the surrounding landscape the villa is decorated with extraordinary frescoes by Paolo Veronese. In stark contrast is the Tomba Brion, a postmodern sanctuary created by Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa for the Brion family in San Vito d’Altivole. Here we see how Scarpa’s love of Japanese design is reflected in the architecture and surrounding gardens with their large waterlily ponds. After relaxed lunch with views over the Prosecco vineyards in nearby Valdobbiadene, we make our way back to Asolo via Possagno, birthplace of the great sculptor Antonio Canova and home to his Tempio Canoviano, the magnificent neoclassical church in which he is buried. Evening at leisure. Overnight Asolo (B, L)

Day 9 | Friday 17 April
City of a Hundred Horizons
Asolo is one of the most beautiful hill towns in Italy, and the morning is free to explore at leisure. In the mid-afternoon we join our coach for the drive to the village of Fanzolo and our last Palladian villa, the Villa Emo. A masterpiece of classical architecture, the villa’s simple exterior belies the riot of colour within, provided by a series of allegorical trompe l’oeil frescoes created by Giovanni Battista Zelotti. Returning to Asolo, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Asolo (B)

Day 10 | Saturday 18 April
Bassano del Grappa
We depart Asolo this morning and make our way to Verona via the town of Bassano del Grappa, in the foothills of the Alps. Here we have time to explore this small centre and traverse the town’s own Ponte Vecchio, a red wooded bridge designed by Palladio and faithfully rebuilt to his design after various mishaps over the centuries. On the outskirts of Verona we visit the Villa Rizzardi, a small 18th-century villa set amongst splendid gardens whose design was inspired by those of 15th-century Venice. Unfolding over three levels they include fountains, a verdant green theatre, a temple enclosed by cypress avenues and hornbeam hedges, a citrus garden, a nymphaeum and a belvedere offering spectacular views across the countryside. After our tour, we’ll enjoy a tasting of the wines the Rizzardi family have been producing in the region for centuries. Arriving in Verona, there is time to check in and freshen up before we head out for dinner in a fine local trattoria. Overnight Verona (B, D)

Day 11 | Sunday 19 April
Verona’s Great Gardens
This morning we take a short trip out of Verona to Grezzana, a charming village in the heart of the Valpolicella wine producing area. Here we visit the Villa Arvedi, established in the 17th century. This majestic villa, whose interior is decorated with imposing frescoes by French artist Ludovico Dorigny, is surrounded by a fine parterre garden arranged in a unique double fan design, delineated by centuries-old box hedging. We then make our way back to Verona to visit the Giusti Gardens, a beautiful formal space across the Adige River from central Verona which has maintained its restrained “all’antica” style. A relaxed walking tour through the historic centre of Verona completes the day. Overnight Verona (B)

Day 12 | Monday 20 April
Lakeside Beauty
Departing Verona today, we make our way to Stresa via Lake Garda, renowned for its crystal clear turquoise waters. We pause here for a walk around the town of Sirmione, a popular holiday destination since Roman times. Photogenically situated on the tip of a long peninsula jutting into the lake, the entrance to the town is guarded by the fortified medieval Castello Scaligero, built for the Della Scala family who ruled Verona in the late 13th and 14th centuries.  Continuing to Gardone, on the western shores of the lake, we have a break for lunch before visiting Il Vittoriale, the hillside estate of 20th-century war hero, poet and eccentric Gabriele D’Annunzio. The villa’s unique interior is complemented by a vast park which includes tiered gardens and terraces, an amphitheatre and even a small WWI warship D’Annunzio had installed in the mountainside. Rejoining our coach, we continue to Stresa and check into our hotel which overlooks Lake Maggiore. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Stresa (B)

Day 13 | Tuesday 21 April
Villa del Balbianello & The Villa d’Este
After a talk in our hotel this morning, we travel to Lake Como where we enjoy the lake in the way it was meant to be seen, from the water, on a private boat tour. We visit the 18th-century Villa del Balbianello, which occupies an exceptional position on a wooded promontory with panoramic views of Lake Como. A guided tour of the interior, decorated in the 20th-century by Italian entrepreneur and explorer Count Guido Monzino, is followed by time to wander the picturesque gardens which surround the villa. We then continue to the Villa d’Este, built as a summer residence for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio in 1568 but transformed in 1873 into a luxury hotel that was much favoured by European aristocracy. Here we enjoy lunch in the veranda restaurant with glorious views over to the lake. Returning to Stresa, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Stresa (B, L)

Day 14 | Wednesday 22 April
Tranquil Lake Orta
This morning we make our way to nearby Lake Orta, still relatively undiscovered by mass tourism. We stop first in the peaceful town of Orta San Giulio on the lake shore then join our boat to Isola San Giulio, the site of a medieval abbey founded by San Giulio, a 4th-century Greek monk who evangelised this mountainous region. The island remains a monastic retreat, and its church contains medieval frescoes and sculpture. We then make our way to the Villa Motta, a private residence whose garden is filled year round with spectacular blooms according to the season. Our visit concludes at the Sacro Monte, a pilgrimage route whose 20 chapels run along the hilltop above the lake, offering literally breathtaking views for those making the steep, but rewarding, ascent to the site. Returning to Stresa, we toast the last evening of our tour with an aperitif and dinner at our hotel’s fine restaurant. Overnight Stresa (B, D)

Day 15 | Thursday 23 April
Departure
Our tour finishes after breakfast this morning. An early transfer is available for those travelling on to Milan’s Malpensa Airport or Milano Centrale train station. (B)