Insight Guides Italian Lakes

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• Print ISBN: 9781786710055
• eBook ISBN: 9781786716835
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Guides: Inspiring your next adventure

Insight Guide Italian Lakes offers you a uniquely comprehensive approach to getting the most out of your trip to one of the most popular destinations in the world. Engaging chapters consider the region's fine art and extraordinary buildings as well as its superb gastronomy and status as a celebrity playground.

Inside Insight Guide Italian Lakes:

� Tips for exploring the breathtaking landscape, visiting the local wine trails as well as family days out ensure that you don't miss a thing. All the lakes, including Garda, Iseo, Como, Maggiore and Orta, are covered in addition to the sophisticated towns of Verona, Brescia, Bergamo and Milan. � Full-colour photographs throughout give you a true flavour of life in the region today. � Detailed maps plot all the major sights you'll want to see.� Travel Tips sections offer selective advice on where to eat and the activities available.

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine

A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information

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Accommodation

The lakes provide a huge variety of places to stay, from 19th-century villas fit for a queen to 16th-century farmhouses, city-centre designer hotels and campsites. The area is popular with Hollywood film stars, so if you can afford luxury you will not be disappointed. That said, there are options to suit every budget, and below we give contact details for the various types of accommodation. During the peak season of July and August, booking ahead is a must.

Booking

Reservations can be made by the tourist offices, but they are often very busy, and you may be handed a photocopied list of rooms in the area and left to fend for yourself. To avoid hassle, book directly before you arrive, and ensure you have written confirmation of your reservation.

Agriturismi

Away from the lakes, the option of staying in a converted barn or farm building is increasingly common and is an excellent choice for exploring the hinterland and for more active holidays, such as walking, fishing and cycling. Farmers offer self-contained apartments, but rooms with or without en suites can be found.

An extensive list is available on www.agriturist.it, www.agriturismo.it, www.agriturismo.net or from the head offices of:

Agriturist, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 101, 00186 Roma, tel: [phone], www.byfarmholidays.com.

Via Manin 20, 58100 Grosseto, tel: [phone].

Terranostra, Via XXIV Maggio 43, 00187 Roma, tel: [phone]; www.terranostra.it.

Turismo Verde, Via Mario Fortuny 20, 00196 Roma, tel: [phone].

Alpine Huts

An excellent and highly economical way for hikers to explore the mountains, these shelters are basic but often provide hot meals and a warm atmosphere. The Club Alpino Italiano (Via Petrella 19, 20124 Milano) owns nearly 600 huts in the mountain districts. Information and itineraries can be found at The Touring Club Italiano (Corso Italia 10, 20122 Milano, tel: [phone]). Consult www.touringclub.it or www.cai.it for full details.

Bed and Breakfasts

Standards in B&Bs vary (they are usually deemed 1-star or 2-star hotels), but are nevertheless the best way to experience life in an Italian family home. As with youth hostels, this option may be no more economical than staying in a budget hotel, and cash is often the only method of payment available. Consult www.bbitalia.it or www.bbitalia.com, which lists more than 13,500 B&Bs in all categories, from basic to luxurious.

Camping

Campsites fill up fast, so booking well ahead is advisable. The cheaper ones are tucked away in peaceful spots away from the main tourist areas, so access to a car is often a must. Chalets and mobile homes are offered on larger campsites in addition to tents; the sites are usually well equipped with pools, mini-supermarkets and games areas. Campsites tend to be closed in winter. A list of campsites with a location map is issued by Confedercampeggio, Via V. Emanuele 11, 50041 Calenzano (Florence), tel: [phone], www.federcampeggio.it. Try also www.camping.it, www.campeggi.it and www.faita.it. Eurocamp (UK tel: [phone], www.eurocamp.co.uk) offers family holidays in permanent tents and self-catering chalets in the lakes.

Hotels

As is to be expected, the nearer you are to the lakes, the higher the prices. Prime spots on the lake will be vastly more expensive than accommodation with less dramatic views, and especially in more rural areas. Breakfast is usually included, so if you prefer to eat more cheaply, it is worth asking if you can pay for the room only. As always, single travellers are penalised by often having to pay a hefty supplement for their single room.

Hotels are classified as follows: 5-star de luxe, 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, 2-star and 1-star. The term pensione (or pension), that describes a small 1-or 2-star hotel, is now only rarely used in Italy. Locande (inns), the most basic accommodation, are common outside touristy areas, but the name has now been adopted by chic and pricey city-centre hotels and is interchangeable with albergo and hotel.

A further option is motels, some of which come with pools, tennis courts and even beaches. A full list is available through the Italian Tourist Board (www.enit.it).

Private Home Stays

Accommodation in private homes is available in most cities and towns in Italy through contacting the local tourist office and asking for un elenco di affittacamere (list of persons letting rooms). As they are not official establishments, the tourist office does not grade them but will recommend the best ones.

Villa and Apartment Rentals

This is a popular, and often more economical way of staying by a lake or in a city centre, and is a good way of sampling local produce – and life – at the shops and markets. With rentals offered from a ...

Table of contents

• Italian Lakes’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: A Glorious Location
• The Modern Lakes
• Decisive Dates
• The Making of the Lakes
• Art and Architecture
• Wildlife of the Italian Alps
• Insight: On the Piste
• Celebrity Playground
• Insight: The Grand Hotels
• A Taste of the Lakes
• Introduction: Orientation
• Verona
• Introduction: Lake Garda
• Eastern Lake Garda
• Insight: Time for the Kids
• Western Lake Garda
• Insight: Lake Garda on the Water
• Northern Lake Garda and Trentino
• Brescia
• Insight: Spa Heaven
• Lake Iseo, Franciacorta and Val Camonica
• Bergamo
• Lake Como
• Insight: Como Boat Tour
• Lugano
• Varese
• Lake Maggiore
• Insight: Lake Maggiore Express
• Insight: Gardener’s Glory
• Lake Orta
• Milan
• Insight: Milan Style – The Little Black Book
• Transport
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading