It was a feat of engineering that put the Italian lakes on the tourist map. The Simplon tunnel, 12½ miles long, and eight years in the digging, opened in 1905, negating the need for hardy travellers to negotiate the high (and often closed) pass of the same name. With this new rail link from Switzerland to Italy came an influx of new visitors, and virtually their first heart-stopping experience of the country would have been the magnificent Lake Maggiore.

One such traveller, Hilaire Belloc, thought Maggiore so beautiful it must be the work of the devil. I prefer to think that after God had practised elsewhere, he finally got the confluence of soaring pavlova-like peaks and cool, still bodies of water just right. And for once man didn’t spoil it — the white, ochre and terracotta villas that line the lake add to, rather than detract from, the vista.

Then there is the microclimate. Now, I know “microclimate” is one of those phrases the traveller should treat with suspicion, but one of the glories of the lakes is (and, trust me, I never thought I would hear myself utter these words) the gardens, and these could only flourish if the weather was something other than Alpine.

On Maggiore, the best example is probably the over-the-top mansions and grounds of the Borromean islands (named after the family that have had the fishing rights on the lakes since medieval times), especially Isola Bella, with its cascading terraces and grottoes and palace containing priceless art. On Isola Madre the same family created a luxuriant riot of cypresses and camelias and 2,000 species of rare plants. Every lake has such an example.

If gardens don’t mulch your roots, Maggiore also offers easy access to some of Europe’s grandest mountain scenery. You can catch a switchback narrow gauge railway into Switzerland (from Domodossola), have lunch on the waterfront at Locarno, and take a slow boat back south to Italy. Or there are the more rugged pleasures of hiking the high meadows of the Val Grande — a national park that is one of the few wild areas left in the country.

Heading east, you might now be ready for the pleasures of wishbone-shaped Como, a lake even more beautiful than Maggiore, with famously romantic (and expensive) hotels/villas such as Villa d’Este and Serbollini, more gardens, interesting towns, and the odd surprise. For instance, the Moto Guzzi factory is on the western shores of the lake at Mandello del Lario. Whereas we built our motorbikes in the black country, the Italians have a factory with one of the best views in Europe.

(Petrolheads can get tours most days from 3pm-4pm.) South of Bellagio is a church called Madonna del Ghisallo, dedicated to champion cyclists. There are even bikes of the great and the good hanging on the wall of the chapel. Nearby is a statue of Fausto Coppi, the so-called king of the mountain, who won many post-war championships. Aptly enough, his likeness has a regal view over the Alps.

Como offers an excellent demonstration of the other joy of the lakes — their pace — or lack of it. The roads that surround it are narrow, twisting and, at weekends, a little too crowded. Which means the sensible way to get around is by steamer.

The result is that your vacation speed, so often set to 11 on a scale of 10, is forced to match the timetable of the boats. It is a programme of forced relaxation that really works.

Lake Garda, the largest of the lakes, is also the most varied and cosmopolitan. It might lack the grandeur of the others, but it has water sports galore, a surprisingly good theme park (Gardaland, well signposted on the southern shore) and is within easy striking distance of Verona, for opera in the ancient arena. There are even bars that stay open after 11 at Desenzano, which is the nearest to a party town you are going to find up here. There is one sight you shouldn’t miss: Sirmione, a dramatic medieval castle and church jutting out on a peninsula into the south of the lake. Go late in the day, after the crowds have gone, and you’ll see why they flock there in the first place.

Of course Garda has gardens — it too has a microclimate — and the area is famous for its lemons (hence the town Limone sul Garda). However, it is also surrounded by decent wine-growing regions. Try some fresh lake fish, preferably on the terrace of the Villa Feltrinelli at Gargano, with a bottle of Lugana Doc, or a glass of the hotel’s home-made limoncella and watch the waves lap at the shore, while the boats run between the towns, against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains tumbling down to the water. You might just decide that, if Belloc was right and the lakes are the work of the devil, not only has he got all the best tunes, he’s got the best views as well.







Getting there: British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) flies from Edinburgh to Milan Malpensa, the best airport for Maggiore, from £150. There are connecting flights through Heathrow to both Malpensa and Linate (for Como) from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. For the east side of Como and Garda, Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) flies to Milan Bergamo from Glasgow-Prestwick from £50.



Where to stay: On Maggiore, the family-run Hotel Cannero (00 39 0323 78 80 46, www.hotelcannero.com) in Cannero Riviera is one of my favourites, with doubles from £50pp including breakfast. In Bellagio, Como, the super-luxe Villa Feltrinelli (00 39 0365 79 80 00, www.villafeltrinelli.com) costs from £450 a night, including breakfast, wine and drinks in your room, midnight snacks and personal laundry. For Desenzano on Garda, try the Tripoli (00 39 0309 14 13 05, www.gardalake.it/hotel-tripoli) from £35pp, including breakfast.

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