Walk a hidden valley near Lake Garda or seek out a pilgrim route by Lake Orta – Been there readers share their favourite spots in the Italian lakes
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Winning tip: Sacro Monte di San Francesco, Orta
Sacro Monte di San Francesco is a pilgrim route devoted to St Francis of Assisi, on Lake Orta's eastern shore. This Unesco-protected site has great views, and 21 chapels containing frescoes about the life of the saint. They were built between 1591 and 1750 in styles from baroque to renaissance. People come from all over the world to drink in the views and breathe the fresh air. There's a bar-restaurant beside the church of San Nicola, with great views.
Benatech
Lake Garda
La Cantina del Vicolo, Valtenesi
Valtenesi is a beautiful valley of olive groves and vineyards on the western shore, perfect for cycling. Try the 20km stretch between Lonato and Salò and stop at La Cantina del Vicolo in Padenghe sul Garda for homemade cakes and jams, or a selection (un tagliere) of hams and cheeses.
piste-ciclabili.com
serenuzza
Locanda Agli Angeli
This family-run restaurant and hotel on a street above Gardone Riviera has seven rooms in the main house and annexe, a couple of them big enough for four. And there's a pool. Next door is Il Vittoriale degli Italiani, home of controversial poet Gabriele D'Annunzio.
+39 0365 20991, agliangeli.biz
longloch
Valle delle Cartiere
Valle delle Cartiere is almost a hidden valley, north of Toscolano-Maderno. Now a peaceful and green place, it has a history of paper production. Some factory ruins are made visitor-friendly with exhibits and plaques, and there's a visitor centre. Allow a couple of hours to walk to the top and back, and cool off in the icy stream.
Ark3travel
Hotel Gardenia al Lago, Gargnano
This is a small, family-run hotel on the edge of the lake. The rooms are beautiful and most have lake and mountain views. Meals are served in the pretty garden with tables overlooking the lake and the food is amazing. The little port of Gargnano is a 10-minute lakeside walk away where you can get a boat to different towns around the lake and there are numerous restaurants and trattorias. This summer there is a DH Lawrence exhibition in the town hall to celebrate the centenary of the author's stay in Gargnano, and there are also guided walks and other events. You can go for mountain walks or just relax on the sunloungers in the garden and catch up with your holiday reading.
hotel-gardenia.it, B&B doubles from €86
Suzan518
Desenzano del Garda
Promenade in Desenzano for Milanese chic with a jaw-dropping backdrop. It's a great place to plan trips on Lake Garda. Take a simple train ride from Bergamo, Milan or Verona – the town bustles with dolce vita cool, with a warren of pastel-coloured shops and restaurants. Check out the lake-front road, which closes to traffic for evening strolls.
SimonLaing
Hotel Garden, Peschiera del Garda
If embarking on another InterRail trip round Europe, you can't go wrong with this gem of a hotel in a beautiful location. The staff are friendly and welcoming, the rooms are comfortable and very clean and breakfast is included. I love the fact that you can get there by train direct from Venice: it's right next to the railway station, and only a 10-minute walk to the town centre. +39 045 7553644,
hotel-garden.it, doubles from €75
amaradnas
Hotel Villa Palace Cortine, Sirmione
Back in 1990, my boss took me to Italy for a work trip. Since his wife was joining us, I was asked to find somewhere to stay on Lake Garda that was "not too shabby". The Villa Cortine wasn't quite the exquisite mound of gleaming marble it is today, but its columns and oil paintings gave it a faded aristocratic gracefulness. What really made it, though, was its seclusion and lush grounds. Through the palms and conifers, we found our way to the most elegant swimming pool I have ever seen. An occasional leaf, or a fragrant blossom from the overhanging branches, drifted onto the water, while crumbling statues stood sentry at either end. As we lolled in the shallow end with a glass of wine each, it seemed less and less necessary to attend any meetings.
+39 030 990 5890,
palacehotelvillacortine.com/eng, B&B doubles from €310
LizCleere
Osteria da Livio, Limone sul Garda
Tucked up in the olive groves at the back of Limone sul Garda, this quiet, unpretentious little osteria with laid-back, friendly service is a great place for lunch in the shade of the vines and olive trees or just for lingering over a bottle of wine in the candlelit garden in the evening. Walk a few metres downhill to the ancient chapel of San Pietro, which has 13th-century frescoes, and notes on the portico recalling the plague, bad olive harvests and the defeat of Napoleon. This incredibly peaceful spot is only about 20 minutes' walk from the centre of Limone, but you're likely to have it all to yourself.
osteriadalivio.it
lesleymaryc
Bardolino grape and wine festival
Bardolino celebrates the grape harvest each year with this five-day food and wine festival. Stalls are set up along the side of the lake, each one selling their own wine and a regional speciality, for example risotto with radicchio or salt cod with polenta. You buy a tasting glass for a few euros at the start and keep it round your neck in a special box. You then visit the many stalls, sampling their wines and trying some of the dishes. Local bands and dancers provide entertainment and there are fireworks over the lake every night.
4-8 October 2012, bardolinotop.it
katharinesian
Lake Iseo
Sale Marasino
Want to do the Italian Lakes without the crowds? Head to Lake Iseo. Sale Marasino, halfway up its eastern side, is a stunning old town. Unlike on Lake Garda, Lake Iseo campsites are tiny due to the hilly terrain. Camping Saletto on the southern edge of Sale Marasino is beautiful, friendly, and the pitches are right on the water's edge.
web.tiscali.it/campingsaletto
markprint
Lake Como
Balcone d'Italia
Standing on the cliff, you cast your eyes over green valleys and vineyards, and the mountains behind them. In one sweep you have the southern slopes of some of the biggest mountains in the Alps – Monte Rosa at 4,634m, and the Matterhorn at 4,478m – and lakes Lugano, Varese and Maggiore. From Lanzo d'Intelvi, you can drive, take a bus or walk through forests up to the Balcone. Stop a while and absorb the spectacular views and atmosphere in the small cafe or on seats in the trees. The day we arrived we were entertained by "singing" walkers.
Maureenmarsden
Ristorante Il Caminetto, Varenna
We enjoyed a brilliant cookery lesson at Ristorante Il Caminetto in Gittana (about 3km from Varenna). Owner Moreno's passion for food shines through his five-hour class. We made pasta, ate lots (pasta, a stunning mushroom and apple risotto, local salami and grana padano cheese), drank lots, listened to stories and met new friends. All for €45. Stay in neighbouring B&B Ca'Noeva (lacanoeva.com) with views of Lake Como for just €65.
ilcaminettoonline.com
Tjwilde
Bellagio
Stay in Bellagio and you are in a prime position to explore the attractions of the lake by boats that go in all directions. Bellagio has plenty of nice restaurants and we have always found Hotel Florence very comfortable. You can also catch a small boat in the early evening and have supper in Varenna, watching the sun go down across the lake, and then catch the last boat back to Bellagio. Magic! +39 031 950342,
hotelflorencebellagio.it, B&B doubles from €145
fionaharding
Villa Balbianello, Lenno
The Villa Balbianello is in a small town called Lenno on the west side of Lake Como. It was built in the 1500s by Cardinal Angelo Durini but was last privately owned by the arctic explorer Guido Monzino, who died in 1988. You can almost feel his presence as you take the (obligatory) guided tour of the main house. But you can just wander round the magnificent terraced gardens for a small fee. Scenes from Casino Royale were filmed here. The views are stunning, the flowers glorious and the artefacts in the house stunning and priceless.
villabalbianello.com
susiesue17
Lake Maggiore
Baveno
There are spectacular views from the promenade in Baveno to the Borromean Islands, and restaurants and bars here are more relaxed than in the larger resorts on the lake. Baveno is as well-known for the red granite quarried here as for tourism, but Queen Victoria liked it, and Winston Churchill honeymooned here.
comune.baveno.vb.it
Gdeanouk
Isola dei Pescatori
Isola dei Pescatori is strung out like an extended teardrop in the wake of Isola Bella. Its informality is a breath of fresh air after the formal gardens that almost choke the larger island. Head for Belvedere restaurant on its northern shore, with a veranda over the lake.
+39 0328 2185706, belvedere-isolapescatori.it
designsolva
Santa Caterina del Sasso
Approaching by boat, the monastery of Santa Caterina can be seen clinging perilously onto the rock overlooking the Lombard shores of Lake Maggiore. The carefully restored frescoes in the chapel are definitely worth a visit and the 180 degree views of the lake are spectacular, especially at sunset. It's a tranquil oasis away from the tourist bustle of many other places on the lake.
+39 0332 647172, santacaterinadelsasso.com/en
katharinesian
Hotel Cannero, Verbania
Hotel Cannero is on the banks of Lake Maggiore. It was previously a monastery and has been owned by the same family since 1902. The views of the surrounding mountains and lake are amazing. From the moment you arrive the staff make you feel so welcome. Breakfasts consist of every fresh fruit imaginable, meats, assorted cheeses, ham, pannacotta, cereals and pastries.
The small ferry terminal outside the hotel is a huge bonus. Some passengers choose to arrive by water taxi, and you can visit destinations such as Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Rocca Borromeo. The ferry to Locarno in Switzerland followed by a train journey to Domodossola and Stresa is a must. +39 0323 788046
hotelcannero.com, doubles from €118
anne1003