Four Seasons Hotel

Heading up the hills from Lake Garda is the beautiful Monte Baldo region of sloping forests, lush greenery and flowing rivers.

This large lake, on the eastern side of Milan, was originally built for Mussolini as an airport for seaplanes. Now it is a park for sporting activities and a summer meeting place. Boasting a beach, swimming pools and plenty of open space for walking and cycling as well as other team games, its bursts into life in summer and is a perfect family afternoon with a picnic on a hot day.

This site has three major events: Caevaworld Movieland Hollywood Park, a theme park based around film sets, The Aqua Park, which is a water park full of slides, wave simulators and a Peter Pan style pirate's lagoon, and Night & Fun - the evening's entertainment which consists of Medieval show dinners, a rock star restaurant all you can eat and a night festival disco.

Monte Tamaro rises 1,961 metres above the lake and in this beautiful hilly area there are plenty of wonderful trails and hikes. Notably it is the starting point for the Tamaro-Lema hike. This peak is also worth visiting for the contemporary and innovative Santa Maria degli Angeli church designed by Mario Botta and painted by Enzo Cucchi. It sits on the edge of the hillside with amazing views. There is also an adventure park and mountain bike trails. Something for everyone.

If you want to see an overview of Switzerland in miniature, then this is the place to come.

Located at the luxury Excelsior Gallia Hotel, this rooftop restaurant boasts a menu created under the consultancy of three-Michelin starred chefs Enrico and Roberto Cerea and the Lebano brothers. They serve modern Italian cuisine with a focus on the Lombardy region.

Il Baretto has been running for over fifty years, delighting the great and the good of the city for half a century. The sophisticated, old English club house decor is host to a refined menu taking cues from Milanese and international cuisine.

Part of the Armani Hotel Milan, this Michelin-starred restaurant takes a modern approach to classic Italian wining and dining. The stylish decor has been designed to the smallest detail by Giorgio Armani himself.

The 2-Michelin-starred Seta restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Milan hotel is a new kid on the block for the Milanese restaurant scene. An open-plan kitchen gives guests a peak of how the stunning dishes are prepared and a more complete experience to their choices.

This elegant and sophisticated restaurant is located in a luxury hotel right in the heart of Milan and has been awarded a Michelin star. They serve traditional Italian dishes with innovative touches using local fresh ingredients.

Michelin-starred experience that draws on the experimentation of the Venissa culinary approach. The enchanting decor completes the tone for dining in a very unique setting.

Located in the historic centre of Milan, in front of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, this is one of Milan’s hottest and trendiest bars in the city at any time of the day.

This unconsecrated small church was built at the end of the 18th century and, in 2006, it was converted into a bar. With a unique atmosphere, this bar is specialised in beers, cocktails and shots.

Located in south-central Milan, this former cycle shop is a funky art bar decorated with old bicycles and is a great place to enjoy an aperitivo, a tasty dinner or start your evening.

Located inside the Dondup flagship store, this restaurant boasts a wonderful bohemian decor with light whitewashed wood, vintage furniture, lots of candles and linen tablecloths. They serve seasonal dishes based on traditional Italian cuisine.

A casual, all-welcoming cafe offering a lively, homely ambience, tasteful rock tunes and hearty fare. Although this cafe is brimming with customers at happy hour, tables are quick to vacate in good weather as locals spill out to the adjoining park.

Meaning "heart", this vibrant, friendly, atmospheric spot is worth seeking out down a side street for its changing interior, DJ sets and mixed clientele.

A private foundation, set up by the Bagatti Valsecchi heirs, to open the family's late 19th-century residence and collections of artworks to the public.

This gallery is the oldest in Milan, originally founded in 1957, and initially focussed on post-war avant-garde.

This museum is one of the most significant house-museums in Europe and shows the taste of one of the finest collectors in the 19th century, the nobleman Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli.

Alessandro Mazoni, the famous literate and author of "I Promessi Sposi" or "The Betrothed", lived in this house from 1814 until 1873. It has been restored to show how it must have been when Manzoni died in 1873.

Palazzo Marino has been the home of Milan's town council since 1861. Located in La Scala square, the palace was designed by architect Galeazzo Alessi, from Perugia, in 1558.

La Scala is one of the most important opera theatres in the globe, where many of the most famous operas were premiered. It now stages concerts, recitals and cultural events as well as ballet and opera.

Located just within 15 kilometres north of Milan, this big but picturesque town, the third largest in the Lombardy region, has been transformed from a mainly industrial trade centre to a popular spot for good cuisine, pretty squares and of course the F1 Gran Prix.

The city of Bergamo is perched atop a hill just within a 30-40 minute train or car ride from Milan. The fourth largest city in Lombardy, it is located at the foot of the Alps.

The lovely town of Angera dates back to Roman times when it was an important stopping point for boats transferring their wares to the road, and vice-versa. Sitting high above the town is the Rocca Borromeo, a fortress dating back to the 11th century.

High up above the lakes is the village of Arcumeggia in the mountains. It is famous because in 1956 the local tourist office decided to ask important Italian painters to fresco the walls of the town's stone cottages.