West of Bergamo

The villages on the Adda (Crespi and Trezzo)

Less than 20 km from Bergamo, along the highway to Milan, lie two truly charming villages overlooking the Adda River. The first you encounter is Crespi d'Adda , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Crespi is a workers' village (among the best preserved in Europe) built by the Crespi family to house the workers of their cotton mill and their families. Here you'll find the houses of the working families (complete with gardens and vegetable patches), villas for the managers (which were built later), a church, a school, a cemetery, a hospital, a sports field, a theater, a fire station, and other community facilities. This ambitious project took its final form around the 1920s and has remained unchanged ever since (although the houses have since been sold to private individuals). It's a truly unique place worth seeing. Also stop by the cemetery, where the Crespi family's unique tomb/mausoleum is located. A few kilometres away is Trezzo d'Adda , with the remains of the imposing Visconti Castle and the Taccani Hydroelectric Power Station on the banks of the Adda, still functioning and visitable by booking through the website www.prolocotrezzo.com

Milan

A cosmopolitan metropolis with a European feel, Milan is considered one of the world's fashion and design capitals, a hub for new ideas and trends. It is also a strategic international financial hub, home to the Italian Stock Exchange. The Lombardy capital has always been a shopping destination, particularly in the famous Fashion Quadrilateral.

The first thing to do upon arriving in the city is head downtown to visit its iconic monument: the Duomo, with its majestic spires reaching to the sky and the Madonnina statue at the top watching over the city. A marvelous example of Gothic art and architecture, it is the largest church in Italy.

Aside from the Duomo, there are many other things to see in the Lombard capital. Let's proceed by topic.

Milan and modernity
The Lombard capital boasts true gems of contemporary architecture, such as the futuristic CityLife (designed by architects Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind, and Zaha Hadid) with its Three Towers, and the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), two highly eco-friendly buildings resulting from an ambitious metropolitan reforestation project by Boeri Studio. And let's not forget Piazza Affari, dominated by Love, the provocative work by Maurizio Cattelan.
Milan and art:
The city's artistic offerings are quite extensive, as evidenced by the monthly exhibition calendars organized by the Palazzo Reale and the Milan Triennale, which further attract tourists. The same is true for the Pinacoteca di Brera, with its rich exhibitions ranging from prehistoric to contemporary art, and, of course, the Sforza Castle (one of the largest castles in Europe), which houses several museums and works such as Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanini.
Milan and its walks:
After visiting the Sforza Castle, you can take a stroll through the greenery of Sempione Park, up to the majestic Arco della Pace, one of the city's most important neoclassical monuments. For those who enjoy a bit of walking, we also suggest a tour of the Brera district, with its bohemian atmosphere, and of course the Navigli canals, where nightlife and romance coexist.
https://www.italia.it/it/lombardia/milano

Monza

A beautiful and noble town between Bergamo and Milan, home to the Villa Reale, a veritable neoclassical palace built as the private residence of the Habsburgs. The frescoed rooms are exquisite and often host interesting exhibitions. Outside is the rose garden, and nearby is the immense Monza Park. In 20 minutes, you can reach the historic center, home to the cathedral, the chapel of Queen Teodolinda, and the Cathedral Museum and Treasury . Your trip shouldn't miss a visit to the Palazzo dell'Arengario , the ancient town hall, which often hosts photography exhibitions. End the day by stopping at the Ponte dei Leoni, a charming and historic spot in the city .

Lake Maggiore

It is a unique place, both from a naturalistic and historical and cultural perspective. Framed by the majesty of the Alps, Lake Maggiore is characterized by a particularly mild climate that has made it a sort of ecological laboratory for Mother Nature since ancient times. It is no coincidence, therefore, that on the shores of Lake Maggiore are some of the most famous and immortalized gardens in the world, true jewels dotted with thousands of colorful flowers that further enhance the magnificence of the noble villas and castles scattered along the lake.

Maggiore. When talking about Lake Maggiore, it's impossible not to mention the numerous islands that dot it. Large, small, or even tiny, the most famous are undoubtedly the Borromean Islands, home to exotic plants and animals. Equally fascinating are the Brissago Islands, located in the Swiss part of Lake Maggiore. Here are 10 unmissable destinations on your trip to Lake Maggiore.

The colossus of San Carlo Borromeo in Arona
Borromeo Palace on Isola Bella
The fortress of Angera
The hermitage of Santa Caterina dal Sasso
Villa Taranto in Pallanza
The Arona lakeside promenade
The Castles of Cannero
The Landscape Museum of Verbania
The Fishermen's Island
The town of Stresa