Few destinations conjure images of romantic luxury more than the lakes that spread their watery fingers between the mountains north of Milan. Opulent villas sit among lush gardens overlooking watery reflections of snow-covered Alps. Nearly every window opens to a postcard-worthy view.

Lake Maggiore, despite its name, is not the largest, but it sprawls from just north of Milan into Switzerland. The size title goes to Lake Garda, north of Verona, the most family- and sports-oriented. Between them stretches Lake Como, still the favorite of the rich and famous. Three smaller lakes possess their own charms — Iseo; lovely little Orta; and Lugano which, like Maggiore, reaches into Switzerland’s Ticino region.

Wealthy Romans first made the lakes fashionable as they decamped to Como and Garda to escape the summer heat. You can still explore the ruins of their lakeside villas, but most visitors don’t come here to explore ruins. They come to relax, luxuriate and play. There’s plenty of playground to choose from.

Como, the unquestioned glamour girl, has offered a retreat to European royalty and nobility since the 1700s. And no wonder. At nearly every point, steep mountainsides enclose the narrow lake, pastel villages climbing the slopes in picturesque progression. It would be hard to find a prettier lake. Stunning villas overlook it, some of them now glittering hotels, others with magnificent gardens to stroll.

Savor 14 acres of green terraces at Villa Carlotta, the 18thcentury palace of Prussian Princess Carlotta, with camellias, rhododendron, azaleas and exotic trees framing never-ending lake views. Nearby on this sheltered western shore known as the Tremezzina Riviera, the Baroque Villa Balbianello stands above gardens at the tip of a wooded point. Take a boat there or see it from the water on a lake steamer. Above Bellagio, Villa Serbelloni’s landscaped park and rose gardens extend to the top of the promontory, making the most of views across the lake to the Alps.

Bellagio and the Tremezzina Riviera provide favorite bases for a few days’ stay, both close to the lake’s best attractions. Narrow streets lined by balconied yellow buildings climb from Bellagio’s waterfront, where cafés stretch languidly — the lake surrounds Bellagio on three sides, and one easily sits for hours watching boats come and go.

Lake Maggiore doesn’t have Como’s intimacy but doesn’t lack for grandeur. For over-the-top dazzle, take a boat to the Borromean Islands, just off Stresa on the western shore. The entire island of Isola Madre is planted in lawn, trees and flower beds; woodland walks and promenades skirt its perimeter for lake views. Its 16th-century manor house proves positively plain compared to high-Baroque Palazzo Borromeo, on the largest island, with its golden curlicues, painted walls, three-story salon and gold-encrusted Throne Room. The palace is a match for the gardens outside, filled with fussy statuary and stone flourishes amid steep terraces of patterned flower beds.

Colorful street in the small village on Isola dei Pescatori © Tboyajiev | Dreamstime.com

Seek respite from these excesses on little Isola dei Pescatori, a quietly picturesque place where Hemingway whiled away hours in cafés. Its fishermen still supply the island’s few restaurants with fresh lake perch. For more restrained gardens, visit Villa Taranto on Verbania’s protected shore, where more than 20,000 plant varieties from all over the world thrive in an English-style garden park.

Stresa, the most stylish of Maggiore’s Italian towns, features a shore lined by designer shops and grand Belle Époque hotels. Each August, the Stresa Festival brings world-renowned musicians and symphony orchestras to beautiful lake and island venues. A cable car gives passengers a bird’s-eye view of the Borromean Islands on a ride to the summit of Monte Mottarone. The panorama from the top encompasses Lake Maggiore in one direction and Lake Orta in the other, with a skyline of the Swiss Alps to the north.

In the summer, fun-loving Lake Garda might easily be mistaken for part of Austria or Germany, with German spoken almost as much as Italian. For decades it has been the summer playground for people north of the Alps seeking sun, sand and water sports. Garda boasts all three and an international vibe that keeps it the liveliest of the three lakes.

At 52 miles long, Garda reigns as Italy’s largest lake and probably the best choice if you’re traveling with young children. Its sights and activities include beaches, castles and Roman ruins, which can be reached by the boats that circle the lake and shuttle frequently between towns. Palms, lemons and olive trees grow far north of their usual range, and vineyards overlook the southern shore. Mountains rising steeply from its northern waters present stunning scenery from nearly any vantage point.

In the southeast, the village of Garda doesn’t pretend to be anything except a pleasant lakeside town filled with cafés where no one minds if you sit for hours over one espresso. There’s music in the evening and a cheerful holiday air in most of these southern lake towns. More restaurants and tavernas line the little marina at Bardolino, known for its wine and olive oil. You can visit vineyards and presses to sample both.

South of Bardolino, ochre buildings border Lazise’s enclosed harbor, guarded by an 11th-century castle whose walls wrap around the old town center. A cycling and walking path along the shore leads to Torri del Benaco, whose 14th-century castle houses a little museum. The pebble beach at San Vigilio is the lake’s most scenic, stretching along a wooded point beneath a 16th-century palace framed in tall cypresses.

Sirmione offers a perfect setting, at the end of a long, narrow point surrounded by a lake. Kids love its little moated castle, in such perfect condition that it’s hard to believe it is eight centuries old. It even has a drawbridge. At the end of the point, explore the ruins of Grotte di Catullo, a full-scale resort built by Roman poet Catullus in the first century.

Gardone Riviera, on the sheltered western shore, is elegant in lush gardens and Art Nouveau villas. The lake’s most famous — not to mention eccentric — of these stands above town in gardens where an entire ship lies embedded. Il Vittoriale degli Italiani, the Art Deco home of the flamboyant poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, today is one of the lake’s top sights.

So is the medieval stone castle in Malcesine, perched high above the lake in one of the finest settings in all Italy. Reach it by climbing twisting stone streets, and from the ramparts get one of the best views of Lake Garda’s steep, mountain-ringed northern shore. For views of the Dolomite peaks and access to several scenic walking trails, ride up Monte Baldo on a revolving cable car that looks like a cartoon spaceship.

The lake is a center for rock climbing and water sports as well as hiking and cycling. The low southern shore boasts the longest and warmest beaches, although the northeast coast features some sandy stretches. The longest of these, at Torbole, is best known as the region’s premier windsurfing spot. The same steady winds make the northern part of the lake a favorite for sailing, and you can rent sailboats at several places around Torbole.

Italian Lake District Info to Go

Milan’s Malpensa Airport sits only a few miles from Lake Maggiore; trains to the towns of Como and Decenzano del Garda make access easy to the other two lakes. Boats shuttle between major lake towns and make regular round-lake tours; car ferries cross each at midpoint. Although a car allows more independence, it is quite possible to use only boats and trains.

Where to Stay in the Italian Lake District

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni The palatial Lake Como legend sits at the end of the peninsula with lake views on three sides; the hospitality is as good as the setting. Via Roma 1, Bellagio $$$

Regina Palace Hotel In the most fashionable location on Lake Maggiore, this grand hotel is lavishly decorated in the best Belle Époque tradition. 29 Corso Umberto I, Stresa $$$

Villa del Sogno In its own park above Lake Garda’s quiet side, Villa del Sogno provides a luxurious retreat, pampering guests with fine food and service. Via Zanardelli 107, Gardone Riviera, Lake Garda $$$$

Restaurants in the Italian Lake District

100KM Orange-perfumed fresh tagliatelle with duck ragout and artichokes might begin dinner at this restaurant that uses ingredients from within a 60-mile radius of Lake Garda. Hotel Bellerive, Via Pietro da Salò 11, Salò, Lake Garda $$$

Belvedere Call ahead and its boat will whisk you from Stresa to this laid-back island to dine on the freshest of fish and delicacies from valley gardens and vineyards. Via di Mezzo, Isola dei Pescatori, Lake Maggiore $$

Il Sole di Ranco Even the lake views from the terrace are forgotten at the first taste of meltingly tender cannelloni filled with Sicilian red shrimp and sage pesto. Piazza Venezia 5, Ranco, Lake Maggiore $$$$

Read more about Lake Orta.