Car Rental Milan - Exploring Milan

Despite being more industrial than the rest of Italy, there are several worthwhile excursions away from Milan.

Pavia is a quaint town on the banks of the Ticino river, less than a hour from central Milan. In the past it had been a thriving industrial and cultural center and nowadays is full of tourists and students. The prestigious university dates from former-student Christopher Columbus’ days. The most obvious feature is the 14th century Castello Visconti, but far more graceful is the Gothic Certosa di Pavia, a 14th-century monastery with fantastic murals.

To the north, the serene Lombardi plains rise into the Alps and are inlaid with a series of stunning blue lakes. Rich folk and European visitors have been flocking to the lovely shores of Lago Maggiore for centuries, particularly Stresa. Some prefer to escape by sailing to the lovely Borromean Islands. Isola Bella gets quite busy, but has the best features including a lavish castle, Isola Madre has its own royal residence, while Isola Pescatore retains its sleepy fishing village atmosphere.

There are also several wonderful national parks in this region, all situated in the Valle Camonica. Parco dell'Adamello, the biggest, has excellent hiking trails while Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio is more Alpine. The attraction of the Incicioni Rupestre, is its Bronze Age collection of rock engravings.

Also within easy driving distance are the culturally interesting city of Bologna, busy port of Genoa and historically important centres of Turin and Brescia. France is also easily accessible.