Beautiful Italy is not only architectural wonders at every turn and masterpieces of fine art kept in famous museums around the world. These are the picturesque foothills of the Alps and the Apennines, the pastoral landscapes of the green hills of Tuscany, the incredible landscapes of Lombardy, the abundance of Veneto vineyards and the rocky shores of Liguria built up with colorful houses.
Italian lakes are real natural pearls, scattered like a necklace throughout the peninsula. Among them there are popular and inhabited ones - built up with luxurious villas and hotels. Lost and little-known - hidden in the wilderness of nature reserves, as well as cozy and picturesque, with charming old towns and kilometers of hiking trails in the vicinity.
The most beautiful lakes in Italy
Garda
The largest lake in the country and a favorite vacation spot for Italians. Around the reservoir there are charming resort towns where world celebrities like to rest: actors, secular party-goers, writers, directors. They come to sunbathe, climb or windsurf. The habit of resting on the shores of the Garda appeared among the powers that be in the days of the Roman Empire. The most convenient way to get to the lake is from Milan, as the city is only 30 minutes away.
Hotels on Booking.com: Lake Garda
Como
Como is located in the north of Lombardy, it is the third largest in Italy and the deepest lake in the country. A mirrored surface of water, framed by manicured embankments, cypress groves and magnificent villas with red tile roofs, spills among the green alpine slopes. There are no noisy resorts here - only quiet villages and secluded estates. The largest city and center of the province bears the same name - Como. It was once the fiefdom of the Italian Sforza dynasty.
Hotels on Booking.com: Como
Maggiore
The lake is located in a picturesque mountainous area on the border of Switzerland and Italy. In the middle of Maggiore lies the Borromeo archipelago, consisting of several small islands, on one of which there is a magnificent Baroque palace, and on the other - the ruins of an ancient fortress. In the vicinity of Maggiore there are many golf courses, the best tennis courts in Italy, luxurious private villas surrounded by blooming gardens.
Hotels on Booking.com: Maggiore
Iseo
Iseo is fed by the mountainous river Olio, which originates in the bowels of the Lombard Alps. It is a deep, water-filled cavity formed as a result of natural processes. In the center is the large island of Monte Isola, just north of it is the small private islet of Loreto with a medieval-style villa. From south to north, the reservoir stretches for 25 km, its coastline is more than 60 km of magnificent Mediterranean nature.
Hotels on Booking.com: Iseo
Horta
The lake is very close to Maggiore. Compared to its large neighbor, it has a rather modest size - only 13 km in length. On the banks is the city of Orta San Giulio, built in the style of the Italian Renaissance and later Baroque. Interesting sights can be seen on its streets. In the vicinity of the lake, the climate is surprisingly mild, and the water is crystal clear.
Hotels on Booking.com: Horta
Braies
A small pearl of the Alps with emerald-colored water surrounded by rocky slopes. Braies is an alpine lake located 1.5 km above sea level. It is located closer to the Austrian border and farther from the Mediterranean coast, so there is a completely different nature with predominantly coniferous forests. The place is great for family picnics, hiking and boating.
Hotels on Booking.com: Braies
Lugano
Several thousand years ago, there was a glacier in the place of Lugano. Today, instead of frozen boulders, there is a warm lake with shores perfectly adapted for swimming. Part of the reservoir belongs to Italy, the other part - to Switzerland. On the shores, tourists will find many attractions: castles, chapels, monasteries. It is convenient to admire the landscapes from numerous viewing platforms. Popular activities include horse riding, cycling and hiking.
Hotels on Booking.com: Lugano
Trasimeno
The lake is located in the territory of Umbria, earlier it was known as Perugia. Since 1995, the entire coastal area has been a natural park with several tens of kilometers of hiking and cycling paths. Trasimeno is surrounded by olive groves and vineyards planted on fertile soils. Agritourism is very well developed in the vicinity.
Bolsena
A huge reservoir of volcanic origin, which began to form almost 400 thousand years ago after a powerful earthquake. Bolsena is located between Tuscany and Rome; Etruscans lived on its banks in ancient times. It is a calm and secluded place that is quite easy to get to. The lake is very popular with fishermen, as it is home to carp, black perch, pike and other valuable species.
Bracciano
The lakes and the city located on its shore bear the same name. The most important attraction of the place is the Orsini-Odescalchi castle, which belongs to the descendants of the Odescalchi family and is open to the public. The distance from the center of Rome to Bracciano is only 40 km, from the capital of Italy you can easily get here with a guided tour or by yourself by train.
Varese
Another Lombardy lake located near the Swiss border. On its shore is the city of the same name, which is often called the northern gateway of Italy. The reservoir is great for summer beach holidays, as well as for trips on yachts, boats and boats. Varese is famous for its large number of birds - there are more than 150 species of them, including quite rare representatives.
Hotels on Booking.com: Varese
Vico
The lake is part of the Vico Nature Reserve. Part of its shores are overgrown with maples, ash trees, chestnuts and oaks, the other part is a swampy area - the best habitat for waterfowl. Vico is a piece of unspoilt nature located just half an hour from Rome. Here you can go in for various types of watersports: rowing, windsurfing, diving, water skiing.
Hotels on Booking.com: Vico
Idro
Conveniently located in the foothills of the Alps, Indro has become one of the centers of active sports: rafting, alpine skiing, cycling are held in high esteem. Thanks to the developed road network, it is very easy to get here from the airports of Milan, Verona and Venice. The tourist infrastructure is excellent: it offers hotels, restaurants, entertainment, equipment rental, excellent service and Italian hospitality.
Hotels on Booking.com: Idro
Nemi
The reservoir is located three dozen kilometers from Rome. In the era of the Empire, Caligula's country villa stood on its shores. Geographically, the lake is part of the Castelli Romani region, famous for excellent food and wine, as well as annual strawberry festivals. Locals call the reservoir nothing more than the "Mirror of Diana"; in ancient times, there was a temple in her honor in this area.
Hotels on Booking.com: Nemi
Albano
Even closer to the capital, just 20 km away, in the Lazio region lies Lake Albano, where the Pope himself settled (his summer residence is located on the banks). The beginning of the development of tourist infrastructure was laid back in the 15th century by Pontiff Pius II, a great lover of travel. It was thanks to his description of the area that the capital's aristocrats began to travel to Albano, and this gradually became fashionable.
Hotels on Booking.com: Albano
Lezina
The reservoir is located very close to the Adriatic Sea and is separated from it by a land strip approximately 1.5 km wide. The maximum depth of the lake is only 2 meters, despite its rather impressive size.The banks of the Lesina are a series of sandy beaches where it is convenient to swim and sunbathe. In summer, a high temperature is established here, which can reach + 40 ° C - which is not a real sea coast!
Hotels on Booking.com: Lezina
Ledro
The lake is considered one of the cleanest and most picturesque in the country. It is known for the fact that on its banks there are comfortable campings and cottages for outdoor recreation. Frequent guests of Ledro are families with children, hikers, cyclists and mountain climbers. Athletes often come here for sports camps to train in running or other types of athletics.
Hotels on Booking.com: Ledro
Misurina
The lake is located at an altitude of over 1,700 meters in the northern region of Veneto. It is famous for its healing air, which is able to alleviate the condition of people with respiratory diseases. The resort of the same name, located on the shores of the lake, is just aimed at such guests. Nearby is Cortina d'Ampezzo, a popular ski town where life literally rages during the season.
Molveno
The first hotels on the banks of Molveno began to be built in the 19th century. Gradually, the tiny town that stood here from time immemorial turned into a popular resort. Today the lake is more often visited by Italians, Austrians and Swiss. A tourist from Russia is not very familiar with this area. Also, Molveno is a ski resort with excellent slopes of varying difficulty levels.
Massachuccoli
The lake is located in one of the most picturesque regions of Italy - Tuscany. Once upon a time, the famous composer Giacomo Puccini lived here, who was fond of hunting wading birds, which lived in abundance on the shores of Massaciuccoli. Now his former villa houses a museum. Another notable attraction is the ruins of a Roman villa, presumably built before our era.
Scanno
The lake is located in the central part of Italy in the province of Aquilla, almost equidistant from the Adriatic and Ligurian seas. It is located at an altitude of almost 1000 meters, to get to it, you need to overcome a picturesque mountain road, which has prepared many unexpected turns for tourists. If you admire the water surface up close, then the lake turns blue, but if you look at it from afar, steel shades appear.
Hotels on Booking.com: Scanno
Fusine
A system of two lakes - Upper and Lower, lying in the middle of wooded mountain slopes and fog-covered peaks. In summer, it is surrounded by dense coniferous forests; in winter, the surface is covered with a strong crust of ice. And it seems that Fusine is not in sunny and warm Italy, but somewhere in the vastness of the harsh North. Gray boulders of various sizes lie on the banks, which further adds to the similarity with the northern landscape.
Caldonazzo
The largest body of water in the Trentino region, there are private and public beaches on its shores. The swimming season here opens in May and closes in September due to the favorable climate and warm water. Caldonazzo is interesting not only for beach lovers, but also for tourists who are fond of hiking - you can climb higher and contemplate the beauty of the lake surface from the most favorable angle.
Towel
A wilderness corner in the Adamello Brenta National Park, lost among forests and mountains. Its shores seem to merge with the border of a dense forest, smoothly flowing into impassable thickets and higher into snow-capped mountain peaks. Going for a walk to the lake, you should remember that brown bears are found in the vicinity.
Hotels on Booking.com: Tovel
Reshensee
Typical Austrian name, but the lake is still located in Italy, or rather, in South Tyrol. It is an artificial body of water, filled with the intention of creating a fresh water reservoir in the 1950s. As a result of its formation, a village with a church of the XIV century was flooded. Only the bell tower has survived from the temple, as if growing out of the lake surface. In winter, the tower can be reached over ice.
