Lake Como

The Italian Lakes' breath-taking natural beauty, benign climate and lush, subtropical vegetation have been beguiling visitors since the Roman times. It is an area with a rich history. Strung along the foot of the Alps, for millennia the lakes have been a gateway to the colour and life of the Mediterranean world for the pilgrims, traders and armies who marched across the Alps on foot (several of the walks on the tour follow these same routes as they wind beside and above the lakes).

Lead by Simon Tancred, this thirteen day walking tour to Venice and the Italian Lakes takes us to the two most beautiful and interesting Italian lakes, Como and Maggiore, both forming part of the border between Italy and Switzerland, visiting the smaller lakes of Lugano and Orta along the way. The walking tour starts on the canals of Venice (two nights) and finishes in the elegant arcades of Turin (one night). In between, we spend four nights based in a 17th century villa on the shores of Lake Como, before crossing the Swiss border into the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, and spending four nights in a marvellous hotel in the lush, green valleys above the northern reaches of Lake Maggiore.

	Tour Dates:	8 September to 20 September 2009
	Tour Size:	7 to 14 people
	Tour Cost:	$5550 AUD per person (two people sharing a double room) (single supplement for a double room for single use $ 350 AUD) (approximately $5,000 US – subject to daily exchange rates**)
	Tour inclusions:	13 nights accommodation (see itinerary for details) All breakfasts, and all lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary All land and lakes transfers listed in the itinerary All taxes and service charges at the hotels All paid admissions during the tour 7 guided walks Full-time services of a fully experienced bi-lingual guide

View from our hotel in Ticino	Lake Como
Our base in Como	Venice, Gondolas
Venice, San Giorgio	Centovalli view, Ticino
Shops	Autumn chestnuts

The Itinerary

Day		We meet in our hotel on the first night for aperitif and hors d'ouvres before having a light dinner in a nearby restaurant.
Day		This morning starts we take a two hour walk along some of the smaller canals and through hidden lanes and squares, exploring some of the less visited parts of the city. After lunch in a small osteria, in the afternoon and evening you are free to continue exploring Venice on your own.
Day		This morning we leave Venice, taken by private bus to the gorgeous town of Varenna on Lake Como. On the way, we stop at Franciacorta, one of the premier northern Italian wine producing districts, for lunch in a celebrated osteria on the banks of the Oglio River that has been in the same family for four generations. After a lunch, we continue on to Lake Como, our base for the next four days, on the shore of the lake. Once you've settled in, the evening is free.
Day		Starting at the ruins of the village's castle, we follow stone paths high above the lake, passing through scattered hamlets, forests and open fields, crossing gorges and ancient bridges before descending to Bellano, a picturesque lakeside town (2.5hrs). After a light lunch, we take a ferry back to Varenna. Later that afternoon, we take another short ferry ride to Bellagio, which, on a promontory surrounded by water and cradled by cypress-spiked hills, is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. You'll have time to explore Bellagio before dinner.
Day		Today, we drive up into the Grigne Mountains above Varenna to have Sunday lunch in one of the most celebrated 'rifugi' (or mountain lodges) in the area eating outdoors with breath-taking views over the surrounding mountains and Lake Como below. Before lunch we take a short loop walk through forest to work up an appetite (2 hrs). After driving back to our base, the evening is free.
Day		Today, we again cross the lake by ferry to do a walk that takes us up into the Sanagra Valley, passing through forests and exploring timeless villages, each rich with its own local history and stories. There are extraordinary views over Lake Lugano to the mountains of Switzerland (3.5hrs). At the end of the walk we have lunch in a small village overlooking Lake Como. After lunch, we take a bus down to the lakeside town of Menaggio. On returning to Varenna, the evening is free.
Day		This morning we leave Lake Como, crossing the nearby Swiss border into the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino and driving through the mountains to the northern end of Lake Maggiore. On the way, we stop for a light lunch at a fishing village on Lake Lugano and short walk on the lake's foreshores (0.5hrs). Our base for the next four nights is a charming hotel tucked away in the valleys above Locarno, at the head of the Centovalli. We'll have dinner in the hotels famous restaurant.
Day		Leaving our hotel after breakfast, we take a cable car to the top of the mountains above the Centovalli and follow a well marked trail, through forests, carless villages and scenery from the 'Sound of Music' to a spectacularly placed mountain restaurant for lunch (3 hrs). Afterwards, you can continue the walk down to our hotel or take another small cable car down. The evening is free.
Day		We have a gentle day today – a short walk along the palm and oleander lined shores of Lake Maggiore (considered the most beautiful of the Swiss lakes) at Locarno, a lively small city, on the shores of the lake (1hr). The rest of the day is free – to explore and do some shopping in Locarno, take a ferry ride on the lake, or chill out back by the hotel's pool. (The quick electric train rides operate regularly between Locarno and the Centovalli).
Day		Today's walk, takes us into a neighbouring valley, known to the locals as the valley of the sun. Passing through a narrow gorge at the head of the valley, the path takes up to an abandoned village before descending to a small village where we will have lunch in one of the several 'grotto's' (wine cellars, which have evolved into simple restaurants serving a range of delicious local specialities including hams, cheeses, salamis, polenta, risotto and minestrone) over looking a river (4 hrs). We'll be driven back to our base, where the afternoon and evening is free.
Day		Today we drive down the shore of the lake, across the border into Italy, and head for Turin (an hour and a half away) a gracious city of wide boulevards, elegant arcades and grand public buildings, looking its best since the recent 2006 Winter Olympics. On the way we visit probably the most enchanting of all the Italian lakes, tiny Lake Orta. After a short walk around the shores of the lake (0.5 hrs), we'll be transferred out to an island to have lunch, before returning to San Giuliano d'Orta and then continue on to Turin where, after settling into the hotel, the evening is free to explore the city and do a little Saturday afternoon shopping.
Day		This morning we will walk through Turin's centre visiting some of the city's Baroque splendour, the legacy of the Savoy kings, who ruled from here for nearly four centuries (2 hrs). The afternoon is free. In the evening we take a short walk through the heart of the city, have an aperitif and have our farewell dinner, in one of the city's wonderful restaurants (50 kilometres from the French border and the centre of the Piedmont region, Turin is one of Italy's gastronomic capitals).
Day		After breakfast, you will be able to continue your holiday – Turin is well connected by train to all major Italian cities and to the rest of Europe.

For more information on this tour or to make a booking, please get in touch with us.