The Italian Lakes

Published: 31 December 2025

The most famous tourist attractions of the Lombardy region are the Italian Lakes. Although there are a large number of lakes in the northern part of Italy, the most well-known are Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake d'Iseo and Lake Idro. They are spread across the centre of Lombardy from the eastern border of Piedmont in the west, to the western border of Veneto in the east. The scenery is spectacular, with the flat plain of the river Po to the south and the towering, snow covered mountain tops of the Alps to the north.

Lake Maggiore

Starting from the west, the first of the Italian lakes is Lake Maggiore. It is approximately 70 km long, and is the second largest of the italian lakes, after Lake Garda, with a surface area of 213 square km.

The border between the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy runs down the middle of the lake and the top part crosses over the border into Switzerland just south of Locarno. There are a number of islands in the lake: Isola Superiore, Isola Madre, Isola Bella, Isola San Giovanni, and the islands of Sant Apolinare and Isole di Brissago over the Swiss border. Most of the lake is between 3 and 5 km wide, except where it opens out to the west south of Verbania, where it extends to 10 km.

Lake Lugano

The next lake, moving east, is Lake Lugano, named after the Swiss town of the same name. It is much smaller, with a surface area of 48.7 square km, of which 63% is located in Switzerland and 37% in Italy.

The Melide causeway divides the lake into two, with a small bridge allowing water flow and navigation. Passenger boats connect the town of Lugano with several lakeside communities which have no road access. The Italian enclave of 'Campione d'Italia' is located on the shore of Lake Lugano, just inside the Swiss border. This tiny area of only 1.6 square km, with a population of just over 2,000, was established in 77BC and enjoys a mixture of rights and privileges from both Switzerland and Italy. Although it is only 1 km from Italy at its nearest point, the windy road that leads to Lanzo d'Intelvi, the nearest Italian town, is over 14 km long!

Lake Como

Lake Como is the next lake across and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of the Italian lakes, if not the most beautiful lake in Europe. It has a surface area of 146 square km, making it the third largest after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.

It is one of the deepest lakes in Europe with a depth of over 400 m. The bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres below sea-level! Lake Como has been popular with the rich and famous since roman times, and many of today's celebrities own sumptious villas on the shoreline.

Lake Iseo

The next lake is Lake Iseo, the fourth largest with a surface area of 65.3 square km.

There is a large island in the middle of the lake called Monte Isola, and two smaller, privately owned islands: Isola di San Paolo and Isola di Loreto, shown in the picture above. Although the lake is located in an extremely industrial area, (the border between Bergamo and Brescia runs down the centre of the lake) the lake itself is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Lake Idro

Lake Idro is the next lake to the east. It is mainly located in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, but a tiny part extends up into the region of Trentino Alto Adige.

It is the smallest of the lakes with a surface area of only 11.4 square km and it is the highest, located 368 metres above sea level. It is spectacularly beautiful, completely surrounded by wooded mountain slopes.

Lake Garda

The last of the lakes, Lake Garda, is by far the largest and probably the best known. It has a surface area of 370 square km.

The lake is divided down the middle by the borders of Lombardy to the west and Veneto to the east, and divided across the top by Trentino Alto Adige. There are five main islands in the Lake: Isola del Garda, Isola San Biagio, Isola dell'Olivo, Isola di Sogno and Isola di Trimelone. The pleasant climate and beautiful scenery make Lake Garda one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.

Italy — places feature image — Italy by territory: how the country breaks down, what to look for, and how landscapes and heritage shape the map.

Italy — places snapshot

Stable reference signals for quick geographic orientation.

Regions

Five have special autonomous status, reflecting distinct languages, history, and geography. Regions shape administration, services, and identity — often the most useful “map unit” for travellers and readers.

2nd-level

110

Provinces and metropolitan city authorities that coordinate planning, roads, schools, and territorial services. The role varies by area, but they remain a key layer between region and comune.

Comuni

7,904

The municipal building blocks of Italy — cities, towns, villages, and mountain communities. Local identity is strongly comune-based, and many services and permissions are handled at this level.

National parks

State-level protected areas covering alpine massifs, forests, volcanic zones, islands, and coastlines. They anchor biodiversity protection and define some of Italy’s most distinctive natural landscapes.

Highest peak

~4,806 m

Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) on the border with France — the highest summit in the Alps. Italy’s high mountains influence climate, watersheds, and seasonal travel patterns across the north.

Largest lake

~370 km²

Lake Garda, spanning multiple regions, is the largest Italian lake by surface area. Northern lakes act as microclimate zones and long-standing settlement and resort corridors.

Longest river

652 km

The Po runs west–east across the northern plain, shaping agriculture, industry, and major transport routes. It defines Italy’s largest lowland system and a dense belt of settlement and production.

UNESCO

World Heritage properties spread across historic centres, archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and natural areas. The density of listed places makes heritage a visible, lived layer of the national territory.

Regions

Twenty Italies, one map

Regions are the primary lens for variation: dialects, food cultures, building styles, and everyday rhythms often track regional boundaries. They also structure administration and public services, so “where you are” has practical effects as well as cultural ones. For orientation, region is often the fastest way to understand the landscape, the cuisine, and the character of a place.

Towns & Cities

A network of centres

Italy is organised as a network of historic cities and thousands of comuni rather than a single dominant urban core. Larger cities concentrate infrastructure and institutions, while smaller towns preserve local craft, festivals, and distinctive street patterns. This creates short-distance variety: a few kilometres can shift language, architecture, food, and landscape.

Landscapes

Mountains, plains, coasts

The Alps and Apennines frame the country, with plains, lakes, islands, and long coastlines producing sharp local contrasts. Terrain shapes climate, agriculture, and settlement density — and it also governs travel time far more than straight-line distance suggests. Italy’s landscape is best read as a mosaic of micro-regions, each with its own feel and seasonal rhythm.

Heritage

Layers you can visit

Heritage in Italy is embedded: Roman routes, medieval walls, and Renaissance centres are often part of living neighbourhoods. Archaeology appears both as major sites and as fragments — a column, a gate, a street plan — folded into modern life. The experience is less “museum-only” and more a continuous encounter with past layers in active places.