weekend breaks from milan

Lugano: Swiss landscapes with an Italian touch – I

Views from our hotel room… Lake Lugano. And the powerful jet of water from a fountain… I could sit here for hours… days… months… and stare… wonder… dream. On a warm June weekend, we headed to Lugano, Switzerland. Lugano, the land of Swiss landscapes with an Italian touch, is approximately an hour’s train ride from Milan. After an introductory tour of the city by the “tourist train”, we explored the city at a leisurely pace.

Bidding summer goodbye at Peschiera del Garda

As we got ready to welcome autumn, a grand goodbye to summer was in order. At Peschiera del Garda. On the shores of Italy’s largest lake, Lake Garda. The regional trains from Milan reach the little town of Peschiera in about an hour and a half (it is faster if you take the high-speed trains). A convenient day or weekend trip. The pretty lakeside town has an old fortress, quaint canals, boats docked along the lake, and a spectacular lakeside promenade with pebble beaches.