Milan's recently expanded intercontinental airport hub, Malpensa, is within striking distance of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. But there is another less obvious itinerary: the route north into the delightfully languid province of Varese, then east towards Lake Lugano, which lies partly in Italy and partly in Switzerland. Historically, Varese was the Versailles or Windsor of Milan, and the era left behind some stunning villas, including Villa Panza, home to one of Italy's finest collections of contemporary art. Varese has many worthwhile sights, but the most unexpected and rewarding treat is the tiny Tuscan village of Castiglione Olona, in the lush Olona valley, a 30 minute drive from Malpensa airport.
Where to stay in Lake Lugano
ELVEZIA AL LAGO
Senterio di Gandria 21, Castagnola (00 41 91 971 4451; www.elvezialago.ch). The most romantic of the lakeside retreats is this four-star hotel just east of Lugano. It can only be reached by foot or boat, but this is part of its charm. There are nine simple rooms (go for number nine or number five) and two more slightly more luxurious ones, reached via a private funicular lift. Competent but unexciting dishes such as polenta with porcini are served on the restaurant terrace; but it's the view, and the vibe, that counts here. £
LOCANDA DEI MAI INTEES
Via Nobile Claudio Riva, 2, Azzate (00 39 0332 456 223; www.mai-intees.com). This is a converted Renaissance country house in Azzate, whose unpromising suburbs conceal a charming hilltop centro storico. In summer, guests can enjoy the lovely stone-flagged courtyard, out of season, the fireplace in the frescoed dining room is very inviting. Breakfast is less sumptuous than the décor. £
ROMANTIK HOTEL TICINO
Piazza Cioccaro 1, Lugano (00 41 91 227772; www.romantikhotels.com). This charming 23-bedroom hotel in one of Lugano's medieval squares looks like a Swiss riad inside, with a tiny courtyard overlooked by loggias. The décor is floral, even frou-frou but it is all beautifully clean and well looked-after. Guests, too, are well cared for the multi lingual owners, Frau and Herr Buchmann. ££
Where to eat out in Lake Lugano
AL PORTONE
Viale Cassarate 3, Lugano (00 41 91 923 5511; www.ristorantealportone.ch). This is Lugano's leading non-hotel restaurant, a discreet and cosseted space just east of the centre. It has no view or outside tables, but all the better to focus on Roberto and Silvio's refined Italo-Swiss cuisine: ravioli stuffed with cardoon (thistle artichoke) and served with grated truffle; duck crépinette served with its own foie gras in balsamic vinegar on a bed of lentils. Risottos are a strong point, as are the top Ticinese wines. Closed Sunday and Monday.
DA CANDIDA
Via Marco da Campione 4, Campione d'Italia (00 41 91 649 7541; www.dacandida.ch). Aside from the casino and the frescoes in Santa Maria dei Ghirli, the other reason to visit Campione d'Italia is to eat in the lush, antique penumbra of Bernard Fournier's 30-cover shrine to gastronomy. A dedication to foie gras betrays Fournier's Gallic origins, as do dishes such as onion soup and tournedos and an extensive cheese selection. But there's decent pasta too, and a good range of Swiss and Italian wines. If you are off to the casino afterwards, you'll see most of your fellow diners there too. Closed Mon and Tues lunch.
DA VENANZIO
Via Olona 38, Induno Olona (00 39 0332 200333; www.davenanzio.com). The approach to this Varese restaurant is hardly encouraging, it's at the far end of an industrial estate dominated by a chocolate factory and a brewery. But this just makes the elegance of the provincial Art Deco villa, hardly changed since 1928, all the more enjoyable. It takes its wine and service seriously and, more importantly, the chefs really know how to cook. The green tortelli filled with ricotta and asparagus, served with butter and Parmesan, are almost perfect. Closed Monday.
IL VERDERAMO
Vicolo del Frate 1, Castello Cabiaglio (00 39 0332 435866). 'Circolo Familgliare' is written in faded print outside the main bar and restaurant of this mountain village north-east of Varese. The long room inside still has all the trappings of the village social club, with a bar at one end, fireplace at the other, and in between a few old guys knocking back a restorative grappa or two. But owner Luigi Secco is an excellent chef, his dishes based on the best produce available locally. The antipasto della casa either hot or cold, is an excellent, tapas-like introduction to this mountain cornucopia. Follow it with tagliatelle with asparagus and taleggio cheese or lamb chops slow-grilled on pietra ollare, a local oilstone. Closed Mon eve & Tues.
TRATTORIA DI TORBA
Via Cesare Battisti 2, Torba (00 39 0331 820180) is a great place to stop if you're visiting Castiglione Olona or the nearby monastery of Torba. The utterly simple and family-run trattoria does a knock-out primo piatti of ricotta and tomato cannelloni, and a series of solid, meaty secondi including tasty rabbit in an olive sauce. Closed Tues eve and Wed.
What to see in Lake Lugano
BISUSCHIO
Halfway between Varese and Lake Lugano, Bisuschio is home to Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, an Italian stately home that is still lived in and cared for by a family that has owned it for centuries, and is also one of the few villas to have kept its Renaissance sunken garden, conceived in scale and layout as a green extension of the villa, like a summer living room.
CASTELLO CABIAGLIO IN CAMPO DEI FIORI MASSSIF
A pretty village seemingly untouched by time and tourism.
CASTIGLIONE OLONA
This tiny Tuscan village, situated in the lush Olona valley, about half an hour's drive from Malpensa, is lovely. Although it lies in Lombardy it feels more Sienese.
LAKE LUGANO AND LUGANO CITY
Lugano is complicated for tour operators to sell because it lies between two countries and has no obvious resorts. But the package operators' loss is the independent traveller's gain; as it is both peaceful and beautiful. Lugano city, the lake's main centre, attracts mostly short-hop tourists such as Germans and Swiss-Germans attracted by the winning combination of Italian lifestyle and Swiss efficiency. It is surrounded by mountains, most of which offer panoramic rides to the top and it is warm enough for palm trees and exotic plants to flourish. Lugano city is more about pavement cafes and contemporary art than banks and cuckoo clocks. The lakeside Museo d'Arte Moderna puts on some excellent temporary exhibitions such as the recent Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective.
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MORCOTE
This little village at the southern tip of the mountain peninsula has restaurants and cafés clustered in the shade under medieval arcades, facing the wooded slopes of Monte Piambello on the Italian shore.
THE SACRO MONTE
One of the biggest tourist draws of the region, The Sacro Monte, or Holy Mountain, has 14 baroque chapels that line a wide, pebble-paved mountain track, containing sculptures representing the 'Mysteries of the Rosary'.
VARESE
Historically, the province of Varese was the Versailles or Windsor of Milan, a verdant summer retreat from the city for wealthy families. Although villeggiatura is not what it was, the trend left behind some stunning villas including the elegant 18th-century Villa Panza in the city of Varese, home to one of Italy's finest collections of contemporary art. Its late owner, Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, began collecting US minimalist art in the early 1960s, and in 1996 bequeathed the villa and part of his collection to the Fondo Per L'Ambiente Italiano, Italy's equivalent of the National Trust.
How to get to Lake Lugano
AIRPORT
The nearest international airport is Malpensa.
AIRLINES FROM THE UK
Alitalia (0870 544 8259; www.alitalia.co.uk) flies daily from Heathrow to Malpensa. British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) flies daily from Heathrow to Malpensa.