The Northwest of Italy: overview
Lombardy, Piedmont and the Ligurian coast make up the country’s most prosperous region. Industry and commerce have made the fortune of its three great cities – Milan, Turin and Genoa. If the last has drawn on the riches of the seas, Milan and Turin, in close contact with France and Germany just across the Alps, have had the added underpinning of flourishing agriculture in their Po Valley hinterland. The early lords of this constant economic expansion also called on the greatest artists from Italy and beyond, from Leonardo da Vinci to Jan Van Eyck. The region has won world recognition in the vanguard of the arts, of modern design in clothes and furniture, not forgetting the automobile and communications industries.
For relaxation, the Italian Riviera east and west of Genoa alternates a rugged coastline with the occasional fine sandy beach. Hugging the slopes of Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco), Courmayeur is one of Italy’s oldest and most picturesque ski resorts. To the north and east of Milan are the romantic lakes of Como, Maggiore and Garda.
Places to visit in Italy's Northwest
Milan
Happy to leave the embroiled politics of national government to Rome, Milan prides itself on being the country's economic, cultural and design capital. Read more about Milan...
Turin
The Piedmontese capital is probably best known for its industry – notably Fiat and Pirelli – but it is so much more than an industrial powerhouse. Turin has reinvented itself as a vibrant, visionary city, proud of its contemporary arts scene, its cinematic heritage and its cutting-edge design. Read more about Turin...
Genoa
Hemmed in between the Apenines and the sea, Genoa turned its back on Italy to seek its fortune on the high seas. Today the ancient port is the glittering symbol of the regenerated city. Read more about Genoa...
Certosa di Pavia
An easy day trip from Milan, or a stopover on a journey south, is the Certosa di Pavia (Charterhouse of Pavia). This world-famous church, mausoleum and monastery complex, founded in 1396, is a masterpiece of Lombardic Renaissance architecture, complete with relief sculpture and inlaid marble. The interior of the church is Gothic in plan, but highly embellished with Renaissance and Baroque details. Inside stand the tombs of Ludovico Visconti and his child-bride, Beatrice d’Este.
Behind the Certosa is the magnificent Great Cloister where Carthusian monks, who had taken vows of silence, lived in individual dwellings and collected meals through a hatch beside the doorway.
Nowadays, Pavia is a backwater, but between the 6th and 8th centuries it was the capital city of the Lombards. Pavia’s fame was augmented in 1361 when the university was founded, and to this day it remains a prestigious centre of learning.
Bergamo
Rising out of the plain of the Po Valley on a steep little hill, 47km (29 miles) east of Milan is the delightful town of Bergamo. The Città Bassa at the foot of the hill is an attractive, modern town full of shops, hotels and restaurants known for a risotto dish. Piazza Matteotti is the hub of a lively café scene, with the Teatro Donizetti and a monument to the composer who was born here in 1797 – accompanied by the naked lady he is said always to have needed for inspiration.
One of the region’s finest galleries, Pinacoteca dell’Accademia Carrara (closed until 2012; some of the works on show at the Palazzo della Regione), has an important Mantegna Madonna and Child and interesting works by Lotto (a Venetian master who lived here for many years), Bellini, Raphael, Titian and foreign masters.
Venetian ramparts protect the historic Città Alta on the hill, the older section of town linked to the Città Bassa by funicular. The gracious Piazza Vecchia is surrounded by Renaissance edifices, notably the Palazzo della Ragione. The town’s oldest building is the 12th-century basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Adjacent to the church, the Colleoni Chapel has a masterpiece of early Lombard Renaissance with ceiling frescoes by Tiepolo.
The Lakes
There are five major lakes in the region, each with its own character. A playground for the rich, the area has ravishing scenery and, in spite of its proximity to the Alps, a moderate climate. Read more about The Lakes...
Italian Riviera
The Ligurian coast that holidaymakers have dubbed the Italian Riviera has an ancient history of piracy and commerce that are not always easy to tell apart. The great port city of Genoa made the Mediterranean more or less safe for respectable traders and the rest of the coast finally settled down to some quiet fishing, sailing and harmless traffic in postcards and suntan lotion. Along the picturesque coast east of Genoa, known as the Riviera di Levante (Riviera of the Rising Sun), is Portofino, a very pretty spot with a delightful harbour and colourfully painted houses, and a cluster of former fishing villages hugging the cliffs known as the Cinque Terre. The coast west of Genoa is the Riviera di Ponente (Riviera of the Setting Sun), where you'll find an almost continuous chain of family resorts, including San Remo and Alassio.
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