Free in the Italian Lakes
10 Free Sights and Things to Do at Lakes Garda, Como and Maggiore
The Italian lakes – Como, Garda, Orta and Maggiore --are known for pricey villa hotels better suited for Milan fashionistas than for budget travelers trying to stretch their shrinking dollars. But those same lakes welcome visitors with free attractions and activities.
Besides the obvious -- swimming, hiking mountain trails and browsing the street markets that pop up almost daily around the lakes -- travelers can find free museums, treasures of art and architecture, design centers and prehistoric relics.
Forum Omegna
A stunning modern building is the appropriate home for a museum of the craftsmanship and industry that made the Omegna region on the northern shore of Lake Orta synonymous with cutting-edge design, especially in kitchen and household wares.
Alessi
If these Italian classics whet your appetite for more, ask directions to Crusinallo di Omegna to visit the showroom of Alessi’s imaginative kitchen gadgets – and maybe do a little shopping, too, at 40% discounts for last year’s line and seconds.
Sacro Monte
Farther south on Lake Orta, follow the steep trail from Piazza Motta in the pretty town of Orta to stroll the paths of Sacro Monte. Amid the trees of a nature reserve are a church and 20 frescoed chapels dedicated to St. Francis d’Assisi, as well as hundreds of terra cotta sculptures illustrating scenes from his life. Built between 1590 and 1770, this is one of several nearby mountain shrines that have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Museo dei Transporti
In Ranco, on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, is one of italy’s most surprising museums. Follow indoor/outdoor passages and tracks to find virtually every type of vehicle. Ride an escalator down to a subway station, play with the switches on trams, climb aboard a vintage street car and into the cab of a locomotive. No one will tell you not to touch, even at Pope Pius IX’s railcar chapel.
Arcumeggia
This tiny medieval village high on a mountainside has been decorating its walls with murals for decades. They vary in size and style, and depict everything from saints to a local bicycle race. Tourists rarely find this little aerie northeast of Laveno.
Como’s Duomo
Considered Italy’s best example of the 14th-century transitional style as Gothic gave way to the Renaissance, the cathedral is a must-see. Its Gothic façade has a rose window, delicate detailed stone carving and statuary. Inside are carved altars with polychrome painting and gilding, and three paintings by Luino.
Sant'Abbondio
On Como’s Via Regina, beyond the main rail station, the Romanesque church of Sant'Abbondio is by the famed stonemasons, the maestri comacini. It shows another transition – this one from paleo-Christian churches – and the 13th-century Gothic fresco cycles are in excellent condition and amazingly bright.
Santa Maria del Tiglio
In Gravedona, on lake Como’s northern shore, the 12th-century church of Santa Maria del Tiglio is one of Lombardy's most outstanding Romanesque buildings, decorated with early frescoes.
Museo dell’Olio di Oliva
Near Bardolino, on Lake Garda’s eastern side, is an Olive Oil Museum, with exhibits and equipment showing how olive oil has been pressed and prized since Roman times. Sample different varieties free in the tasting room.
Dinosaur Tracks
Rovereto is just over the mountain, east of Lake Garda, and on a hillside south of the city are about 350 dinosaur tracks dated at about 200 million years old. Follow signs to the Ossario di Castel Dante, then follow Strada degli Artiglieri to the trailhead (the road itself was an artillery route and defensive position in World War I, and is lined with memorials.
