Lake Como Hotels

In the drowsy summer heat, tan-topping A-list celebrities lounge around Italy's third biggest lake as watersports addicts play on the glistening water. As the temperature dips, hikers clamber the alpine peaks for panoramic views of sky, water, mountaintops and graceful trees shielding little towns of 18th-century architecture.

Quaint and quirky towns and villages sprout along the 50km of Lake Como shoreline. For cosmopolitan café culture head to Bellagio and Menaggio on the western shores or for great lake views try tranquil Lenno. Follow the locals to Domaso on the north shores for the best watersports and best beaches.

Explore the 300-year-old Villa Carlotta and its 40 acres of gardens, Canova sculptures and romantic history at Tremezzo. Journey through the history of silk, the region's most famous export, at Museo Didattico della Seta; marvel at Tempio Voltiano, a classic temple with marble columns and mosaic floors and home of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery.

Board the funicular railway up to the small village of Brunate. The River of Milk rushes from a cave 100 metres above the village of Fiumelatte. The shortest river in Italy, it flows only from March to October even Leonardo Da Vinci was baffled by its milky appearance. Stroll on one of the many alpine trails from Menaggio through flower-filled pastures.

Try your hand at authentic mountainbike trekking or navigate winding mountain trails on horseback. Take to the lake on kayak, windsurfboard, speedboat or waterskis or join the canyoning crowd for the ultimate adrenalin rush. The Navigazione Laghi ferry is the classic, if tamer, way to travel.

Famed for its fish, risotto with fillet of perch is the signature dish of the lake. For heartier fare, try a rich, meaty stew mopped up with polenta. Finish with a cool, delicious gelato (Italian frozen dessert) in pistachio, lemon and coconut.

Como favours long dinners and evening lakeside strolls above all-night clubbing. Menaggio is far livelier, but it is Bellagio that has the real buzz. With plenty of niche bars and ample opportunity to take to the dancefloor, this is the place to see and be seen.

Kit out yourself and your house in top-to-toe silk from La Tessitura in Como, or for big brand names and funky boutiques head to the town's Old Quarter.