Lakes, Mountains and Cities - A Scenic Fly-Drive through Italy

Nine days across northern Italy that swap one version of the country for another every couple of days, starting on the lakes and finishing in a gondola on the Grand Canal.

Lake Como opens it, with a boat trip out among the villas and a lakeside dinner. Lake Iseo follows by way of Bergamo, and it is the pick of the three: smaller, quieter, lined with vineyards and largely ignored by the tour buses that work Como and Garda. Lake Garda then gets two nights, with a pleasure cruise and a hilltop castle above Desenzano.

The Dolomites are the middle act and get three nights. The walking here ranges from gentle valley strolls to genuinely demanding treks, and the standout is Lagazuoi, where tunnels and ledges were cut into the cliff face during the First World War when Italian and Austrian troops fought a mountain campaign at three thousand metres. The route down to Venice goes by way of Bolzano.

Venice closes the trip with two nights, a private gondola along the Grand Canal past palaces that have stood for centuries, and a guided tour taking in St Mark’s Square and Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection also included. Original Travel provide the hire car, the accommodation, the gondola, the private Venice guide, access to a local concierge, a 24-hour helpline and carbon absorption on the trip’s footprint through their own programme. Flights are separate unless the Eurotunnel self-drive option is taken instead. Prices run from 1,420 to 2,265 pounds per person depending on season, booking window and choices made.