The garden terrace of a villa in Ravello, looking down the Amalfi Coast to the sea

Italia

Italia, from the lakes to the islands.

Waterfront villas and historic residences across Italy, from Lake Garda and Lake Como in the north to the coasts of Liguria and Campania, the hills of Tuscany and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

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Eight placesLake Garda to Sardinia

Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino

Lake Garda

Italy's largest lake, held between Lombardy, the Veneto and Trentino, with mountains rising at its northern end and olive groves and vineyards running down to the water.

Sirmione and its castle sit on the southern peninsula. The lemon houses of Limone and the gardens of Gardone Riviera line the western shore, and Bardolino, Garda and Malcesine face them from the east, where Monte Baldo rises above the water.

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The walls of the Scaliger castle in Sirmione rising from the clear water of Lake Garda — Sirmione, the castle walls

Malcesine and its castle above Lake Garda, from the air — Malcesine from above

The Sirmione peninsula reaching into Lake Garda, from the air — Sirmione from the air

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Lombardy

Lake Como

A deep lake below the Alps, shaped like an upside down Y, its shores lined with historic villas, terraced gardens and boathouses.

Cernobbio sits near the southern tip and Bellagio on the point where the three branches meet. Varenna and Menaggio face each other across the water, and Villa del Balbianello stands on its own wooded point near Lenno.

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Bellagio on Lake Como, its waterfront below the Alps — Bellagio

An ivy covered arch on the loggia of Villa del Balbianello, framing Lake Como — Villa del Balbianello

A grand villa with a tower on the shore of Lake Como — A villa on the shore

The painted houses of Varenna on Lake Como, with white flowers and a sailboat — Varenna

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Liguria

Portofino

A small harbor village on the Ligurian coast east of Genoa, its painted houses curved around the water.

Above the harbor, the church of San Giorgio and Castello Brown look out over the sea, and the headland around the village is protected as a regional nature park.

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Portofino harbor from the hillside, full of yachts below the painted houses — Portofino from above

Red and ochre houses on the Portofino harbor below a green hillside — The painted harbor

Painted houses and sailboats in the harbor of Portofino — Sailboats in the harbor

The Portofino harbor at water level, red, ochre and pink facades behind moored boats — At the water's edge

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Campania

The Amalfi Coast

South of Naples, the coast road winds along the cliffs past Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Ravello, a stretch of coastline listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Houses in warm colors climb the hillsides from the water, the lanes are narrow and stepped, and lemons grow on terraces above the sea.

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Positano on its cliff above the bay, with pink bougainvillea in the foreground — Positano

An orange Vespa on a narrow street in Positano — A Positano street

Positano rising up the hillside on the Amalfi Coast — The hillside

The white houses and bell tower of Atrani below the cliffs, with the arched coast road — Atrani and the coast road

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Campania

Sorrento

Sorrento sits on cliffs above the Bay of Naples, facing Vesuvius across the water, at the start of the road to the Amalfi Coast.

Its lemon groves give the region its limoncello, its gardens and terraces open onto the bay, and boats leave its harbor for Capri.

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The harbor of Marina Piccola in Sorrento, with the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius beyond — Marina Piccola and Vesuvius

A yellow villa terrace with a stone balustrade above the Bay of Naples — A terrace over the bay

Lemons hanging from a wooden pergola — Lemons on the pergola

Cliff top buildings and stone pines in Sorrento, in golden evening light — The cliffs at evening

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Toscana

Tuscany

Cypress lined roads, vineyards and stone villas in the hills between Florence and Siena, the Chianti country, and the Val d'Orcia to the south.

Farmhouses and estates sit among olive groves and vineyards, and hill towns such as Montalcino and Pienza look out over the valley.

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The Val d'Orcia hills in morning mist, with a road lined by cypresses — Val d'Orcia

An ochre villa with a terracotta roof among cypresses and vineyard rows — A villa among the vines

A road lined with tall cypress trees in Tuscany — The cypress road

A stone hamlet with a bell tower above vineyards and olive groves — Vineyards and olive groves

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Sicilia

Sicily

The largest island in the Mediterranean, from Taormina above the Ionian Sea, with Etna behind it, to the baroque towns of the south east.

Cefalù and its cathedral rise over the beach on the northern coast, and Noto, Ragusa and Modica were rebuilt in golden stone after the earthquake of 1693.

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