Lombardia is compact enough that most of the region is within two hours of Milan by train, making it ideal for day trips. Pavia is the easiest call — thirty minutes south, with a handsome medieval centre and one of Italy's oldest universities. Mantua takes a little longer but rewards the effort: the frescoed Camera degli Sposi in the Palazzo Ducale is one of the finest Renaissance rooms in Italy. For the lakes, the Isole Borromee on Lake Maggiore are a classic excursion, especially in spring when the gardens are in bloom.