Above: Aerial view of the Isola di San Giulio - GETTY IMAGES

Islands in general have an air of romance, and Italian islands doubly so. The five lakes we visited on our latest journey of the northern Italian Lakes all contain at least one, and I made a point of exploring as many as possible. Some were relatively small, with space for only a palace and some gardens, but others, like Monte Isola in Lake Iseo, require hours to circumnavigate on foot.

Join Andrew Harper today to continue reading our exclusive content.