You could get lost in Lombardy for years and still not enjoy everything its ancient and modern cities have to offer — not to mention its northern tourist section of lakes that sit at the base of the Alps at Italy's border with Switzerland. If you must choose just a couple other places to check out during your vacation, consider the star-studded Lake Como and the small city of Cremona, where you can learn about the history of the Stradivari violin.

Lake Como

You can take an hour-long bus ride to Lake Como from Malpensa airport in Milan, or arrive by train from Milan's Stazione Nord. Once you arrive, there are ferries and hydrofoils to get you around the large lake (it's the third biggest in all of Italy). You will find opportunities to rent sailboats, windsurfers, and other watercraft, or you can simply enjoy the view while riding the ferries and hydrofoils as they pass by extravagant villa after villa long the shore.

Keep your eyes peeled for celebrities, too. George Clooney has a villa here, and many Hollywood stars visit for work and pleasure alike.

Museo Stradivariano

You might know the name Stradivarius when it comes to violins, but that's the Latinized version of the surname Stradivari, as in Antonio Stradivari, who hails from the small Lombardy city of Cremona and is world-renowned for the violins he created there in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Today's orchestra professionals still consider his violins among the best ever created, and they have become expensive works of art for collectors. One garnered more than $3.5 million at auction in 2006.

The Museo Stradivariano houses examples from Stradivari's workshop, where he made violins, cellos, guitars, and violas. It's open every day except Mondays and is near Cremona's civic museum, which also has a small collection of violins that include a Stradivari.