The Lombardian Alps and Prealps extend from the northern border of Lombardy, and indeed of Italy, with Switzerland, down to the valley of the river Po, gradually descending from Alpine mountain ranges through hills down to a pretty flat landscape with an Alpine backdrop closer to the river. Administratively, this region encompasses three Lombardian provinces - Bergamo, Brescia and Sondrio.

Map of Lombardian Alps and Prealps

• 45.6959.671 Bergamo – the extremely picturesque historic city built on a scenic hill and around it
• 46.46924810.3721712 Bormio – a medieval town surrounded by the amazing landscape of Stelvio National Park
• 45.53888910.2202813 Brescia – an industrial powerhouse with rich heritage starting in ancient Roman Empire
• 45.46888910.5354 Desenzano del Garda – the largest town on Lake Garda has a Roman villa and an archaeological museum
• 45.65861110.0536115 Iseo – the main town on the eponymous lake in the middle of the Prealps
• 46.53817310.1359936 Livigno – a tax-free, mainly ski-oriented comune.
• 45.84472210.1519447 Pian Camuno – not a tourist town, but it has a few churches to visit
• 45.8333339.5166678 Rota d'Imagna – the gateway to Imagna Valley, known for unspoilt natural landscape and spectacular mountain views
• 45.6666679.959 Sarnico – a scenic town on the southern shore of Lake Iseo
• 46.1697199.8710 Sondrio – the capital of the eponymous Alpine province

• 45.66222210.0022221 Clusane – a small village on the Lake Iseo, known for the dish Tinca al Forno
• 46.0427789.7586112 Foppolo – a ski resort in the Brembana Valley
• 45.6210.023 Franciacorta – a region that is famous for the production of wines
• 45.68333310.6666674 Gargnano – particularly picturesque with narrow, winding medieval streets, a small waterfront with a marina and a large church with an impressive spire
• 45.61666710.5666675 Gardone Riviera – one of the most elegant and beautiful places on Lake Garda
• 45.81666710.7833336 Limone sul Garda – on the edge of Lake Garda, with stunning views of the mountains
• 46.4281559.3438727 Madesimo – one of the smaller ski resorts in the Alps, quite popular amongst Italians
• 46.489069.336458 Montespluga – spectacular high mountain scenery as this is the border between the Rhaetian and Lepontine Alps
• 45.46944410.6061119 Sirmione – its historic centre sits on a peninsula in Lake Garda, it has Roman and medieval remains and thermal waters
• 45.610.53333310 Salò – its long waterfront promenade on Lake Garda offers a view of a series of palaces and arcades
• 46.21638910.16888911 Tirano – its medieval old town sits within city walls, and has three preserved city gates
• 46.007510.347512 Val Camonica – one of the largest valleys in the central Alps offers skiing, hiking and cycling

Lombardian Alps are not as well advertised as the Sud-Tirol/Bolzano area, yet it is just as scenic and tourist ready. The Sondrio province is a mountainous region with lush green valleys in summer and isolated white gorges in winter.

• Italian - In remoter areas, some of the residents may not speak anything else (perhaps except Lombard).
• German - towards the border with Switzerland
• Romansch - much of Sondrio borders with the Romansch speaking area of Grisons

The southern part of the region is quite densely populated, with larger cities and smaller towns dotting the map and good road and railway connections between them.

The Milan-Venice high-speed railway line has only one major station in the region, in Brescia, all the region's major cities and towns are connected by local railway lines and frequent train connections operated by Trenord, the regional train company of Lombardy. Unfortunately, the services operate in a fragmented fashion between the major cities, requiring changes if your origin and destination are farther apart.

The main regional railway connections in the region are:

• the Bergamo-Brescia railway line
• the line from Bergamo to Lecco on Lake Como
• the line from Tirano through Sondrio to Lecco (getting between Sondrio and the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia requires changing in Lecco)
• the line from Brescia to Lake Iseo and further north towards Breno and Edolo
• the line from Brescia towards Verona, with stops at Desenzano on Lake Garda

Brescia and Bergamo also have regional railway connections with Milan, which stop at localities along the way.

The Autostrada A4 runs from Milan through Bergamo and Brescia, but getting to the actual Lombardian Alps requires diverting to local roads. Driving to the province of Sondrio might actually be a reasonable option despite the winding mountainous roads, as it may prove quicker than changing trains once or twice. As there is no railway connection to the western shore of Lake Garda, driving or taking a ferry is required.

• Monte San Giorgio — a mountain at the border to Switzerland and that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Rock carvings in Val Camonica. Throughout Val Camonica there are more than 20,000 engravings made between 8,000 years ago and the Iron Age. The main parks are in Darfo Boario Terme and Capo di Ponte.

With Alps and picturesque lakes at hand, all kinds of mountain and water sports are the obvious pastime to enjoy. The views encourage a relaxed approach, so a ride on one of the ferries crossing the lakes or hiking up the hills and mountains to enjoy striking vistas could be the best option. The relatively small ski resort cluster around Sondrio still has a low profile, so you may opt to go there in the winter to avoid crowds.

Throughout the Lombardy Alpine arc it is possible to go on excursions in the mountains and enjoy stunning landscapes often uncontaminated by man such as alpine lakes, pine forests or glaciers. During these excursions it is also possible to admire the alpine flora and fauna such as edelweiss (Leontopodium), gentians and marmots. In this region it is also possible (upon payment of a daily, monthly or seasonal permit) to pick mushrooms, even if in some areas it is difficult to find them due to the high number of mushroom hunters. For those who have doubts about the edibility of mushrooms, during the summer many municipalities have mycology centres open where you can have your harvest checked (eating an Amanita phalloides would be quite unpleasant).

Regional specialities include casoncelli, a kind of pasta with stuffing (in a way resembling ravioli) and various polentas. Valtellina in the province of Sondrio is known for breasola (air-dried, salted and aged beef) and pizzoccheri, a type of tagliatelle made of buckwheat. A typical Valtellina dish is Pizzoccheri with potatoes, cabbage and Casera (a type of local cheese).

Sfursat, a DOCG-status wine, is made in the valley of Valtellina.

Milan and the rest of Lombardy are obviously close by. Venice is not far away either. Switzerland is just over the border and there are many scenic mountain passes to help you get there. You can actually travel to Switzerland along a world heritage listed railway — the Bernina railway branch the Rhaetian Railway departing from Tirano a few kilometers from the Swiss border and going up to St. Moritz.