LAKE ISEO

Most tourists flock to her big sisters, Lago di Como and Lago di Garda, but tucked away in Italy's north is the beautiful Lago di Iseo. Somehow, she has escaped the limelight and remained a true locals-only haven, offering a peace and tranquility you don't often find in... well, anywhere in Italy, really. We spent the day exploring part of Monte Isola, a small island perched in the centre of Lake Iseo that covers about 4.5 square kilometers and rises to a 600-meter peak. Cars are prohibited, bikes are encouraged, and as you walk from the ferry dock in the fishing village of Peschiera Maraglio, you're treated to breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains plunging into the deep blue water.

You'll also spy Isola di San Paolo, a tiny island next to Monte Isola. Legend says the islet was illegally commandeered by the Mozzi family at the beginning of the 11th Century. They donated the land to Cluniac monks in 1091, and over the past 900 years, management and ownership seems to have alternated between questionable private ownership and a myriad of medieval monasteries and Franciscan convents. It currently belongs to the Beretta family (yep, as in Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta, the world's oldest active firearm manufacturer and one of the oldest family-owned businesses in history), who acquired the islet in 1916 and converted it into a secluded summer home. Straight out of James Bond, if you ask me...