More captivating than the three lakes near Varese is Lago di Ghirla , a tarn deep in a valley, the Valganna, near the Swiss border. There’s a campsite on the side away from the B37 road and plenty of opportunities for stiff hikes - it’s best to refrain going on the weekends in summer though, when the area is very crowded.

There are a number of other country and forest treks to the north of Varese, the most interesting of which is the haul crossways to Maccagno on Lago Maggiore . The achievement starts at Porto Ceresio at the foot of Lago Lugano near the Swiss border and takes ten days; you could, though, pick it up at any point along the route. The booklet Via Verde Varesina , acquirable only in Italian from local bookshops, is useful for information on how to get to starting-points on public transport and for places to take and stay over; its maps, however, are poor, and unless you can read its route descriptions you’ll need to buy a decent map as well.