Como and the Lake District

Hourly trains run from Milan's Central Station to Lake Como, about an hour north of Milan.  The best time to visit is the warmer months, as it is a summer destination.  Just beware that all the Italians will be there too!  There is a ferry network that can transfer you to different towns on the lake, such as Varenna, Bellagio, and Como.  Several movies have filmed here, including Star Wars II.  This website is an excellent guide of the Lake District.

Varenna, on Lake Como

Bergamo

Bergamo is a nice town about 40 mins by train from Milan. It is divided between Città Alta (High town), the oldest part, and Città Bassa (Low town), the newer part. Città alta is a typical medioeval town, with nice middle age churches, a fantastic square and little shops which sell typical stuff. In summer evenings it will be full of people going there to have an ice cream and a nice walk. From some nice little corners you will be able to see the countryside below. Città bassa is more modern and has no particular appeal for the tourist, although it has a nice main boulevard made in Parisian style, heritage of the Napoleonic ruling.

Cremona

Cremona is a medioeval town which is nestled close to the Po river. It is famous because it's the hometown of Stradivari, and since then it's the place where the best violins are made. It is also a town with a wonderful cathedral and a nice historic centre, next to the Cathedral there is the famous Torrazzo, a bell tower famous throughout Italy. Finally it's a town where you can eat very well, a cross between the Lombard and the Emilian cuisine, with the famous tortelli di zucca which are well renowned throughout the region. The Torrone is a typical sweet from this town. You can reach it via train from Milan (approx. 1hr).

Sirmione

It's a small village on a tiny peninsula on the Garda lake. It's the hometown of the ancient Latin poet Catullo, and it's also a renowned spa centre. It van be reached by train from Milan, you should arrive at Desenzano  (about 1hr trip) and then take a bus. The sight of the wonderful garda lake, the nice little shops, the castle and Catullo's villa are all worth seeing.