Italy's lakes have a firm place in our collective imagination as the epitome of luxury: dreamscapes peppered with yachts, ivy-clad villas and picturesque fishing villages, all crowned with the snow-capped Alps in the background.

But when push comes to shove, most people can only name two: Lake Como, Hollywood's very own European enclave with its never-ending array of celebrity-owned waterfront manors; and Lake Garda, whose sprawling beaches and Mediterranean microclimate have made it an obvious tourist favourite.