Lake Como, pretty, enveloped by mountains and loaded with lookouts, has been a popular place to escape the urban landscape of northern Italy since Roman times. Its villa-studded shoreline, divided into a series of smaller towns, is a place of terracotta-roofed houses and gardens blooming with colorful azaleas. Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta, Villa Melzi, and Villa Serbelloni are major attractions here.