Many people like to spend their Christmas break away from home, maybe being pampered during a relaxing hotel stay. Italy is a wonderful place to spend Christmas and the resorts around Lake Garda are truly spectacular.

The Lake Garda area has been a popular place to stay for centuries. Indeed, this region was once popular with rich Romans looking to flee the crowded cities.

It's a similar story today, with many Italians choosing to stay around Lake Garda, which has a considerably quieter atmosphere than the likes of Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence.

With its proximity to the Italian Alps, this makes a great base for walking or ski holidays. As you would expect from any region in Italy, the food is fantastic and the wines are of an excellent quality.

Would could be a more pleasant way to spend a Christmas break than by relaxing in a farmhouse, sitting by the fire and enjoying some wonderful local wines or cuisine?

Although Italy sometimes has a somewhat unfair reputation as being an expensive place to stay, hotels and apartments around the lake are reasonably priced, particularly during the festive season.

There are a number of lakeside resorts to choose from, each of which has its own unique atmosphere. If you're looking for a little bit of everything then the town of Bardolino has plenty to offer.

If you want to take a cheap flight to the Lake Garda region then you'll find that Ryanair offer some highly competitive flights to Brescia, which is a relatively short drive from many of the best resorts.

No mention of Lake Garda at Christmas would be complete without mentioning the village of Riva del Garda, which boasts spectacular views of both the lake and the mountains.