I live in Lombardia so I know Milan and the lakes area pretty well.
Apart from fashion, in Italy Milan is’nt considered much of a tourist area, maybe because it’s Italy’s business centre.
But the city is beautiful, full of great monuments (the Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco, Teatro alla Scala, Santa Maria delle Grazie for example), museums and beautiful parks. Really worth visiting :)
The lakes too are beautiful, each of them has its own ‘personality’... Garda, so wide that it seems more similar to the sea than a lake, Como and Maggiore, so full of romantic views and villas, and of course Switzerland is near too :)
And then there are the mountains, near enough to organize a hike, and wide plains and hills to explore on horseback :)