Hello!
We are flying into Milan's MXP the first week of July and decided we wanted to wear off our jet lag at a laketown rather than the city. We will be renting a car with kids ages 4 and 9. Most people had recommended Lake Maggiore as the closest lake and Stresa as the closest city.
Stresa tho looks like it might be a little too crowded for our taste so I was looking into Cannero Rivera as they have a very nice hotel on the water there within our budget. Would this be a significantly longer distance to get to? Don't want to have to drive too long after an intercontinental flight. Others had suggested Laveno and there is a lovely agriturismo west of Arona between Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore but seems ferry access and such would be a bit of a pain from there.
Also, our next stop will be the Ligurian coast - heading towards Portofino - so want to make sure staying that far north won't add too much time driving on the other end, either. Thank you!