Milan, daytrips or pick up and sleep in other cities?

Don’t know when you arrive and depart from Milan but many on the forum advocate for going by train to a destination furthest if the distance isn’t too far, like Verona or Venice, coming back to Lake Como for a few nights then spending a night in Milan or near the airport for your flight home. If you do base in Milan though for personal preferences, Bergamo is a very nice day trip from Milan.

Other than flying in or out of Milan, I can’t see spending any time there. You could start in the city of Como with day ferry trips to the various towns on the lake (a lot might be shut down - off season). I was there in early December and the Christmas market was already in full swing. Don’t miss taking the funicular ride up to the town of Brunate for spectacular views of the lake and the alps. I would then train to Venice from which day trips to Padua, Vicenza and Treviso are short distances away. Then you could head to Verona and Bergamo before leaving from Milan to return home. Another possible option would be to visit Bolzano in the Dolomites from Verona.

Spend a few nights in Milan and then continue on with your proposed itinerary which is a good one including Padua and Verona.

I’m assuming you’re flying in and out of Malpensa (MXP) and not Linate (LIN). From MXP take a train to Venice (Venezia S. Lucia station that’s the end of line); you’ll need to transfer at the Milano Centrale station: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html (4h). Spend four nights in Venice and take a day trip to Padua (30 minutes). Secure reservations for the Scrovegni Chapel before leaving home.
Take a direct train from Venice to Verona Porta Nuova (1h 30m) and store your luggage in a locker before your 15-minute walk into the old town. After you’re done exploring get back on the train to Milano Centrale (1h 15m) and sleep near the train station.
You have time to visit Lake Como. From Milano Centrale take a direct train to Varenna-Esino and explore this clean well-maintained commune. When you’re done (it won’t take long) hop on a 15-minute ferry to Bellagio and walk along the alley-like stairs that line its high-end shops it's a work of art.

I'd advise not planning too much travel on your arrival day. Our last two post- COVID trips, we had significant flight delays, one 24 hrs., one 6 hrs., causing missed connections. Had we had plans to travel beyond our arrival airport on that first day, it would have been impossible. Maybe stay that first night in Milan, then move on to Venice and Lake Como, or reverse order. Check if places are open in Lake Como in late November, as that's off-season, and friends there recently said the smaller towns were closing up.
Have a wonderful trip!

Milan is big and bustling and I don't recommend too much time there. I normally agree with going further out, like Venice, and then winding your way back, staying in Milan last. (See the Duomo and The Last Supper and fly home.) But you may have to stay in Milan first, depending on when you can get Last Supper tickets. It really is a fabulous sight, don't miss it!

You can take a 45 minute bus from MXP up to Lugano, Switzerland which is the next lake over from Lake Como. You could easily start your trip from there for a couple of days of rest and then ride the train down to Milan and transfer to a train going to Venezia.

But I caution that you're in a transition season and weather can vary in Northern Italy the end of November. The next week is going to be pretty rainy in Venice but with stable temperatures with mid-50's in the day and high 40's at night. Accuweather.com works in Europe like here other than giving you temperatures in Centigrade.

November shouldn't be the biggest tourist season, so you should be able to plan and execute an evolving itinerary day by day--according to the weather. You can decide where you'd like to visit from Venice. If you've never been to Florence, i would certainly suggest going there.

I always prefer to stay in multiple locations instead of taking day trips that need a train ride back to the lodging in the afternoon or evening. Since this is coming up so quickly, I would have my first & last night lodging reserved. Then check the weather and go the route of best weather options. I was at Lake Maggiore, next to Lake Como in June and one day was a torrential downpour! You definitely don’t want to be in Lake Como if it’s just rain & no views.

There’s several locations within an hour train ride of Milan. Bergamo & Cremona come to mind, too.

We slept in Venice, Verona and Milan. From Milan we did a day trip to Lake Como.

Two nights in Venice would give you only one full day there, which really isn't enough. People who take that approach often end up not liking Venice, because they had to spend so much of their time in the tourist-thronged areas between the train station, Rialto Market and San Marco.

dorfmanbl, make sure you know the difference between the city of Como, and Lake Como. There are multiple destinations on the lake that people choose to visit, but the transportation is different depending on where you actually intend to go.