[Monza_dh]

I've been to both cities a few times to visit in laws and wouldn't worry too much about the drive between the two but use the extra time in the lakes and or in either city. There are dozens of smaller towns and villages in between and Asti and Alba, etc are nice but not much for a big detour away from either the Lakes or the coast IMHO. I'm moreof a water guy than a wine guy and was with my kids so I didnt stop for wine tours etc.

As you say the coast is also quite far of a drive if you only have a day. I took the A6 from Torino to Savonna and its a two lane road through the mountains and you end up in Savonna which is not great. Sestri Levante is I think much nicer with Santa Margherita, Portofino, Cinque Terre etc. The road from Milan to Genoa is more direct as I recall and shorter than Torino to the coast

I've also been to Garda, Como, Maggiore and Iseo and while many parts of Garda are beautiful and is Stressa and the Islands are great on Maggiore , I think there is enough in Como to experience and spend time there only for a short trip. Be sure you drive the road (by day only!) from Lecco to Bellagio to Como or reverse. Its an insane drive with a thousand turns and unreal scenery.

After seeing the small sterile towns around the lake I really liked the city of Como with its cathedral, pedestrian areas with cafes and real working residents. One of my favorite spots on Como was the rocky beach a mile south of Bellagio towards Como that had a bar on the beach serving up cold beer and cocktails. It was full of locals with not a tourist in site. I searched and its called the Riverside Beach Bar on Via alla Spiaggia.

Near Milan Bergamo is not a bad side trip either with its views from Citta Alta or you could check out Monza for any racing on the schedule, bikes etc. Good luck and have fun.