coolbluewater

Hi,

Thank you in advance for your help. I continuing to research on the forums, but I thought I might ask for some preliminary help on our itinerary.

In any case, this summer we are traveling to Italy (!) for 10-11 nights. At this point, the group includes my family of 3, my sister in law, and my in laws. My main concern right now is planning our itinerary and booking accommodations for the latter part of our trip considering we are going in high season.

The set plan is as follows:

Day 1: Fly into Milan. Stay in Milan overnight. This isn't my choice as I'd push on, but it's fairly set due to the needs of the other travelers.

Days 2-5: Lake Iseo to see the Christo exhibit. We have already booked lakeview rooms. I cannot shorten this part of the trip. I assume we will do day trips - Verona? - but I'll worry about that later.

Here's where I need help: We have 5 nights left. I'd like to go to a villa somewhere between Lake Iseo and Rome and spend some time relaxing in a beautiful location, let the child run around, hire a cook - maybe try and organize a tour of some vineyards. I'm not fussy about where as long as it makes geographical sense.

However, we'll be flying out of Rome and obviously, we need to go to Rome! Thinking of renting an apartment in the Prati area or finding an apartment-style hotel.

With just 5 days, it seems to make sense just to spend it in Rome since there is so much to do but part of me feels really sad to give up the idea of lounging in an Italian Villa.

Any input appreciated - thank you again!

RonZ

By choosing t stay that many nights in [Sulzano, or?] I think you've ruled out this villa idea.

RonZ

From MXP you'll need to get to Milano Centrale. Since you need to be there, it would save a lot of trouble to just head to Iseo, which will take about 1.5 hours, rather than adding a hotel stay, which is more involved with a large group.

bilboburgler

Rome in high season can be a bit overwhelming. You could look for a Villa on the end of a commute line so those who want to stay by the pool can and those who want to see museums can as well.

Further out the Tuscan Villa is the obvious place and you need to decide and get it booked soon as Villas go fast.

jamikins

What about staying somewhere in Sabina, just north of Rome. Apparently you can get into Rome in 1 hour by train from some locations. You could lounge for some days then do a day trip or two to Rome?

http://www.visitsabina.com/

sandralist

There are many vineyards near Lago d'Iseo, just so you know, with lots of professional tour options. Try a google search for "Franciacorta winery tours". Consider a day trip to Bergamo as well as Verona.

It is a long journey from Lago d'Iseo to Rome, whether you fly, take the train or drive. How were you planning to do this with your group? That might dictate your options.

How keen are all the members of your group about sightseeing in Rome, and do you have the option of changing your departure airport? Do you have the option of letting the most avid sightseers in your family spend a couple of nights in Rome while the rest of the group enjoys the countryside?

Rather than Prati, have you considered a huge apartment or villa in the areas of Rome that have trees and lawns and sometimes pools? You can find places like that in the via Appia/Baths of Caracalla area, or in Monteverde/Giancolo, or maybe even in the Aventine. The committed tourists in your group can get a bus or taxi to the heart of town, while the rest of you do what's easy. For instance, you could rent out this b&b and the adjacent apartment.

http://www.monteverdeguesthouse.com

of check out airbnb for villa rentals in Rome

coolbluewater

Thank you all for your thoughtful questions and comments.

I wish I could go straight from Milan to Iseo but I have not been able to convince the group. To me, it is a waste of a (valuable) night.

I will certainly look into vineyard tours near Iseo. I didn't realize and it is helpful to know for when I plan day trips from the area. We will be in Sulzano at the Rivalago.

I was planning on the high speed train from Iseo to Rome. But the comments on Rome being overwhelming are well taken. 5 nights seems too long there especially given the composition of our group, though it is changing. My father in law might not go now and it's possible my sister in law and mother in law may just head over to London.

I think i do need to consider what if we just don't go to Rome? Our tickets haven't been purchased yet. It seems crazy to go to Italy and not show my 7 year old son the Coliseum, Pantheon, etc - but he would probably be more happy in a more peaceful location. I hear Tuscany has beautiful dark skies.

If I win powerball tonight, it's a moot point as I will be able to return whenever I want. But I don't know when we will ever be able to get back to Italy....

sandralist

If you have not purchased your air tickets, you can show your 7 year old a full-fledged Roman arena in Verona. Putting him through an entire day of train travel to see the Pantheon is likely to be something he might want to forget rather than remember.

If you decide to go to Tuscany (and Galileo would have agreed with your impression of the skies -- the airport in Pisa, Tuscany, is named after him) consider that some children find staying in the wine country a little too quiet. There are ways to mix it up with trips to Pisa and Lucca -- all quite kid friendly places. It very much helps to rent a car in Tuscany for that portion of your trip if you want a villa or agriturismo experience, because most are out of town.

coolbluewater

Thank you again, Sandralist. I've thought about it and you're right - the Eternal City will be there for our next trip. Maybe we'll even just stay in Northern Italy this time - off to do more research. I so appreciate everyone's help.

coolbluewater

OK, here are some other ideas. We are down to my family (3) and my mother in law and sister in law. Perhaps I save Rome/Florence for another trip when we fly in/out of Rome.

OPTION 1:
After Sulzano, head to Venice and just stay there for 4-5 nights. Downsides - crowded. Upsides - not rushed and a lot of time to explore the area.

OPTION 2:
After Sulzano, head to the Dolomites (based in Bolzano? or somewhere between Trento and Bolzano?) - 3 nights there, 1 night venice, fly back out of Venice.

Upsides: My family likes the outdoors and hiking (the little one can go for a few miles). Downsides: in researching, it seems that there is an ultramarathon, several bike tours, and a lot of hiking groups that go in the fourth weekend of June, when we will be there. And we won't really see Venice if we're just there for the airport. But my husband doesn't want to extend the trip.

This is the point at which experienced travelers throw up their hands in frustration because I am so all over the place. But unfortunately, this is part of the process of planning a trip for me and I'd like to get the accomodations set up because I see them disappearing!

thanks again.

bilboburgler

The Dolomites is a big place or you could just look either a little to the west or even to the east and look towards Slovenia and even Trieste.

Use the facts that you know about some activities in special places and just work around them.

As a point cycle tours pass in minutes, the crowds arrive 2 hours before and then go, so the only issue is local hotels the night before. I'd look in the Ticino, being high up can be really lovely at that time of year, out of the humid air around Venice/Po valley.

When I last looked at that sort of holiday, I looked at google maps in a large area along the north of Italy and put "hotel" in the search. All these dots open up and I started looking at clusters, many in small towns/hillsides some lovely walking.

sandralist

The Dolomiti is a very large area and there is no particular reason to base yourselves around Bolzano if you are ultimately flying out of Venice.

I am very tourist-crowd averse, but there is a real difference in feeling between encountering group of hikers in the Dolomiti and an overload of daytripper tourists in Venice. There is something refreshing about seeing many people enjoying a spectacular sight of nature and something dispiriting about a lot of the tourist activity of Venice. Here and there in the Dolomiti there is unfortunate tourist infrastructure and tacky shops, but the utilitarian towns are small and isolated. If you go to an area like Corvara, or pick a lodge outside a town like Cortina d'Ampezzo, you scarcely notice them. In parts of the Alta Badia, the towns are actually charming (like Pedraces).

As for Venice, if you end up only going there to fly out of the airport, consider staying the night in Treviso instead, or Padova, both of which have easy access to the airport.

If you decide to go to Venice instead of the Dolomiti, you can situate yourself away from the busiest tourist intersections. There are very quiet corners of Venice still. Also, if you've any curiosity about seeing nearby sights, you can go against the flow in Venice -- which is to say, plan to visit one of islands in the morning, have lunch, or a nearby town like Padova or Vicenza or Ferrara. Come back after lunch and already many of the tourist crowds will have thinned. After 4 or 5pm, Venice starts to empty out, and you have the evenings to enjoy.

coolbluewater

Thank you Sandralist and Bilboburger (and everyone else, again) for your thoughtful comments.

Alas, my hopes of the Dolomites are not to be, as my in laws do not have interest. I'll put it on the list for "next time".

Sandralist - I think that you have pinpointed my issue as being tourist-crowd averse. Still, I accept that we will be tourists and in late June, we'll just have to deal with crowds wherever we go.

As it turns out, my sister in law and husband would prefer Florence over Venice - so Florence it is. (Would this have been easier if they said something at the beginning. Yes, but...) We will stay in the city center (no one wanted an agriturismo but me) and I think no matter what I had wanted, we will still have a wonderful time.

ThomasSchwarzmann

Tom here - I will pass on to you any information I can gather so that hopefully, despite the expected madness of travel, everyone can get to their various destinations - you can check out ToBe website (travel coordinators in the Lombardy region)...good luck, Tom

ThomasSchwarzmann

one more thing, you might consider staying in Padua, instead of Venice, with a day trip to Venice if you can take time away from Florence. cheers, Tom