edottavi

Hi everyone, I wanted some advice regarding my future excursion into northern Italy and the Alps. My wife and I are planning a quick 7 day trip around 3rd week in October to an area of Italy I have yet to explore. I know this was an Italy specific forum but I was hoping there are some Italian Alps enthusiasts here who will know a little about Austrian and Swiss Alps as well.

My route will be starting in Italy. Flying into Trieste. Why fly into Trieste? This is the only region of Italy I have yet to explore. My true interest in Trieste is from my grandmothers side who were from the southern island of what is now called Mali Lucinj. My father has gone back to visit in the 70's and said Trieste was one of his favorite spots in Italy. So that will be our starting point. From there we rent a car (I love to drive the country side) and we plan on driving the northern scenic route to Bolzano (SS14 I think). A little site seeing in the Dolomites (Bolzano), then on to Innesbruck, Austria. From there we continue west through the Alps to St Moritz, Switzerland. Head south to Lake Como and finally we fly out of Malpensa Airport in Milan.

My question to the forum is which areas should we allocate our time along the way? How many days in Trieste, Bolzano, Innesbruck, St. Moritz, Lake Como? I know it's always too much stuff in too short a time but my wife and I are planning to have children in the near future and our next Italian adventure might be a while. I'd like to take all the beauty of the Alps in on this trip if possible. Google maps says my route is about 15 hours drive time. I could make it around 3 hours shorter except I chose to avoid the major highways and drive the countryside. Any advice, tips, and sights along the way would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

massimop

It's really impossible to predict what the Alpine weather will be for the one week in October you are in Europe. Generally speaking, reliable visibility in the high peaks starts to deteriorate rather quickly by mid-September, and the chances of low clouds that obscure views + rain that lasts for days starts to increase.

In addition to the risk of having a disappointing trip, if the weather is very rainy you could find yourself slowed down very much, and anxiously trying to complete your "loop", or finally just abandoning it because you are locked into flying out of Milan.

Adding to the difficulty is the extreme unpredictabilty of the late October weather in the parts of Italy you mention. Even a 2-day weather forecast could be very wrong, leaving you stuck and disappointed due to terrible weather.

You could have a beautiful 7 day trip exploring Italy between Trieste and Milan, seeing great mountain scenery & lakes when weather permits and visiting exceptional castles & church interiors & beautiful towns of wine & craft & food festivals when it is wet & grey. But I think the Alps in late October is too big a gamble.

Besides, if you plan to include visiting a Croatian island as part of this trip + appreciating Trieste, 3 nights there sounds like the bare minimum -- and that's not a lot of time to go to St Moritz & swing back through Lago di Como.

In Trieste, be sure to eat in a buffet. (Look up what they are if you don't already know). If you like history, be sure to stop by Aquiliea as you head east. You can park the car outside of Venice and go in for lunch & a looksee. Between Venice and Milan there are dozens of choices for beauty, food, wine & history plus small town charm if it is raining on the lakes.

Or you could do this, and really get a feeling for the Italy of your ancestry

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...ne-food-hotels

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...-food-festival

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...gion-vineyards

massimop

By the way, my last-month travel companions in Italy included a 9-mo. old baby, so don't be so sure you will need to wait years to see the Alps.