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Florence & Como - Itinerary 90% finalized - looking for insights

Florence & Como - Itinerary 90% finalized - looking for insights

Old May 23rd, 2016, 06:31 PM
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Florence & Como - Itinerary 90% finalized - looking for insights

Hello,

I posted a Como and Florence post, but since it is a few days old, I am not sure if I would post my itinerary there, if it would get addressed...

Friday 6/10
Arrive in Rome AT 10am. Drive to our Stay: https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/pod...ail_hotel_name

Sat 6/11
Drive around Countryside visiting various towns
Sunday 6/12
Drive around Countryside visiting various towns
Monday 6/13
Leave for Florence in morning
Tuesday 6/14
Florence - leave for a Cooking class in Tuscany 7hrs(10-5)great reviews
https://www.partner.viator.com/en/83...-5070FARMHOUSE

Wednesday 6/15
Florence
Thursday 6/16
Florence - We either take a train from Florence to Como later in the day or leave in morning and Drive to Como through the Emilia Romagna region(Bologna, Parma, Modena)

Friday 6/17, 6/18, 6/19
Como

Monday 6/20
Airport to go home

Thoughts/Questions:
I am thinking we should leave the Countryside for Florence in late afternoon rather than the morning of 6/13. We plan to drive to Siena, drop of car and take the train into Florence Centre. Should we shorten our time in the Countryside from 2 1/2 days and 1 full or should we keep the 2 full days and the 1 1/2 day. In reality, we would only be increasing out time by 1/2 day and stay 1 night longer. The reason I ask is because we have a 7 hour cooking class booked that departs from Florence Centre to the Tuscan Hills 2 days after arriving in Florence. We have been to Florence, but not the Tuscan Hills except for a Vespa tour for a day trip 3 years ago.

I am thinking we decrease out trip in the Tuscan Hills to have a longer time in Lombardy region.

How are we getting to Como/Bellagio( nothing booked yet)? Either drive to Milan from Florence or take a train to Bologna. I hear this is a gastronomic foodie heaven. Then hoop back on a train to Como and head to BB, wherever that may be.

Thanks!
IzabellaBella is offline  
Old May 24th, 2016, 03:52 AM
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It would seem more convenient to find a cooking class while you're staying in Montepulciano, instead of going a day early to Florence, just to go back to rural Tuscany in a bus the next day for a cooking class. You could visit the Mercato Centrale in Florence on your own while you're staying in Florence. Everybody there speaks English, so no need for a guide.

You might ask the proprietor of your lodging in Montepulciano to recommend a cooking class. There are jillions of them in Tuscany.
bvlenci is online now  
Old May 24th, 2016, 06:21 AM
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Decide on where you'll stay on Lake Como. If you choose the mid-lake area (preferred by most), it will require more travel time than if you stayed in Como. That might help you figure out which way you want to get there. FWIW, returning a car in Milan would be my last choice and, depending on where you stay, having a car at Lake Como is not an advantage.

If your flight on the 20th is super early, you may want to spend the last night in Milan or near Malpensa.
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Old May 24th, 2016, 06:48 AM
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Bvlenci I looked for classes around Montepulciano. Not sure why I can't find many.

Jean, we plan to leave car in Milan. Then take a train to Como or Belagio or the like. Our flight is late morning on the 20th
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Old May 24th, 2016, 07:03 AM
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Where would you drop the car in Milan? That's one city that I wouldn't want to drive into.

There are no trains to Bellagio. You can train to Como or train to Varenna-Esino. From there, you can ferry to elsewhere on the lake. Unless you hire a driver to take you to Malpensa on the 20th, you need to consider the logistics of getting from your base town. Ferries don't operate 24 hours a day.
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Old May 24th, 2016, 03:27 PM
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Jean, Thanks. I'll take a look. Maybe we'll leave our car in Bologna and train to Milan/Como from there.
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