four nights between verona and bergamo

I stayed for a week near Lago d'Iseo - the "small" lake between Como and Garda (it is still 15 miles long). It is very beautiful. We rented an apartment in Riva da Solto. The local hotel seemd very pleasant, and had a very good restaurant, with a wonderful view over the lake.
I found a website at:
http://www.albergomiranda.it/en/index.html

the view can be seen at: http://www.microbes.plus.com/lakes5.htm
(although it is quite a big photograph, so dial up modem users may wish to avoid it).

Lin - Slightly off route but ... how about the Dolomites? The lifts will be closed - but you can still tour and enjoy the wonderful scenery

Or Lake Como?

Steve

part of the dolomites sounds great.. but to do a small circle, considering i do want to go to mantua.. which town is worth the detour? i have heard bassano del grappa is some people's favorite..

i am trying to keep checking on logical itineraries.. circling somehwere from verona airport.. then eventually mantua and last night bergamo or not too far from its airport.

my problem is i am getting short of time.. i had hoped to get my thoughts together long before this.

thanks. if you know a certain village that shouldn't be missed, i am all ears.

What about Mantova, Modena and Ferrara?

Bassano del Grappa is pretty enough, but I would not make a special trip there.

I preferred Modena (lovely Romanesque Duomo, small but fairly interesting museum) to Mantova, which I found dark and brooding. With the exception of the Mantegna frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi, there is nothing much to see in the main Gonzaga palace (they went bankrupt and had to sell all their art, most of it to Charles I of England). And the Palazzo del Te is really weird, particularly the Camera dei Giganti with Giulio Romano's frescoes. A very good restaurant in Mantova is Il Cigno. A tiny bit out of the way, not inexpensive, but good.

In Modena, there is one good, plain and inexpensive restaurant just off the piazza on the other side of Via Emilia from the Piazza Duomo: Da Enzo. And a more expensive and better restaurant is between downtown and the train station. If memory serves, it is called Oreste. If you're a real foodie, you will try to make a reservation at Hosteria Giusti. It's a delicatessen that is said to serve the best food -- for a price -- in Modena: Hosteria
Giusti (Vicolo Squallore 46, 059/222533, www.giusti1605.com)

Ferrara is a lovely town: interesting cathedral, Castello Estense with moat, a number of palazzi, some with frescoes (Palazzo Schifanoia). There is a Museo del Duomo; I can't remember whether there is another. And a very good restaurant for Modenese food (cappellacci di zucca, to die for) is La Romantica, a bit away from downtown.
And there's a lovely B&B right near the main piazza where I have stayed twice: Locanda Borgonuovo.

Lin - Bassano isn't in the mountains so isn't a good choice for the Dolomites.

If you want a good feel for the Dolomites it's hard to beat Castelrotto or Ortisei - both about 2 hrs from Verona.

If you don't want to go that far, a good compromise choice IMO would be Caldaro - a pleasant Tyrolean village on the 'Wine Route' north of Trento.

Apart from being at the foot of the scenic Mendola cliff railway, Caldaro is convenient for visiting Trento and Bolzano, and is less than an hour's drive from some fantastic Dolomite scenery.

Steve

In June, we stayed three nights in Vicenza. Vicenza has the gretaest concentration of Palladian buildings. I have heard that the inside of Villa La Rotunda is open for tours on Wednesdays. [If you have a very strong interest in architecture, Palladio's Villa Emo is out in the farm lands, near Fanzola and is open six or seven days per week.]

We visited Bassano and Marostica. Marostica was more of a pleasant surprise then Bassano.

As far as a logical itinerary: a circuit Vicenza, Marostica, Bassano, Asolo, Padua, the Eugean Hills, Este, Montagnana. (We did not do the Asolo and forward part but was in the Thomas Cook book).

Lake Como is fantastic (similar to northern end of Lake Garda.)

we are looking into going straight from verona airport to east side of lago di garda first night, dinner then sleep in that area.

I will also look into some of theo other towns mentiooned.. but we WILL be passing through Vicenza, and Padua and sleeping in mantua area at that beautiful bed and brkfst. (www.locanadamatilda.it) .. unless someone sends me some negative info.. looks perfect.

can we do justice to vicenza for a few hours.. then stroll through padua, or i am being unreasonable?

we will probably choose NOT to go INTO places unless absolutely must not MISS. We will have future opportunities to visit these areas more in depth if we like them a lot, so i would really like to cover a bit of ground, just getting a general feel for the towns, and have a meal there.

the last 24 hours will be spent going to verona and then to bergamo, sleeping at bergamo for 10 a.m. flight next morning.

so... cool place to sleep east lakeside? castellroto has a beautiful place, cavallino d'oro, but it seems too far to go that far north this time.

there MUST be some nice places with views or cute rooms i would like.

i haven't been that lucky so far. i have dial-up internet.. and just can't bear the time all this is taking...besides.. i am glued to the cnn evening (europe) programs til 3-4 a.m. with all the news about the louisiana miss. tragedy.

thanks for all the ideas so far. we had added asolo on to an itinerary. will look into all these great suggestions and come back later!

thanks a lot.

Hi lin,

It's not clear from your posts how long you will be in Bergamo itself, but please give yourself enough time to explore the beautiful mediaeval Citta Alta.

Here's a link to my trip report which includes an account of our day in Bergamo if you are interested;

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34598121

Jim

I'd agree with the above posting - Bergamo was a lovely town, well worth exploring.

thanks , jim, for the reminder of your report. i had read it before but enjoyed re-reading it.

we will be in bergamo most of the afternoon , evening for dinner and sleep there. we are not shoppers, so all our time can be dedicated to the town itself.

i have written your hotel to see if they have any unadvertised special price for the night we will be there.
it certainly looks nice. otherwise "la valletta relais" www.lavallettabergamo.it also looks really nice.

thanks for the suggestions. this is coming together.

just left with day one to figure out, which may, in the end, affect the rest. i am still flexible. have not yet paid any reservations...

we are arriving at 3.45 pm, have to get car, and decide what/where to go or next 18 hours!!!

day two we will go to mantua ( to sleep)passing through many towns.. (vicenza for sure)

day three relax a BIT, but continue to do a day trip from mantua ( now looking at ferrara).

and as mentioned, day 4 up to bergamo to overnight after slowly passing through verona for lunch.

anyone wanting to improve this itinerary is more than welcome!

Lin - For a stay on the east side of Lake Garda I'd suggest Torri del Benaco.

Here are some views:

http://www.hotelview.it/hpitalytorribenaco.htm

http://www.lagodigardamagazine.com/index.asp?lang=2&menu=75&art=1365

Steve

Regarding Vicenza:
Our first trip there was two hours(maybe three).
If your time there is minimal then you probably want to go to the basilica (the town market) on the main pizza. If time allows walk downhill to the villa Chericata.

There about a dozen and half palladian structures structures still standing in central Vicenza. How of your time that is worth is not a question I can answer.

Do not miss Palladio's Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (I hope I spelled that right).

For what it's worth, we did daytrips to both Mantova and Vicenza. We absolutely fell in love with Vicenza, but Mantova fell flat for us.