Lakes Region/Dolomites

we just came back from this area (october)and loved the following:

bergamo
vicenza
the many small towns on eastern bank of lake
marostica
bassano de grappa
trento

next time we will definitely go up to castelrotto

the northern end of lake was more spectacular with the mountains coming right down to the water. lots of water sports and classes going on.

great area.


you have a lovely vacation planned.

I'm sure people will come back with a lot better suggestions than I can manage, but if you want to go up to the Dolomites from Venice, you could go to Belluno which is a pretty town, in itself. It is quite a drive up to Cortina but it depends how far you want to go up into the Dolomites.

From Belluno you can see Vittorio Veneto and maybe go up there via Conegliano (which is where a lot of the Prosecco comes from). I really liked Conegliano.. it has a big castle too and isn't really on the tourist trail but it is a rich town and has some great restaurants/bacari..

Of course, the second most famous thing about Conegliano is that Alessandro Del Piero is from that town!! (footballer for Juventus and Italy, if you aren't aware!). (The most famous being the Prosecco although that is debateable depending on where your preferences lie!).
It's a few years since i went so you'd have to consult a map to check the distances.. but I know I definitely did day trips from Conegliano up to Belluno etc.
Belluno is a bit bigger, being the
provicial capital.
I'm sorry if my reply hasn't been very cohesive.. very tired at the moment!

Hi vino

The Dolomites are spectacular. I was there once in early June before the summer rush was on; in July, make sure you have reservations and allow plenty of driving time for the mountain roads. Besides cars, there are lots of motorcyclists and bicyclists.

Bolzano is at least worth a stop to see the "iceman" in the good museum there (kid-friendly!)

The German speaking (mainly) town of Castelrotto is a good family base for hanging in the mountains. A huge alpine meadow, Alpe di Suisi, (spelling from memory, so that may not be exactly correct)is nearby and fabulous for hiking/walking.

Agree with lincasanova, the north end of Garda is quite stunning. Plenty of things to do on and off the water. Touristy but in a fun, resorty-way.

I agree with the previous posts about places to visit between Venice and Garda. I would only suggest that you bring the family to the opera in Verona. It's outdoors in an ancient Roman ampitheatre. The productions are completely over the top and the atmosphere is magical.
I don't know if you have selected a villa on Lake Garda yet, but if not, I have a recommendation: Monte Pico, just outside of Desenzano.

vino -- we are going to Venice next August for 3 nights and have booked apartments at the Corte Grimani Residence. I can't speak directly to whether or not it is as nice as it appears in the photos, but the prices are good and the location great. One of my brothers is traveling with his 3 kids and he was able to get an apartment that will accomodate them all.

Take a look. www.cortegrimani.com

Good find, Tries! Nice apartments, good location, good prices. I'll have to bookmark that site.

Holly -- I must give credit where credit is due -- Mom found them. They do look great don't they?! We are hoping that they are as nice as the photos indicate. We'll let everyone know next summer.

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions!
rbrazill- That is funny! I looked at that villa but found it too small for our large group ! I have started to look at agriturismos around the lake. They seem to be more of what we are looking for instead of those massive hotels!!
Tries2paklite- I loooove those apartments!! That would be exactly the type of place I hope to find in Venice!! I hope it is available the days we are there!
Thanks for all the suggestions and tips!!
V

vino -- if you stay at the Corte Grimani, don't forget to post and let us know how it was, please.

That's a shame. You din't mention how many are in your group, but you mentioned kids, so I figured you could cram them in a little more. Monte Pico has a pool, and the owners are simply lovely people. Wherever you do stay, try to spend an afternoon in Torri del Benaco, a charming small town on the eastern shore, just north of Bardolino. Your kids will probably want to go to Gardaland or one of the other theme parks, just south of there.

I have a suggestion! Fly in and out of Venice and you can save the hassle of what to do with the car while there. My husband and I flew into Venice in June of 2003 on our honeymoon and spent 2 nights there before picking up the rental car on the way out of the city. We then spent 5 nights in Greve in Chianti and then headed to Riva del Garda to escape the heat. (The summer of 03 was already in full swing in June.) We drove back to Venice, found a hotel near the Marco Polo airport, dropped our bags and accumulated booty and wine, and drove to Venice to drop the car off. We spent the evening in Venice and then caught the bus to our hotel. It all worked great -- the hotel even had a shuttle to the airport!

Thank you for all your help so far!
I am in love with our accomodations for Venice!!!
I haven't yet started to research Milan hotels because I am still searching for a villa, agristurismo or aparthotel in the Lake Garda region. I am searching for some where with a homey Italian feel. I envision an old building with shutters and seperate beautiful renovated apartments w/ kitchens in each unit. We need a pool and would like it to also have a lake view. A nice area outside where we can bbbq and just hang out.
Most of the places I'm finding in the Garda area are huge hotels on a complex with other huge hotels!
I've spen hours on the computer and I'm ready for suggestions!
We have five families and one elderly couple in our group! A total of 25 people. There are three families with five-2 adults and three children.
Maybe a group of villas on the same property??
Thanks!
V
Maybe a group of villas on the same prop

i am including my short trip report (finally dug it up) and there are some websites that might interest you.
especially bellevue-sanlorenzo.

hope you get some more info from it.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?screen_name=lincasanova&fid=2

Hi everyone
First post here, ranging through this thread and the discussion re. the Corte Grimani piqued my interest, having just returned from Venice trip first week of Dec. 05. Turns out the Corte Grimani was steps away from my hotel, the Hotel Bonvecchiati. If I'd have done better research I might have bailed out of my hotel mid visit and moved over to the Corte Grimani.

Anyways, in advance of your trip, here's a nighttime photo I took that shows the "front door" of the Corte Grimani from the ponte over the Rio D. Fuseri:
http://a0.cpimg.com/image/24/D7/54947620-e584-01FF0200-.jpg

While you're there be sure to visit the famous Pal Contarini Del Bovolo, the house with the sprial "snail shell" stairway added to its exterior ca. 1498 - it is literally a two minute walk from your hotel.

enjoy!
Ken

Ken -- thanks for the photo and the info regarding the Pal Contarini Del Bovolo -- we'll add it to our "to see" list.