Digbydog

We will be flying into MXP from the US, arriving on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at 10:40 am. Our ultimate goal is the Dolomites. I would prefer not to stay in Milan the first night, but would like to go somewhere smaller and low key for a night or two to get over jet lag. Would also prefer not to drive the first day given that we will be tired.

Is someplace on Lake Garda a good idea? Will it be too mobbed in July to relax? I had thought about Verona, but just noticed that the Opera Festival is on July 3 and wonder whether there will be huge crowds there in the days before the festival.

Or do we just go to Bolzano for a night before renting a car to drive to Val Gardena? Seems like a 3 1/2 hour train ride after the flight could be brutal. I like to stay up the day of arrival to get on the new time, and I think a train ride could put me to sleep.

Digbydog

I should have added that I have been to Lake Como before and would like to try somewhere new.

Dukey1

You arrive on 1 July; "Nabucco" will be presented on the THIRD at 9PM in Verona. Yes, from experience, I can tell you there will be folks in town (I'll be there a few weeks later myself).

Whether it will seem "crowded" during the day is IMO subjective but are you planning to actually be there through the 3rd?

I'd go a bit further unless you really want to be on a lake somewhere and that lake wouldn't be crowded because of the opera performances I suspect.

Why not go back to Lake Como for a couple of days; get a car service from MXP or something like that if you really want hassle-free.

Have a great trip.

Dukey1

Oops, sorry just realized you want something new; go to Garda; Verona will seem a million miles away.

MonicaRichards

The opera festival won't make Verona feel crowded, we were there in July of this year and there were at least two, maybe three performances while we were there but it seemed like regular tourist traffic as you find anywhere in Italy in the summer.

That said, Sirmione on Lake Garda is a super pretty town.

HappyTrvlr

We stopped off overnight in Saló on the south west coast of Lake Garda on our way to the Dolomites, charming town

sandralist

I agree that Verona will not feel crowded except around the opera venue and the perpetually packed piazza dell'Erbe. But walk around any corner and you've got plenty of elbow room and peace and quiet. Book a bb just across the river near the Ponte Nuovo, or not far from the train station near San Zeno. Next day you will have an easy scenic train ride to Bolzano with your eyes wide open, or you could rent a car in Verona and drive straight to the Dolomiti.

Digbydog

Thanks very much everyone for your replies. Salo and Sirmione both look beautiful. Can they be reached by train?

Does Verona feel like a city or a town? I would like something simple that first night.

sandralist

Verona feels like a grand medieval town since so much of the center is pedestrianized. It would be quite simple to take a train to Verona and then a taxi to a quiet hotel in a quiet, beautiful area. There is something faintly Parisian about Verona, perhaps because of the river and bridges.

I don't know of any easy way to get to either Salo or Sirmione from Malpensa but maybe somebody else does. The towns on Lago di Garda with train stations are Desenzano del Garda or Peschiera del Garda. You would need a bus or taxi or boat from one of those towns to Sirmione. If you are arriving on a weekend in July, expect the lake towns to be quite crowded.

For the same amount of time and hassle you could either go all the way to Bolzano or stop a bit sooner in the charming town of Trento, which does feel like a town. Everything is walkable from the train station (try Hotel America) and the town has a overload of nice restaurants and sweet piazze, in particular its beautiful central piazza.

One easy thing you could do for your first day is take the 55 minute bus ride from Malpensa to Stresa on Lago Maggiore and spend the night there. However, the next morning you either need to take the train from Stresa to Bolzano (two train changes) or a bus back to Malpensa and rent a car there to drive 4+ hours to the Dolomiti.

Get good air con wherever you go! Read reviews to make sure it works in July.

Digbydog

Sandralist--thanks very much for your helpful reply. So many choices! Trento looks delightful, as does Stresa.

I need to do some more research, but I am leaning heavily toward Verona. Easy train ride there, and it sounds lovely. Do you have a hotel there that you like?

PalenQ

Stresa on gorgeous Lake Maggiore is about as close to MXP as Milan itself and I believe there are buses and airport transfers taking you there quickly - on a main train line to Milan and then changing there for Bolzano via Verona.

Digbydog

PalenQ--Stresa looks gorgeous and is tempting, but I think we would like to make it further to the Dolomites. Thanks for your response though.

sandralist

Verona would be my pick. You can walk outside the station and pick up a taxi. Both the last 2 hotels I stayed in I wouldn't stay in again but I had to book last minute for both and looking in advance you can find better choices. Air conditioning really is a must in July so be sure to read reviews written by people whose stay was during high summer months and can vouch that the air conditioning worked well.

You could also luck out with perfectly breezy summer weather. If you find yourself craving some absolute true tranquility then take a walk through the Giardini Guisti. They are historic as well (in many ways) and marvelously beautiful. Pictures rarely do them justice.

Another tip is if you run into a boatload of tourists at the piazza dell'Erbe then try slipping off to either the piazza dei Signori -- which less than 100 feet away and twice as beautiful and usually oddly empty -- or head over to stroll by the river in between Sant'Anastasia and the Duomo.

Digbydog

Wonderful tips Sandralist. Thank you!!