3togo

We planned to spend 8 nights in Piedmont and around Lake Como. But, re-considering.

Is it a reasonable plan to stay in one spot somewhere in Piedmont and just drive to Lake Como for a day trip, or maybe use the train system?

Thank you in advance.
3togo

pporter

You would need to stay very far west in Piemonte to begin to make it comfortable driving distance for lunch in Bellagio. If you told me you adored risotto, I'd encourage you to stay in Novara or Verceilli in the heart of the rice country in Piemonte, which would give you something like a 90 minute drive to the lake (train would take you 3 hours.) It's actually quite an interesting area of Piemonte, and nicely located for trips to Torino and the Italian Alps, but the rice fields and their pretty towns are far from the norm of why most people are interested in visiting Piemonte.

The Piemonte is actually a very large region of Italy with a very large variety of attractions -- high mountain scenery, more than wine and food area, the city of Torino, aforementioned rice fields, etc. From one location in Piemonte, it really isn't possible to see all of it.

Some people who are very keen on rich food and red wine find it easy to settle into the Barolo area for 8 days and find plenty to make them happy between visiting wineries, castles, old towns and scenic drives. And there are also skiers who go for a week in Piemonte. But you can enjoy many of the highlights of the region in less than 8 days.

If you decide to spend part of the time on the lake and don't want a car, you can drop off your car (or pick one up) in the town of Como.

pporter

I should add that some Torinese don't consider it too much to get on a train in Torino and head over to Lago di Como for the day. You can reach the lake docks by train in about 2 hours, and from there catch a ferry to other parts of the lake (the most beautiful views being around Bellagio).

Many people visit Piemonte by staying 3 or 4 days in Torino, where there is plenty to do and see, and then renting a car and visiting the countryside for another 3 or 4 days, in a place geared to their interests (food, wine, skiing, scenic drives, castles, mountains, etc.)

3togo

Pporter, thank you for answering both posts. If I hadn't booked Paris already, I would knock days off that portion of our trip and spend it in Italy.

8 nights just isn't enough!!

Thanks so much for your time and knowledge.

bobthenavigator

No !

Sampaguita

As Pporter says Piedmont is a very large region and Como is not even in Piedmont. We live in Asti which is, in our opinion, the most central location for touring all of Piedmont's central wine hills, the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, sometimes referred to by wine and food lovers as "the zone". We have some 200 wineries and restaurants with 1/2 hour drive. Many of our guests do day trips to Turin, Lake Maggiore, Genoa and even Val d'Aosta, but Como is, we think, just a little too far to do in a day trip, its much closer to Milan and we recommend spending a few days there either on arrival or before departure from Malpensa.

Novara and Vercelli are closer to the lakes, and charming towns in their own right, but not central for the rest of Piedmont. I would split your stay if you must stay around Lake Como.

3togo

Hi Bobthenavigator, if you have time could you look at my other post? It has my whole itinerary. I'd really like your opinion.

I am afraid I am now considering just staying in Turin for a few days and staying on Lake Como and Lake Maggiore for the rest of the time. PPorter has been so helpful,but,I would really like to know what you think about my itinerary change. Your ideas would be very much appreciated.


Hi Sampaguita
Thank you for your knowledge of the area. would you know if the cable cars would be operational from Aosta to Pila in mid-may? Daughter would like to play in the snow, is that a possibilty up there?

pporter

I believe the Pila ski lifts operate year round (although right now they are closed for maintenance and people are taken up by bus):

http://www.pila.it/en/

May is really an in-between season for the Alps -- not enough snow left for ski-ing, too many patches of snow left for hikers. It all depends on the year and you wouldn't want to commit to doing it unless you were sure you were going to get just what you wanted out of the trip. You'll probably need to wait until next year, during your trip, to know what the actual weather conditions are happening that spring.

3togo

Hi pporter, I had a look at the website and sent an email to ask them about the lifts. I couldn't work out definitely about Mid-May. I assumed by their calendar of events that they just closed for this time. Appreciate your comment about the ski lifts operating year round.

My daughter will just want to feel snow and make snowballs.

Actually, when my husband and I saw snow for the first time, we felt like little kids and wanted to build a snowman. The funny thing was, we saw a group of people building a snowman already and they turned out to be Australians like us!!

Thank you again
3togo

lorettajung

"You would need to stay very far west in Piemonte to begin to make it comfortable driving distance for lunch in Bellagio."

Nope. You'd need to stay very far EAST.

3togo

Hi lorettajung

thanks for the correction. I understood what pporter meant though.

3togo