3 Weeks in Italy near Milan
 

Hi all,

I will be going to Milan for a conference in November for 3 weeks. I am trying to figure out what cities to visit that are around the area. I have a list of cities that I would like to visit but would love your opinions on them as well. If there are cities that you really loved, please let me know! I would really like to focus on cities that are easy to get to from Milan. The types of things I like to do are the usual touristic sites like churches, museums, UNESCO sites, etc. I'm not too fond of going to out of the way cities (unless they're easy to get to without a car). Additionally, it would be great to figure out the order of cities that I should visit. Also, are there any cities where it's not a good idea to visit on certain days?

Cities I'm interested in:
Venice
Padua
Verona
Milan
Bologna
Parma
Ravenna?
Turin
Genoa
Cinque Terre
Florence

Please let me know what you think!

Train schedules here using italian city names:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Bellagio/Varenna/Villa del Balbianello/Villa Carlotta
Stresa/Isola Bella/Madre/Pescatori
Lugano

Italian Lakes-For ex, Stresa, Lake Como etc.

<< Also, are there any cities where it's not a good idea to visit on certain days?>>

It's hard to answer this question without knowing what sights you want to see. Time to do some research. RonZ has given you the train website to look up train times. All the cities you listed are full of churches, museums and worthwhile places to visit.

You can research online and in guidebooks. Also look at these places on a map to get an idea of the distances involved and what's close to what.

Add Vicenza, between Verona and Venice, to your list. It is a treasure of Palladian architecture and right on the rail line. Check times and days when different buildings are open.

Since you're interested in churches and UNESCO sites, you really shouldn't miss Pavia, just half an hour from Milan Central station. It's a "tentative" World Heritage site, with a few early medieval churches, and the astonishing Certosa di Pavia, an enormous 14th-century charterhouse, or monastery for Cistercian monks. Here is a brochure, in Italian and English, that describes the Certosa, and gives directions from Milan.

http://www.provincia.pv.it/attachmen...ertosa2013.pdf

On the last page, there are some suggestions of other things to see in Pavia.

Here is the UNESCO page about the city.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/327/

We spent a few days in Pavia, where I was having medical tests. We didn't get to do much sightseeing, but we did go to the Certosa. We took the bus, which leaves from the train station of Pavia.

I second Sass' recommendation of Vicenza. I can tell you I was there once on a Monday, and many of the museums, etc., were closed. I'll make a sweeping generalization that Monday is a bad day for that sort of thing, so you should make plans on Mondays for other activities or for attractions that you know are open mostly all the time, such as the Duomo on Milan.

Bergamo is an easy day trip and is a gorgeous old town up on a hill with great views and one of the most impressive small town squares.

Brescia is also a quick train ride and has UNESCO sites (though the town itself is larger and not as picturesque as Bergamo).

Cremona is also close and is a very 'non-touristy' Italian city with a stunning Piazza del Duomo - although I would certainly do all the things on your original list before I would go there. How many day trips are you looking for?

If you are partial to UNESCO sites, then you must surely visit Ravenna: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/788/

It's not clear if you intend these as day trips or you will spend the night or string a few together to visit over multiple days....

A few have mentioned the lakes... Generally, I would skip the lakes at that time of year in favor of other destinations. In the popular tourist towns, many restaurants and hotels will be closed for the season, and since ferries are on much reduced schedules it's harder to travel around. Having said that, if the weather is clear and dry, you could easily head to Lugano, Stresa or Varenna/Bellagio for a few hours.

I would consider Ravenna and the Cinque Terre too far for a day trip. (Nearly 3 hours to Ravenna and 3+ hours to the CT.) But if those times don't dissuade you, add Pisa to your list. If you want to climb the Leaning Tower, you need to make timed reservations. I wouldn't go to Venice unless I was spending at least one night there.

If you'd be going to Florence on a weekend/Monday, make sure the things you want to see/do are open. Buy timed entry tickets wherever possible. Even in November.

I don't think the weather will be very good on the lakes in November. Same for the Cinque Terre.
The cities in the Veneto Region are beautiful Vicenza, Padua, Bassano del Grappa, and tiny Asolo.
Bologna, Parma and Ravenna are a good combination too.
Florence is worthwhile for so may reasons starting with art and history.

Wow! Thank you so much for your advice.


It seems a lot of people have recommended Vicenza and it looks stunning! And right on the rail line as well.

Pavia and Bergamo also seem very close and beautiful. Great suggestions.

I am open to day trips but love the idea of stringing cities together. Ex. Venice - Padua - Verona (and maybe Vicenza!) & Bologna - Parma - Ravenna. Any suggestions in that regard are very much appreciated. I would hate to miss out on a great city that's right on the rail line to my destination anyways.

I have been wondering about the weather in regards to places like Lake Como and Cinque Terre. So I may stick with the cities instead. Does anyone have experience with going to places like this in late November?

We will definitely not do Venice as a day trip. We're planning to stay at least a few nights. We have heard of November being very rainy and foggy (and also about acqua alta!). What has been your experience with Venice in late November?

Thanks again everyone!