3rd Visit Help
 

We are planning our third trip to Italy and need some help in planning our itineray. Here is our tentative itinerary but am considering making changes:

DAY 1 we arrive in the am into Zurich where we had planned to spend our first day and night.
DAY 2 is driving to Lauterbrunnen for one night
DAY 3, 4, 5, 6 on to Tuscany/Florence
DAY 7 and 8 Venice
DAY 9 Milan

That said - I am rethinking staying in Zurich the first night since that happens to be the date of the Techo Street Parade - sounds kind of interesting, but not sure if I want that type of experience on this trip - would be be better off staying in Lauterbrunnen two nights instead?

We are also rethinking the Venice portion of the trip - as we have been twice before and would require more travel time - would we be better off adding a day in Tuscany and adding a day in Milan? Or should we add two days somewhere in between Florence and Milan?

As far as Tuscany - we've been to Florence, San Gimignano, Sienna what other towns are recommended that may not be as crowded?

In the past, we have also visited the Italian Riviera - The Cinque terra, Portofino and Santa Margherita as well as the Piedmonte area.

Suggestions? Keep in mind we are traveling peak season - mid August. Thanks!

Hi sdfoursome, it sounds like you will have a rental car. If so where will you return it? I am also assuming you are flying home (is that in the US?) from Malpensa airport outside of Milan.

Haven't given this a lot of thought but first thought is as much as I enjoy Milan I would not spend time there in hot, humid and probably smoggy August.

Have you considered the lake area? Much cooler. Or one of the areas of Piedmont in the mountains where it would be coolor and more refreshing.

Just a couple of thoughts for now.

Yes we will have a car to drop in Milan. We have visited Lake Como on our first trip, the second trip we spent considerable time in Peidmont - Alba and Asti.

What other lake towns/areas would you suggest?

On the issue of whether the "Techno Parade" in Zurich would be fun to expereince, let me tell you my own exerpience having lived there for 5 years. My first year there, I too, thought it would be fun to experience. I lived in the old town right along the river. After about 6 hours of the non-stop boom, boom, boom of the muisc, I had to escape down the lake 10 miles to a friends' house where, I swear, you could still hear the music. From that year on, I always left Zurich (and in fact the country just to be safe) for the weekend of that parade. Trying to sleep in a hotel with jet lag that night I can't imagine, if you stay, get a hotel with air conditioning so you can at least close the windows. . . .

It goes on for 17 hours (starting at about 9 am on the Saturday) and over a 1 million Estacy-fueled 20-somethings take over the city (which only has a population of 350,000 people so you do the math). If you are under 25, really really really like techno-pop played at ear-splitting deicibles, don't mind kids throwing up, having sex, and selling each other drugs all around you in drug-induced frenzy, then by all means stay. Most business shut down for the day (some shops literally barricade their stores) and IMO it would be hard to do a lot of sightseeing. I would avoid the lake area, and most of the old town areas except maybe around St Peter's Square, the university side and the lake is where a lot of the action is.

I would rent a car at the airport and head for the hills.

How about Lake Trasimeno?

http://www.initaly.com/regions/lakes/lake4.htm