Hello forumites. We had such a brilliant tour through France and the German alps/romantic road and the Moselle valley this year that our appetite was whetted for heading into Switzerland/austria and northern Italy next year .
I have worked up a route (driving from the uk) with stops in moulins, Talloires (annecy), villenueve, Aosta, como, Trento, innsbruck, Lucerne, dole, nevers and Le Mans.
over the years I have driven in France & spain extensively, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Holland. But never Italy apart from a day in 1978. I have heard from some quarters about mad Italian driving ; my question is how value is this comment, should I be worried ? (Anymore than anywhere else)
also to those familiar with my planned itinerary is there anywhere that you wouldn’t bother with or somewhere nearby that you’d recommend in preference? All our stops are 2,3 or 4 nights as we’ve found 1 nighters between drives not great over the decades.
we are going for a month - early May to early June, via Caen. We are in our early 70s so enjoy historic towns and villages and natural scenery rather than clubs 😉

I would worry less about the crazy drivers and more about driving in towns and finding parking. For those not familiar with the signage it can be confusing and lead to multiple tickets for driving in restricted zones.

Villeneuve AO (Aosta Valley) or Villeneuve VD (Lake Geneva)?

Inmpossible to give a good answer as long as we don't know what you are really interested in.
Historic towns are omnipresent all along your itinerary and natural scenery at least between Annecy and Pontarlier.
You seem to prefer to stay in middle sized cities (except Talloires and Villeneuve).
There are tons of other solutions, of course.
You can do your whole trip on (boring) motorways or you can drive along lakeshores or through the Alps.
So you can go from Como to Trento on he motorway, through the gem of Bergamo and all allong Lake Garda, via Aprica Pass and Tonale Pass or via Bernina Pass or Maloja Pass to the Engadin Valley and then down to Cles - Trento.
etc. etc.

Yes I’m aware that parking can be difficult which is why I pick hotels with parking. I’ve picked mainly small towns to minimise the hassle factor. We are hoping to explore by foot and by car if necessary. As I said we like places with character and great scenery ….
its villeneuve on lake Geneva .. we were there in the early 70s so its a bit of a pilgrimage really ! ( I imagine it’s quite different !)

Italien drivers are not worse then drivers in other countries. I always have the feeling they are more alert then german drivers.
Depending on where you live you'd need an IDP for driving in Italy. And you'd inform yourself about the different driving rules in Italy, esp, about the ZTL's. Even if a hotel offer a parking lot, you cannot drive in if it is in a ZTL.
You maybe also know, that almost everything is in Italy around double as expensive then in Italy.
For driving on any Autobahn in Austria you need a permit, which you can buy on the last gasstation before the border. And for driving an Autobahn in Switzerland you also need a permit.
You mentioned "Como". Does that mean Como City? I would not stay there. If you want to explore Lake Como, then the best village to stay is Varenna.
Early my to early June is already high season in Austria and Italy. And in that month are a few holidays what makes a few very long weekends. Also around Pentecost are school-holidays in Germany what lots of family use for their summer holiday at Lake Garda, Lake Como or the adriatic sea. So you can expect crowds. And for sure, you'd book your accommodations in advance.
If you need information and suggestion about the part of your trip between Aosta, Como, Trento and Innsbruck, please ask, I can help. But to do this I'd need at least how many days you'll have in either of that destinations.

Villeneuve (VD) hasn't changed much in the last 60 years. Not on the lakefront (same old restaurants and hotels) and not in the old town (still small!). What HAS changed is the area around Villeneuve. Lots and lots of shopping centres, including discount malls (!) and more new apartments and a huge new hospital complex. None of those will concern you if you simply don't go there ! And there is no need to do so.

There aren't many hotels but I am pretty sure (and please check when you book) that any hotel will give you the Riviera Card. That in turn provides free transport in the Vevey/Montreux/Villeneuve area. plus discounts on museum entrance (and the Chaplin's World museum near Vevey is a MUST!) and lake boats. Parking - ask the hotel. I know there is a parking garage at the Coop in Villeneuve but I have no idea how long you can leave a car there. Parking is probably the one thing that HAS changed a lot! You might be able to leave the car for a few days at the parking near the Nautique in Villeneuve and your hotel will know.

Thank you folks - all very interesting !
I have already booked some of the hotels ( I can change them if I need to) - all with parking.
.
miwunk our schedule for Italy is :
aosta 2 nights
como (Lezzeno) 4 nights
trento 2 nights
then
innsbruck 3 nights
lucerne 3
Basel 3
dole 2
nevers 2
le mans 2
.
before Italy its 2 nights each in moulins & villeneuve and 3 in talloire
30 nights total

I must say ... you couldn't pay me to drive in the Alps! I'd want to be free to watch the scenery. And public transportation is excellent for most (if not all) of the places you plan to visit.

Well Kja I take your point, however we are early 70s and wouldn’t fancy lugging a months worth of luggage around ! Also we will see an awful lot over a month for our money and my wife can always concentrate on the views !

Oh, Lezzeno!! Why?
The drive from Como to Lezzeno is one of the most difficult around Lake Como. It is absolutely narrow and winding. Sometimes only as wide as one lane normally, but it is traffic in both direction. A lot of narrow villages to cross. Hopefully your accommodation offers a parking lot which you can reach by your car.
Lezzeno is a nice village, but not much to do there. You'd need the car for everything, also for going to dinner if there is not a restaurant just besides your hotel.
Depending on where your accommodation is, you maybe have to walk steep path to or from it, because Lezzeno is build on a very steep slope.
And another point: Lezzeno lies on the eastern side of the lake with high mountains in the east and the south. So there most of the village is in shadow in spring and fall. Only in the summer comes the sun more in.
For any ferry service you have to drive to Bellagio and try to get a parking space there, what is even more impossible.
On your drive from Aosta to Lezzeno you'd absolutely stop at Nesso for visiting the gorge and waterfall.
You have 3 full days there. What do you want to visit?.
For your drive from there to Triento I strongly would recommend, not going all the way via Autostrata, but:
leave it at Peschiera and drive all the way north alongside Lake Garda (SR 249). Of course, it would take longer, but you'll come through all the beautiful towns and villages on the lake. In the north of the lake, at Torbole, you can drive east, back to the Autostrata. But be aware, this Autostrata always is cramped with trucks.

I am curious to know which hotel in Basel is offering you parking. You should be aware that Basel is notorious (at least among residents) for the constant -- as in never-ending -- roadworks in and around the city. Which means significant re-routing and closed parking facilities (accompanied by street parking restrictions). Our neighborhood is just coming off three-plus years of construction and we're all holding our breath to see how long this lasts before the construction insanity starts up again. (and this construction often comes on fairly short notice.) This is especially aggravating if you have to drive (or ride a bus) anywhere near Aeschenplatz. I recently waited over 30 minutes on a bus trying to get from Denkmal to Aeschenplatz, just one stop away.

IF you insist on driving in Basel, two hotel recommendations: the new Movenpick hotel (near the main train station) or the Hotel Nomad, which has its own garage adjacent to the hotel and is probably the easiest place to park.

Is the parking your hotels offer free? If not, prepare yourself for the sticker shock experienced by most visitors to Switzerland, especially first-time visitors. When we moved to Basel from the UK, a pound was worth roughly two francs. Now it's worth just a tad over one. And when we go out for dinner at a good restaurant, the bill for a pre-dinner cocktail/mocktail, appetizer, main course, one glass of wine and coffee usually comes out to about 200 francs. (note: we specifically say "good" restaurants because the mediocre ones tend to cost about the same)

I totally agree with # 11, even as we haven't been to Basel during the last few years. We avoid staying and even driving through Switzerland because of the terrible high prices for everything. It is sometime up to double the price then in neighbouring Italy. So we always stay there.

Another hotel worth considering is the LandGasthof Riehen, a very pleasant and attractive inn located in scenic Riehen. Limited parking is available (but you should definitely reserve in advance) and it's got a tram stop right across the street to take you into and around the heart of Basel for free. It also has a restaurant offering daily specials priced from 25-35 francs, which includes the main course of the day plus soup or salad. The inn is an easy walk from the famous Beyeler Foundation.
https://www.landgasthof-riehen.ch/en/hotel/

We are also in our early 70's and we drive all over Europe and far beyond. We love road trips. My husband and I share the driving and we are free to stop anywhere we want to take in the views, which is impossible when you travel by bus or train.

I suppose you realize that you will have about 1 1/2 days at each place you plan to visit, except Villeneuve, Lezzeno, Innsbruck, Lucerne and Basel.
Ant that only if you bypass all the gems and Unesco sites along your itinerary.

Thank you for the last few posts folks - all very interesting and taken on board. I have cancelled my reservation at lezzeno in light of your advice miwunk and look elsewhere ! Thank you so much 👍
I’ve booked hotels up to Hergiswil (for Lucerne) so still need to look at Basel. Will take comments and suggestions on board !
I’ve orders some detailed road maps to assist …..

This is a good decision. The most beatiful (but ofcourse also the most expensive) destination around the lake is Varenna. From there you'd have the best connection around the lake by ferry and by train. But as you have a car, I think this is not so important for you. So you can choose any smaller village on the eastern side of the lake. If you want, you could tell me your choice before booking, so I can look it up if there is any downside.

Le Mans seems a little out of the way. If you are going to the track and the races I'd try and book accom along le Loir ( not la Loire) rather than in the city. But up to you.

It’s our last stop before the caen ferry. However we may end up elsewhere, tours possibly …

Hi weisser tee. Thank you for your comments/advice re Basel hotels.
hotel Euler claims to have parking - is this a good option geographically do you think ?
my other thought was the airport hotel which claims to be 3 km out and has underground parking - presumably public transport from there into the centre is reliable ?
I’ve looked at those you suggested and like hotel nomad but it is a bit expensive I think.