mo_han1

We are flying in to Rome (3 days there) then taking a car and driving to Tuscany area (Asciano near Sienna for 7 days). We are then staying in Bardolino, Lake Garda for a further 9 days. We have one night to spare in between the Tuscany area and Lake Garda. My question is do we drive and overnight in Modena (is it worthwhile to stay here - Ferrari factory) or drive to Venice and overnight there (I've read that Venice is stunning at night)? Is it necessary to have a car for the lake region - bearing in mind we will want to see Verona and Venice. Thanks in anticipation.

ira

Hi<BR> Venice, Venice, Venice.<BR>You can park your car at Tronchetto.<BR>See http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/tronchetto_parking_garage.htm.<BR><BR> Wherever you stay, try to take the Vaporetto #1 from the Rialto Bridge to the Lido in the early evening and back at night to see the Grand Canal and the lights of Venice.

Wayne

I think I'd cut a day or two off the Lake Garda experience and go stay in Venice for 2 to 3 days. I don't know why you have selected the particular durations of your visits to each area, but they seem a bit disproportionate to me, having been to those places a number of times. I count 20 days that you will be spending on vacation.<BR><BR>My personal choice would be to modify the entire itinerary as follows:<BR>-4 days in Rome<BR>-6 days in Tuscany<BR>-3 days in Verona<BR>-3 days in Venice<BR>-4 days in and around Lake Garda<BR><BR>I don't know where you'll be going from there, but if you are going back to Rome you might have to change the above number of days a bit. And yes, I would definitely use a rental car for the entire time, parking it at the Tronchetto or the Piazzale Roma parking garage while in Venice. You'll be paying for a few days of no car use while in Venice, so you might want to consider whether two separate rentals would be feasible and cheaper. Good luck.<BR><BR>

RobertR

Venice is in Northeast Italy and is way to far for a one night trip(train takes 2.5 hours from Milan which gives you an idea of the distance,driving from Tuscany to Venice is a 4 hour+ drive on the autostrada according to via michelin, I would rather spend the time doing something else)Venice is worth at least 3 full days,I would spend around a week there given the time you have.RR

mo_han1

Thanks for your input. The only reason why we have chosen Lake Garda is because we were advised to go there by my cousin who has been there on numerous occasions. This is our first time to Italy and we are taking our two teenage children. Lake Garda apparently is good for waterskiing and there are also ferry trips to the little villages on the Lake. I like the idea of staying in Venice for 2 or 3 nights. We aren't really into going into too many museums though. Is there enough to do for teenagers in the places we are staying? Any ideas?

Alice_Twain

Modena or Bologna. Both _loveliest_ cities and right on you way to Lago di Garda. In Modena, have lunch at Ermes', maybe the best trattoria in town.

mo_han1

Ok, so we've decided to stay in Venice for a couple of days and cut out a few days at Lake Garda. Now then, can you recommend a nice hotel for a family of four (2 teenagers) - possibly one that is a bit more modern than some I've seen on the web. Thanks!