My husband and I will be traveling to Italy in mid-October. We will be landing in Milan and have 2 days before heading to Venice for 2 days, then to Florence for 4 days and Rome for 4 days. <BR> <BR>Any suggestions to where we should spend the 2 days prior to Florence. <BR> <BR>Many have recommended the Como area. We have never been to Italy and welcome suggestions. <BR> <BR>

Did you mean to say the 2 days prior to

Did you mean to say the 2 days before <BR>Venice? If so, you could spend 1 day touring Milan and take a trip into the Como area (it's about a half hour). If you're driving to Venice, you could stop in Padua (home to St. Anthony). Your itinerary sounds wonderful. You will love Italy!

It will be cooling down in the Lake Como area by mid October. But still well worth a visit, staying at Como itself, which is the base for Lake Cruises. Other options are Lugano, just across the border from Como, and where the town sits on Lake Lugano, facing south (towards the Sun). Another pretty lakeside town is Stresa, about an hour from Milan by train or car. This is on Lake Maggiore (Italian) Lake Locarno (Swiss)and is another nice base for scenic boat/train/car trips. <BR>With regards to Bellagio, this is a really nice lakeside town, about half way up Lake Como, but a visit here is very dependant on dry,warm weather, which you cannot guarantee in mid October.

Yes, I did mean the two days when we first arrive. We have not heard very positive things about Milan; therefore, we were thinking of the Como/Bellagio area. We have reservations for the Florence and Rome portion of our trip. We had not planned to stay in Milan at all. Thank you all for your very helpful information.

Hi Elizabeth: I checked my records for the dates involved. In '98 we flew into Milan in mid-October. Took a bus into Milano Centrale Station. Took the train from Milan to Varenna,on Lake Como,about 1 hour,.The ferry over to Bellagio, about 15 minutes. We stayed at Hotel du Lac in Bellagio for two nights. Very enjoyable. Then took a local bus back to the city of Como. Took the train back through Milan on to Verona for two nights and then on to Venice.This was all very doable.The weather was spectacular. Cool nights and warm sunny days. It worked out very well for us. It was our first trip to Italy with no prior knowledge of Italian language. You can email me directly for additional information. Enjoy your stay in Italy....Paul J

My daughter and I just returned from 2 weeks in Italy, flying in and out of Malpensa. We had 2 nights in Milan (Antica Locanda dei Mercanti), because we had tickets for the opera at La Scala - that was more than enough time. We had reservations for The Last Supper, toured Castello Sforza and the Duomo. Walking around amidst the spires that top the Duomo was amazing! <BR> <BR>Then it was 3 nights in Venice (Pensione Accademia), 3 nights in Florence (Loggiato dei Serviti), 4 in Rome (Internazionale), and 2 in Bellagio (Belvedere). Many people recommend a stop in Como at the beginning of the trip, but we found Bellagio the perfect place for relaxation (and shopping!) before flying home. <BR> <BR>The train from Rome to Milan was about 15 minutes late, so we missed the train to Varenna, but quickly hopped on the one to Como and then took the hydrofoil (45 minutes) to Bellagio. For the trip to the airport, we took a taxi to Como, and a bus shuttle to Malpensa.