I am going to northern Italy last week of Sept. and 1st. week of Oct.
I would appreciate any info on outstanding hotels, restaurants, sights and museums.
I plan to drive. Many thanks.
Howard

I think you might need to furnish a little more info. Northern Italy does cover a fair bit of ground.

Things to see:

The Orvieto cathedral

https://flic.kr/p/7peA7H
The Etruscan museum and nearby tombs in Tarquinia:

https://flic.kr/p/7pewtK
https://flic.kr/p/7pioQd
The Bomarzo garden:

https://flic.kr/p/7pirfU
Barely scratching the surface.

Milan to Como to Trento to Padua to Verona to Lake Garda.
This is not set in stone
Thanks

"... not set in stone."

Good, because that's a fairly busy 2 weeks. Would you drive through the mountains between Lake Como and Trento, or use the autostrade? How much exploring of Lake Como and Lake Garda do you plan to do? On Lake Garda, if the weather is clear and dry, I recommend an excursion up the cable car at Malcesine. If you'd be spending a few/several nights in Trento, you could take in the archeology museum in Bolzano (Otzi, the Ice Man) and the WWI museum and memorial in Rovereto as well as take a beautiful drive into an area of the Dolomites.

Can you fly home from Verona or Venice, or would you need to return to Milan?

Trieste needs about 3 days, Venice about 4. Milan can entertain for 5 if you include local towns, Padua, Verona, Ferrara, Bolgogna and Ravenna, Parma about 10 days. Tuscany/Umbria well about 2 weeks would touch the surface, then further up north you have Liguria/Turin and the Val and all the various Alpine cities probably another 15 days.

What would help is what do you like to do, what sort of museum stuff etc?

I like scenic drives
thanks

art museums, quaint hotels and unique family restaurants, etc.

At the foot of the Italians Alps, on Lake Como, there are some very nice gardens:

https://flic.kr/p/7pds7H
https://flic.kr/p/7phk5f

how do you feel about pottery museums like that at Faenza

MIC International Museum of Ceramic in Faenza for details

thanks

Sirmione on Lake Garda makes a nice connection with time in Verona, and Verona as noted connects well to Venice, Padua, Vincenza. We actually stayed in Garda while on the lake, but with a car you could enjoy the towns in the north as well. If you're interested in Palladian architecture perhaps a tour of the Veneto out of Vicenza? In Vicenza the Olympic Theatre is well worth a visit, as well as the town itself. Many nice small restaurants and cafes.

You didn't mention Venice but if you do go (ditching the car while you are there) look at Al Ponte Antico, a boutique hotel and usually #1 place to stay in Venice.

Italy is my home country, and frankly I think that it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

me too

habron, tu sei Italiano? Dimmi un poco piu informazione sulla sua vacanza.

What if you just based in the city of Como? You could drive, train or boat/ferry to many of the spots mentioned up thread. Thoughts?

I will have a car and so far:
2 days in Como
1 day in Bergamo
2 days in Trento
2 days in Verona
1 day in Mantua
then I need help for 2 more days
and then 2 days in Milan,
so any help with hotels, museums, tourist sights, or restaurants would be appreciated.
Thanks

If it were my trip, I'd reduce the time in Milan to one full, well-planned day, which means 2 nights there. (You'll want to return the car somewhere before you reach the city center.) I'd add one day to Como and 2 days to Trento to allow for exploring of the north end of Lake Garda, the Ice Man Museum in Bolzano, and a bit of the Dolomites.

For help with hotels, you need to give a clue as to your budget. Generally, you're going to want or need hotels that are outside each city's limited traffic zones (Zona Limitato Traffico or ZTL in Italian) or get permission to enter the zone to reach the hotel's parking (and how to do that). If you drive into the zone without permission or even knowledge that you're doing it, you'll probably receive an expensive ticket in the mail after you get home.

thanks
I shall ask the hotels what to do about driving there.