Hi Folks!
Please critique my September itinerary. Fly open jaw, travel by train. Any suggestions welcome!
*=return visit
[3 nights] *Paris [nonstop from SFO];
[2] *Strasbourg;
[3] *Stressa [car one day to visit Orta San Julio];
[3] Bergamo [day trip?];
[2] Lecco;
[3] Mantova [Modena day trip?];
[3] Cremona [day trip?];
[1] *Milano
Fly out of Malpesa

Visit the chapels to St. Francis on the way to Orta San Giulio. I loved looking at them plus there's an amazing view over the island in Orta San Giulio.

https://modigliani.shutterfly.com/italy2003/217

Wow, great pictures. I was tempted to stay in Orta San Giulio overnight, but was advised to just visit from Stressa for the day.

Thanks, Ron. They're non-digital so not the best quality. I'd love to go back and take digital photos.

I think a day trip from Stressa is a good idea. It's a very small town and a couple of hours is enough.

There's also the Umbrella Museum on the way to Orta San Giulio. It was closed for the season when I was there and I was sorry to miss it since I love small, specialty museums.

http://www.visitstresa.com/Umbrella_Museum.htm

ttt

How about some help for Ron!

When I see this itinerary, I cannot help thinking of all the places you'll miss by not having a car. Cremona, for example, is worth a day at most. But nearby you have a string - a necklace - of great towns and villages, such as Soncino and Crema. If we had not seen them, our 48 hrs in Cremona would have been a much thinner experience

If you are traveling by train I think it is easier to stay in Stresa and visit Lago d'Orta rather than the other way around. If you are traveling in the earlier part of September you may be able to make the daytrip by bus from Stresa rather than needing to hire a car.

For a daytrip from Bergamo, consider Lovere on Lago Iseo

http://www.bestofbergamo.com/2010/06...p-of-lake.html

Is there a particular reason you have chosen Lecco as your spot for Lago di Como? Even if you take a bus to Lecco from Bergamo, consider switching to a train that would get you to Varenna, which has more dramatic views.

Unless you have a particular desire to be in Cremona more than a day, consider remaining in Mantova the entire remainder of your trip and visiting Cremona as a daytrip from Mantova. Mantova is a fine place for an extended stay because not only is it rich in attractions itself but you can easily visit by bus or train more than one fascinating town. Sabbioneta is a particularly impressive destination. So is Modena. So if you stayed in Mantova for 5 days, you could visit all of these places and still have time to explore Mantova in a relaxed way.


So I would recommend considering_

3 nights Stresa [day trip by bus to Lago d'Orta)
3 nights Bergamo [day trip by bus to Lovere]
2 nights Varenna
5 nights Mantova [with day trips to Sabbioneta, Cremona and Modena];
1 night Milan

That would leave you with one extra night to enjoy. You could extend your time on Lago di Como or stay yet more night in Mantova and visit Verona if you've never been.

Sabbioneta

http://www.academiabarilla.com/itali...abbioneta.aspx

Other easy day trips from Mantova:

http://www.borghitalia.it/pg.base.ph...&cod_borgo=214

http://www.padovamedievale.it/info/castle-monselice/en

In September you have the possibility of visiting Monselice at festival time and watch the human chess match

http://www.pilotguides.com/articles/...occa-festival/

http://www.monseliceturismo.it/pagin...d=87&sez_id=59

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/monselice.html

Assuming you are flying United, it probably would have been easier to fly out of the Milan Linate airport to Frankfurt & then to SFO. We flew in/out of Linate last year from SFO.

Stu Dudley

bmk

Thanks, everyone for these great suggestions!