annw

I hope you are staying overnight in Ravenna. After seeing the World Heritage mosaic sites, you could enjoy aperitifs in the ancient center (Aperol Spritz my rec) and the snack buffet that is complimentary when you buy a drink. Sit on the Piazza di Polopo, watch the passagiata and the older Italian men hold court at "their" tables while you enjoy la dolce far niente. Let me know if you need hotel recs.

Leely2

I had a great lunch in Ravenna on annw's recommendation once. I day-tripped from Bologna, but agree that it would have been nice to stay overnight. My visit was in July, and I'm pretty wimpy about hot weather but I still managed to sightsee and have a wonderful time. So if I were you--and I'm not--I wouldn't sweat it (harhar) too much unless you are certain that humidity or hot weather will ruin your day/s.

bon_voyage

Leely, I hope to be following in your footsteps to Ortisei in September and Bologna as well. Do you recall where you had that great lunch in Ravenna?

bilboburgler

Generally I have alot of confidence in Dukey
The towns of the Po are generally humid, as massimop says, they just are, unless there is a wind (who knows)
We also spent 24 hours in Ravenna which allowed us to use the 24 hour ticket to see most of the mosaics

Sorry about the spelling errors in last section, a paella beckoned.

In terms of trains don't cut out buses as well, the regionale trains are required to stop at some of the smaller stations.

If using the trains I'd stay in Padua

massimop

Just in general it's very hard to get a sense of what you are trying to accomplish on your trip. Even if it weren't August, trying to drive into Verona for part of a day -- to do what? Verona is a major city with major traffic, ZTLs, scarce parking, which gets even more scarce during opera season.

If you were taking trains from Torino, to the Italian Rivera, to Parma, to Bologna and Ravenna, then it would be less time consuming and maybe you could add Verona or another city during a 2 week trip. But I think because you have a car you are going to see a lot of your time chewed up looking for parking far away from the sights and the ZTLs, and getting stuck in traffic. You might be able to pop into some of the cities for part of day if you took the train. Not so easy if you are carrying a car on your back.

Every single place you are naming in your posts has a train station, ZTLs and parking problems. If you are committed to having the car, start looking for small towns and rural sights, lodgings with swimming pools and scenic driving. Many of them are lovely.

But if you want to see historic cities, ditch the car.

baloney

Massimop, I appreciate your feedback. It's true that we are trying to pack too much into a short trip. When we are in countries like Italy, we try to see as much as we can, even at the expense of relaxing. That is the reason I've been turning to you knowledgeable and helpful Fodorites, in the hope that you can help me figure out what towns are must-sees and which are not, and which make better places to stay overnight.

My husband and son, in particular, love art, historical sites and architecture.(They could spend the entire day visiting museums, churches, and interesting buildings.) I enjoy that, too, though would be happy to have a bit more time to relax, walk the streets and soak in the atmosphere of each place we visit. We are following this trip with a week of relaxation with other family in the states, so that is the compromise. When we are retired and have more leisure time, I will plan trips differently, but for now, with limited vacation and only 2 weeks to work with, I am trying to do the best I can.

We have usually traveled with a car, because we like the flexibility it offers, and have never found it be that burdensome. If we weren't leaving in a week, I might take the time to explore putting this trip together differently, including ditching the car and using trains, but I simply don't have the time. We may pay the price with parking woes. But we might also get lucky, as we usually do. Having a car hasn't ruined a vacation yet.

Here's how the itinerary is shaping up so far. Suggestions for scaling it back are welcome.

Days 1 and 2: Torino. 2 nights Torino.
Day 3: coastal walk Zaogli, then to Chiavari. Overnight Chiavari.
Day 4: Parma. Overnight Parma
Day 5: Sabionneta and Mantua. Overnight Mantua
Day 6: Ferrara. Overnight Ferrara
Day 7: Ravenna. Overnight Ravenna
Days 8 and 9: Bologna. 2 nights Bologna
Days 10 and 11: Vicenza. Overnight Vicenza
Days 12: Day in Verona. Overnight Milan.
Day 13: Milan. Overnight Milan
Day 14: fly home

Should we use Bologna as a base for visiting Ravenna and/or Ferrara, instead of having separate overnights in those towns?

Should we skip going for a day to the Ligurian coast? We're not into beach resorts, but I thought a coastal walk, freah seafood and a visit to the old town of Chiavari would be a nice addition to the trip. But it does add several hours of driving to our third day. Thoughts?

bilboburgler

Fresh fish is available away from the coast.

I'd not do the extra miles just to see the Ligurian coast.

Just check out if any of your hotels are inside ZTLs, if so might be worth dropping a note to the hotel to check what is best practice.

If you have the burden of a car I'd move each night especially given how soon the trip is and your clarity of mind.

I'm assuming you have hotels booked.

massimop

If your son and husband "love art, historical sites and architecture", they won't be seeing much of if those with this itinerary.

"They could spend the entire day visiting museums, churches, and interesting buildings." So, um, what's the point of skipping that, all but for a single day? (Ravenna -- and I guess you'll have time to see some art & architecture in Milan).

There is one parking lot in Zoagli. I believe you need to reserve in advance to use it. You can check with the town website.

http://www.comune.zoagli.ge.it

The reason to go to Chiavari for food is to eat farinata, not seafood. The historic part of Chiavari is not at the seaside, but inland. You can eat seafood in Ravenna, lake fish in Mantova.

You write that you are turning to people like me, but I've given you my best advice. There are no "must-see" to drive to and then leave before you've sen anything. Now you have told me that for your own reasons, you're not changing anything about your trip. I sincerely wish you the same success you've had with your other trips.

massimop

Meant to add that the most historic building in Chiavari in its prettiest piazza is currently under total scaffolding and plastic wrap, which renders moot interest in seeing it.

Leely2

Off-topic:
Hi bon_voyage! I don't remember the name of the restaurant in Ravenna. I just happened to walk by but had made a note of the place that annw (or perhaps someone else here who has taken mosaic classes in Ravenna?) had been to. I noticed it was the same place so stopped to eat.

How exciting that you are going to Ortisei. I loved the Dolomites. So beautiful and I lucked out with sunny days, just one evening of showers. I think you will enjoy it--tremendous walking/hiking. I stayed at Hotel Grones, a very nice, family-run hotel.

Have a wonderful trip.

bon_voyage

Hi Leely and thanks! I've now taken note of annw's restaurants recs.

OReilly

Ravenna was a highlight of my Rome/Bologna trip last October. I did a day LONG trip from Bologna, but it definitely deserves an overnight if you can fit it in. I did get to see all the major highlights in one long day.

I dined here. It was good, even great in parts:

Restaranto Osteria del Tempo Perso
http://www.osteriadeltempoperso.it/

baloney

Massimop -- Sorry that you've taken offense. I'm trying to digest and consider a lot of advice, all welcome, but sometimes divergent. I do appreciate your input on whether the trip to the Ligurian coast makes sense. Your comments have persuaded me to skip it. I'm not sure why you say that we won't see art and architecture with this itinerary, though. We tried to choose towns that have significant cathedrals, art, buildings or other places of interest; and adding in Padua, which I accidentally left off the itinerary, more than half of them are Unesco sites.

Thanks O'Reilly for the nudge on staying overnight in Ravenna, and for the restaurant recommendation.

And Bon_Voyage and Leely, if you do figure out the name of the Ravenna restaurant that is a good lunch spot, I would love to have it.

Thanks,everyone!

OReilly

It is YOUR trip Boloney, so you don't need to apologize to anyone!

It is a lot of information to take in. Its like we are designing our own best trip. Take the advice as suggestions, not RULEs.

I used to drive, but am now getting used to travelling by train - doing day trips from a central base rather than driving from town to town.

For my upcoming trip, I started with looking up train schedules, to determine where I could base myself, and visit the towns on my 'wish list'. I had to compromise and drop some towns, and am now into the eight version of my itinerary .

As a general rule, I find it far less stressful to have 2 bases for 14 days, from where I would do day trips. No, you will not see everything in a particular town, but you also don’t have to worry about the packing and unpacking and the loss of valuable time getting your group from A to B. Not to even mention booking multiple hotels,

So, maybe it would be better to do an overnight in Ravenna as I suggested, or maybe it would be better to do a day-trip from Bologna and not have to move hotels. You weigh up the difference and decide what is best.

If you are the ‘Generalissimo’ for the trip, you may have to make executive decisions regarding what is achievable within the time you have and the stress level. Force them to prioritise what they want to do, and make choices.

Regards … Ger

bon_voyage

Baloney, best of luck with all of your planning! As I will have just the day in Ravenna, I've also looked at quick, easy options like Profumo di Piadina, as well as sit-down restaurants, depending upon my mood.
Ger, the Osteria Del Tempo Perso looks charming--thanks for adding it to the mix.

OReilly

Sorry, that should have been 2-4 bases

annw

For Ravenna visitors: Right in the antique center are Albergo Capello and Hotel Byron.
But if you have a car to deak with consider Palazzzo Bezzi or Albergo Galleti Abbiosi but ask them about parking. There's a lot nearby and no cars are allowed in antique center as is often the case in Italian towns.

There's one ticket to get to most of the mosaic sites and most are walking distance from the center.

Restaurants: La Gardela, Bella Venezia are right in town; Ca de Ven is a gorgeous room and tends to be busy; front reception is brusque but don't be put off. Albergo Capello was also quite good for dinner.

But it is great to go for the aperitif hour and get the drinks (aperol spritz or wine) and complimentary snacks if you don't stay for dinner.

Several gelato places.

Check TA also for restaurants and hotels as needed--train station vicinity felt safe but just not appealing and many good spots close to town.

massimop

I wasn't offended. I was only pointing out that I had already given you my advice, and in just about every instance you rejected it, which doesn't offend me, but I saw no point repeating it. You cited your past travel experiences in Italy as your primary reason for creating the kind of trip you're about to take this time. Presumably if you didn't enjoy your last trip like this you wouldn't do another, so I sincerely hope you enjoy this trip as much as you did previous ones like it.

I said that your family woudn't see much art or architecture taking the itinerary you posted because it would mean spending the majority of your daylight hours in the car or walking from parking lots to historic centers and back again, and that in the few hours you'd be in most of the towns it would be during hours when museums and churches are closed, or you'd be in places with little to offer in the way of art or architecture anyway. Now that you've added Padova, even if you are skipping the beach, you won't be in these towns long enough to actually visit the specific sites that give them meaning.

y

massimop

(Ravenna excepted, as i said before)

scrb11

Curious which ones the OP visited.

I've been to all of them except Mantova, all as day trips though, other than Verona.

I'm going to be in Venice later this month for 4 nights so I may choose to revisit some of these for day trips. Thought about Trieste but it's too far away. I'd be taking the train of course.

Have to admit, my day trips are kind of rushed. Usually try to visit more than one town in a day so usually a couple of hours at each.

I could visit Vicenza and Padova, which I've been to more than once, though again, kind of rushed through. Vicenza, I didn't even get out to Teatro Olimpico, certainly not inside. Nor out to Monte Berico. Weather wasn't the greatest either. I think the pictures of the villas are usually in bright sunshine.