My niece is getting married in Padova on 6/7. If I spend the $$ to go to the wedding, I'd like to take a little extra time to do some touring. There would be 3 of us, and we're thinking of about 7 extra days for touring. We'd like at least 2 nights in Venice, from where we fly in and out. Any suggestions for the additional time? I thought maybe the northern lakes area, but I haven't really done any research yet. I've never been to Italy before! Thanks for any suggestions.

If it was me, I would stay in Venice for 3 nights, then Bellagio on Lake Como for 3 nights, then back to Venice for 1 night before my flight.

Hi karinkz!

For what it is worth, my DH and I spent only 10 days on our honeymoon and did Switzerland, Como, Venice, Florence within that time.That was my first time to Italy as well. It was a sampler for sure. We flew into Zurich, and headed south,staying in Zug Switzerland.The next day we desended into Italy, visitingVenice and followed Rick Steve's "Venice Through the Back Door" travel book, and were delighted at the acuracy of it, and the casual style of the author. The driving is suprisingly easy, IMO, you get alot of kms..for your travel buck!!If you need any more inf....just mail!!

Ahhhhh Bellagio, on Lake Como....Yes Hotel Flori!!I will never forget!!

Padova is beautiful and home to an important university apart from other things. The Veneto is full of interesting cities and towns - we really enjoyed Vicenza which is quite nearby. Drive to Mestre and take the train to Venice, of course.

If you want to drive a little further, I strongly recommend an excursion into the Trentino. Trento is the principal city but it is the gateway to the stunning Dolomite mountains (take the cable car from the edge of the city). While Bolzano (further up the autostrada) is not particularly attractive, there is also a cable car to Oberbozen from where you can tour by a charming narrow gauge mountain tram. This link shows Lago di Toblino where there is an excellent, and reasonable, ristorante.

http://www.hidden-italy.com/images/image016.html

Have a great time,

Peter

Hi Karinkz - If you don't want to go as far as Lake Como, consider Lake Garda.

The northern part is very scenic ...

Steve

I have to agree with ctoner....definately Bellagio on Lake Como...Hotel Metropole which is right on lake. It is very easy to get there from Venice....take a train from Venice to Milan and then a connection to Vareena. You can then catch a ferry across beautiful Lake Como straight to Bellagio. Alternatively you could catch a train to Como and then a ferry up the lake to Bellagio. Check timetables out on trenitalia website. We were there last September and travelled throughout Italy, but our fondest memories were of Bellagio and Venice and with your limited time you can't go wrong.

I agree with Steve---with a week I would spend time at the north end of Garda and then over to the Dolomites for 2 nites before ending near Venice. But, that will demand a car. You will love the area.

Yes, make sure you spend some time in Venice proper, not Mestre or the Lido.

And, in the Veneto there's Verona and Vicenza, and the smaller towns, Asolo and Bassano del Grappa, all worth a visit. Plus you're not too far from the Dolomites, if you're into mountains.

Otherwise, I concur with the suggestion of Lake Garda. No need to go all the way to Como (unless you're flying out of Milan).

As long as you are there, don't neglect Padova....a fascinating town with a great market, the Giotto frescoes at the Scrovegni Chapel and a beautiful historic center. In addition to Venice, you could easily spend a few days in Verona--one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. From there, Lake Garda is an easy day trip as are the hill towns of the Dolomite foothills--Asolo, Bassano da Grappa, Marostica, etc.

If you are at all interested in architecture, Vicenza and the surrounding countryside is a treasure trove of Palladio's works.

You can easily fill up your time in the Veneto without venturing too far afield......other attractions are Treviso--an attractive and prosperous city, Belluno--another gateway to the Dolomites and the prosecco wine country near Conegliano.

Thanks everyone--you've given me some very good ideas. When our itinerary is firmed up, I'm sure I'll be back for suggestions re hotels and sights. In the meantime, can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced hotel within Venice proper? We're on a limited budget. I've got some suggestions for hotels that are short bus rides away, but I would prefer to be able to walk to our hotel (for short rests, naps, etc) if at all possible.

We got a very nice deal on the Rezidenzia Cannareggio through one of the web travel services. It looks good on the web but our stay, including breakfast, in this converted monastery is not until July.

I will also be traveling to Northern Italy in late June 08, and was considering where to stay when trying to visit the Dolomites. I had thought to stay in the vicinity of Bolzano, perhaps Castelrotto. From there, we might also take a day trip up to Innsbruk. After that part of our trip we would be heading to Venice.

Do you folks think that Castelrotto is the best base to use, or should we consider Trento?

Thanks

Hi Clt - The best bases near Bolzano IMO are Ortisei or Castelrotto.

I have a slight preference for Ortisei - for touring and for easy access to nearby lifts - but you can't go wrong with either IMO.

www.valgardena.it
http://www.kastelruth.net/kastelruth/

Hope this helps ...

Steve

I agree with Steve. While you can't go wrong with either, you may want to locate them on a map and decide which has better access to the places you want to see.

BTW, on my first trip to the Dolomites, I was stuck with an anemic Daewoo auto. It made the driving a chore. Be certain to get reserve a car with the handling, power and room that will take advantage of the mountain roads.

Hi,
I have to agree with Ortisei. Actually any of the 3 villages (Ortisei, St. Christina, Selva) in Val Gardena would be ideal. My opinion...Since you're in the Dolomites, I really wouldn't bother going to Innsbruck. Since you'll be heading to Venice, you could also think about staying in Alta Badia, just a little further east towards Venice, if you're going through the Dolomites and Cortina.

www.altabadia.org

http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortin...uoi/index.html

Paul

Hi gain,
Just wanted to add... in place of Innsbruck I'd recommend visiting the beautiful old town of Brixen/Bressanone. It's much closer and much nicer in my opinion.

www.brixen.org

Paul

In addition to the Lakes and Venice you might want to consider stopping in Vicenza (architecture) , Parma (ham, cheese, university, nice town) , Ravenna (excellent mosaics), Verona (Romeo & Juliet, amphiteater) , and Cremona (home of the stradivarius) --- not necessarily staying overnight in all of these.

Definitely do your own research on the towns you're considering and decide for yourself which ones would suit your fancy. I love town-hopping in Italy, it's so much fun for me.