Honeymoon in May-Flying in and out of Milan
 

My fiancee and I plan on spending 10 days in Italy for our honeymoon. We are flying in and out of Milan and were interested in recommendations for places to visit. Our thoughts include: <BR>Lake Como,Venice, Cinque Terre, Bellagio, Florence. <BR>Are we missing out by not going further south (Rome/Amalfi)? <BR>Do you have any recommendations on an itinerary (order of destinations or other destinations we should visit). What will the weather be like in May? <BR>Thank you!

Congratulations! <BR> <BR>What a wonderful gift you are giving each other, this trip! <BR> <BR>And I say throw away those two words - - "missing out". If you let yourself think out on what you are missing out on - - well, there's all the rest of Europe, to say nothing of the other six continents! <BR> <BR>Whether you have made your choices by instinct, or by careful research, the destinations you list will be terrific. <BR>On the whole, your list is borderline too much for 10 days. Pick at least two of them, and make them 24 hours or less, so you can linger more than 48 hrs in 2 or more of the others. <BR> <BR>Are you already locked into flying in AND out of Milan? You may find that it will cost you little or nothing extra to fly home from Venice, and it could save you from having to "complete the circle". <BR> <BR>As for your itinerary, one approach would be start with train to Florence - - then leave there (after 1-3 days with no car) by rental car and end up on day 7, 8 or 9 in Venice and turn the car back in. <BR> <BR>As for weather, most likely it will be beautiful - - warmer in Florence, cooler at the lakes or along the two coasts. Weather in that part of Italy in May will be similar to the considerable range of weather that might occur from Philadelphia to Atlanta. But weather is alway unpredictable, and an anticipated 15 degree difference between point A and point B can turn out to be exactly backwards. I think I can guarantee that you will have SOME beautiful days, and probably, one day when you will wish the weather were different. <BR> <BR>Best wishes for your new life together, <BR> <BR>Rex

Great idea, a honeymoon in Italy. Maybe because I am italian I am very proud of your choice! <BR>I agree with Rex, don't miss Venice. Actually 10 days are such a short time...It depends on the kind of holiday you are looking for, if you want something cultural and artistic so Florence is a must, but not too far there is Siena. Siena and the area around are great places with a charmin atmosphere...if you want something more "natural and panoramic" then cinque terre are simply breathtaking. It is not a long way from Milan and May is the right season, not too many tourists. I am really doubting that in 10 days you can do all the above, so better to choose the main two itineraries. Just for your information there are plenty of trains going directly from Milan to Venice, very convenient. <BR>Have a happy wedding and all the best for your honeymoon (we did it last year in Canada...) <BR>Heaps of hugs <BR>Alessandra

I, too, agree with Rex, especially the Venice part. I would urge you to definitely include Venice in your plans! (See, Rex, we can agree!)

Rebecca, <BR> <BR>Congratulations! <BR> <BR>I's assuming that if your honeymoon is directly following your wedding, you'll need a very nice rest - rather than running around too much. <BR> <BR>I absolutely agree on Venice. It's the most romantic city I can think of! If you fly into Milan, you can easily do the lake region - Lake Como, Maggiore, Garda, d'Orta - Verona and Mantova are wonderful - and then on to Venice. <BR> <BR>Best of luck on your wedding - and planning your wonderful trip!

Thank you so much for your responses! Sounds like we should cut out Florence and stick with Venice, Cinque Terre and Lake Como. Isn't Bellagio a town on Lake Como? Is there another place on Lake Como you would recommend? What about Lake Maggiore, Garda, d'Orta - Verona and Mantova. Should we choose one destination to stay in the lakes region and visit these other places by day trips or will we need to move around within the lakes region? <BR> <BR>Thanks again for your recommendations and warm wishes! <BR>Rebecca

I'm a great believer in doing less places, but doing them well. We had only 3 days in Italy and spent them all in Cinque Terre. Some would say we were mad, but we were thrilled with how it worked out. You can get to CT in about 3 hours by train from Milan. If you like beautiful water, hiking, dramatic scenery, you should love it. We went in September of this year and the weather was perfect. <BR> <BR>From what I've read, Bellagio is a must which is also very close to Milan. <BR>

What hikes on Cinque Terre are not too difficult but still offer breathtaking views? My fiancee loves to hike...I like a little bit of a challenge, but am new to hiking. Is there something both of us would enjoy? What should we avoid?

I'm also interested in the lakes region. I've heard great things about bellagio and orta. I'd be interested in hearing what other people's experiences are.

Rebecca, I didn't do the whole thing, (missed the Corniglia- Vernazza part) but the hardest part - Vernazza to Monterosso is highly recommended. We were jet lagged so woke up at 430am and left our room by 6, while it was still dark. We started walking in the dark and got there in, I think, 1.5 hours. It's the hardest walk, but not sooo hard. It did get quite hot so I highly recommend doing it as early as you can. You also avoid the crowds that way. We found a delicatessen which sold the best fruit I've ever seen in the new part of Monterosso (just 100m or so down from the station). It's just sitting out the front of the shop and you can get great food from there for a picnic. <BR> <BR>The easiest is the southernmost, from Riomaggiore to Manarola (if I recall the order of villages correctly). It has wheelchair access (so is really easy, like flat) and is packed in the middle of the day. Good views, but unless you want to be part of a large crowd, avoid the middle of the day. Depending on how much time you have and how energetic you're feeling, you can just skip sections of the walk by jumping on the train. They run quite regularly. We also walked from Manarola - Corniglia and the view from Corniglia is something. It seemed to be the quietest (as far as tourists went), probably because of the long walk up the stairs from the station to the town. <BR> <BR>I have to recommend a place for gelato in Riomaggiore - walking up the hill from the station, it was on the left hand side not too far up. It has tables and chairs outside and is called Gelateria Artig??? (don't recall the last few letters, but you won't miss it). In my opinion, this was the stuff dreams are made of. Pompelmo Rosa is pink grapefruit - the best I've ever had !! <BR> <BR>If you want more info, feel free to e-mail me directly. <BR> <BR>Have a great time. Don't worry about your hiking skills - we're not particularly fit, but it was well worth the effort. One more thing - the swimming was much better than I expected from my research, so definitely bring your swimmers and goggles if you have them.

Rebecca... <BR> My wife and I enjoyed our honeymoon in Italy back in 1996. We loved it so much that we went back again this past year, and brought along my parents and our 2 yr old son ! <BR> As far as the weather goes.. both times we visited were in late May, with the weather near perfect (high 70's/low 80's)on both occassions. <BR> It sounds like your mission is to try to get a little taste of everthing in your limited stay..If that's the case, then I would recommend something like 2 nights in the smaller towns (i.e. cinqueterre,lakes) and 3 nights in the larger towns (i.e. Venice)... <BR> As far as the lakes go.. we've been to both Como and Maggiore. Both were equally beautiful and relaxing..Bellagio and Stresa would be great towns to base yourselves, assuming you only have a day or two to spend...You can easily hop on a boat and see the surrounding sights without much effort... <BR> Aside from the lakes.. we've also been to Venice, Rome, Florence, **Ravello** (personal favorite !), Siena, and Santa Margherita... <BR> Enjoy .. you won't be dissappointed !

I've heard great things about Ravello also. Unfortunately, I think that will have to wait for another trip since it's further south.

Rebecca, save Ravello for your next trip..or a future trip..to the Amalfi Coast. That's a trip in itself!

Any recommendations of places to visit while in Venice? (e.g., cafes, restaurants, day-trips, etc.?)

becky -- (may i call you becky?) <BR> <BR>you sound like a lovely girl with a very bright future ahead of you. however, i must caution that you don't try to do too much during your honeymoon vacation. first, i'm sure you will need time to relax and enjoy your new husband. second, you sound like a young woman with many, many other weddings you will be attending (possibly as a bridesmaid?), so you may want to save your money to give away later as gifts. just my personal opinion.

What to do in Venice, Rebecca? Just walk and walk and walk, get lost a few times and enjoy this enchanting city! Perfect spot for a honeymoon!

Rebecca... <BR> Personally I think Howard's got the right idea about Venice... just walk until you're lost ! However; there is plenty to see and do in terms of museums, churches, shopping, excursions to one of the nearby Venetian islands such as Murano(glassmaking..very interesting to watch) or Burano (linens..).etc... <BR> Restauraunts/cafe's do tend to be very overpriced compared to the rest of Italy..but that's to be expected... especially along the Grand Canal and near San Marco's. We found some fantastic restaurants just by wandering slightly off the beaten track and others were from recommendations from the locals. <BR> After dinner..be sure to wander back towards SanMarco's ... the live music is very festive as is the atomosphere..

In Venice I warmly suggest to visit the jewish ghetto where there are the talles buildings in town (to contain more people). Don't forget also St. Giorgio island and Burano. A short visit is worth also to Scalinata del Bovolo... <BR>I am going to Venice for the NYE!!!

Thanks for all of your advice and insight! Can you recommend any great restaurants in Venice?

Antico Martinit at www.anticomartini.com - - do NOT think that this place is some kind of tourist trap just because they have a nice presence on the internet. <BR> <BR>The owner himself will treat you very nice. I hope your fiancé (btw, only one "e" for a guy) isn't reading this - - you can probably arrange a very nice surprise for him - - personalized menus - - "In honor of..."