SarahAnne

Will be coming from Florence, no car (relying on public transportation, and want to see Lake Garda and Veneto for the first time. Have been to Venice before and will be ending the trip there.<BR><BR>So far, my research in books, here, etc., has me leaning toward Bassano del Grappa/Asolo and Torri de Benaco/Peschiere areas for bases, splitting 2 and 3 nights each. I like smaller towns, lots of countryside, mountains, lakes, and no crowds. The trip will be the end of September/beginning of October. Are these good spots to stay and explore? Would like to be able to hike around some but nothing too &quot;serious&quot;.<BR><BR>Some have written here that some towns/areas are &quot;less Italian&quot; and more influenced by Austrian-German heritage. That's fine, too. I like both environments.

rex

See my previous posts her about the town of Trento, and a wonderful liitle book offered by the tourist office there on Castles of the region. Let me know if you cannot find any such previous posts. I can probably find you an address if you need to write to them (e-mail or snail mail - - can't remember whether they have e-mail).<BR><BR>I cannot speak to how you will do to enjoy this area without a car. It doesn't seem appelaing to me, but I am not such a fan of buses, trains, etc.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

SarahAnne

Thank you for the feedback. I was unsure of Trento as wasn't sure if it were too far north (uncertain of actual travel times between the areas). Will need to get from Florence to the first stop and from the last stop to Venice.<BR><BR>I will search for your prior posts regarding Trento and the related information. And, not worried about public transportation unless it is unavailable. I like busses, trains, ferries, etc.

rex

If, for some reason, I wanted to &quot;base&quot; somewhere withOUT a car, I might choose Verona. You may have to connect through there to go a lot of the places you want to go, anyhow.<BR><BR>Verona to Trento is probably only an hour, whereas from Bassano del Grappa (which is closer by road), it might be three, for all I know.<BR><BR>I think that you probably can reach some of these wonderful castles, hiking on foot only from Trento, though in some cases it is plenty enough hike just to get the &quot;half mile up&quot; to them. Not sure how many miles out from Trento (and back) you would want to add on to that.<BR><BR>That's why I would want a car. That. and flexibility to come and go whenever, wherever you want.<BR>

Steve_James

Hello SarahAnne,<BR><BR>You have good options for day-trips in both areas, so you can't go wrong.<BR><BR>Of the two, I'd suggest Torre del Benaco for Lake Garda as it's more central. It's convenient for buses to the northern lake resorts, e.g. RIVA, MALCESINE ... as well as VERONA.<BR>Don't miss LIMONE, reachable by ferry/hydrofoil.<BR><BR>From Malcesine you can also take a cable car for a hike in the mountains.<BR><BR>Asolo and Bassano are only about 40 mins apart by bus. Both are relatively convenient for Venice (- Bassano is on a direct rail route). <BR><BR>Two of my favourite Veneto towns, TREVISO and VICENZA, are accessible from either by public transport.<BR><BR>If you choose Bassano, nearby MAROSTICA makes a pleasant visit.<BR>From Bassano you could also get into the Trentino Dolomites by train and bus for some fantastic scenery - especially around SAN MARTINO DI CASTROZZA.<BR><BR>From Asolo you could get into the Veneto Dolomites around Cortina or Belluno - though this would be a longer journey by public transport.<BR><BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ...<BR><BR>Steve<BR><BR>

SarahAnne

Wow, Steve. These were many ideas I hoped were &quot;doable&quot; from my research. This is good food for thought and I may take you up on your offer for more information once my research/itinerary are better formed.<BR><BR>Thank you, again, for your input as it really helps solidify my ideas.

SarahAnne

On second thought: my number of nights for the area is six. Originally, as first posted, thought splitting evenly between a place right at the edge of Lake Garda and either Asolo or Bassano. Now, am thinking that Vicenza really looks like a place I would like to base out of. As noted, will rely solely on public transportation. I really love water, mountains, general exploring, smaller towns, outdoors, and lots of good food and wine.<BR><BR>That being said, how would you suggest to divide up the nights as far as where to based myself? Nearly all of your suggested daytrips/must-sees are on my list already, so would love to hear further ideas.<BR><BR>Thanks!

Steve_James

SarahAnne - We used VICENZA as a base for a few days, and visited Bassano and Asolo as a combined day-trip (with a change of bus in Bassano).<BR><BR>Marostica is en route to Bassano, - so you could actually visit all three in a day if you wanted.<BR><BR>Vicenza is also convenient for Verona, Treviso and Padova by train, so makes a good base if these places are on your list.<BR><BR>From TORRI DEL BENACO you could easily spend 3-4 days visiting places around the lake and beyond.<BR><BR>Riva, Limone, Malcesine and Sirmione are a few of my favourites on the lake.<BR><BR>From Riva you could also visit 2 other attractive lakes by bus - LEDRO and TENNO (both relatively untouristed) - as well as the VARONE waterfalls. <BR><BR>The north end of Lake Garda is surrounded by mountains, so you could do some lovely walks. <BR><BR>A fine walk from Riva is the old Lake Ledro road - now closed to traffic by barrier but still used by walkers and cyclists. This climbs alongside Lake Garda for a couple of miles.<BR>There are several (short) tunnels - but the lake views are ever more stunning.<BR>There is a waterfall at the top.<BR><BR>If you go to LIMONE, you could combine it with a mountain bus ride from there up to Tremosine/Tignale for more superb lake views.<BR><BR>From Torri del Benaco you could also do a longer trip into the Brenta Dolomites (e.g. Lake Molveno) with careful planning around bus timetables.<BR><BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ...<BR><BR>Steve<BR>

SarahAnne

Thank you so much for your feedback. It's invaluable. Do you (or other posters) have suggestions for accommodations in Vicenza for less than Euro80? My searches are turning up mostly business hotels and several dingy looking establishments.

Mariarosa

Funny, I just replied to another thread about hotels in Vicenza. I'll cut and paste:<BR><BR>&quot;Date: 04/03/2003, 11:16 am<BR>Message: I stayed at the Due Mori. It was great for a two-star and for the price - good central location, clean, spacious room (for Europe), nice big window, wood furniture. But if you're looking for something 'special' you can cross it off your list. The bathroom had a funny shower and, while nice for a two-star, it wasn't exactly special.&quot;<BR><BR>I also want to say how much we enjoyed Verona and Trento. In fact, I liked Verona much more than Vicenza because it had more cultural and historic sights and a larger variety of restaurants. It would also be very easy to do day-trips to Sirmione and Trento from Verona. I've taken the Verona-Trento train a few times and it is a delightful route. However, Verona is sort of in the middle of your two (current) bases and probably not as convenient as splitting your time in two bases.<BR><BR>Finally, I just want to say that Steve_James knows a lot about this area, (his advice helped me plan my trips) so whatever he suggests is good.

Isobel

Verona is a lovely town - we did a guided bus tour of Lake Garda and the Dolomites from here. It is so nice to wander the streets of Verona - it has lovely 14th century gardens Guisti Gardens I think they are called and a night at the opera in the Roman Arena is something else! We sat in the cheapest seats (stone) around �17 GBP with our sandwiches and wine - what an experience! Good cheap place for lunch called Brek in the main square. Salads, pasta fish.