zeppole

You might want to reconsider Varenna as a the place on the lake with a car. The other side of the lake gives you more opportunity to use the car to get to other interesting places. Also, Varenna is a particularly difficult place to find accommodations where you can park. The town is much steeper than the other towns.

Again, with a car, I would prefer to daytrip into Bologna (you can easily find parking at the edge of the historic center), but stay in the countryside. Most people now agree that the best food in Emilia-Romagna is to be found in the countryside, at hotel-restaurants or agriturismi.

It's not impossible to find lodgings with parking in Bologna, but you will part of a lot of rush hour traffic every day if you try to use the car. Lodgings in Bologna can be quite pricey to begin with, so tacking on daily parking adds to that.

I enjoy road trips too (I just came back from 11 days of one through Piemonte and the Val d'Aosta), but we did it without reservations (and that's not everybody's style, and for Venice, Milan and central Bologna, you must reserve in May).

yestravel

We did a similar trip a few years ago and picked up our rental car when we left Bologna. We took the train from VCE to Bologna and we visited Ravenna by train as a day trip form Bologna. I couldn't agree with u more about the "wonderful experiences that unfold" as one drives from destination to destination. The area u r visiting is an incredibly destination rich one. So many lovely small villages not to mention the places u have already mentioned. There was so much to c that we ended up coming back the next year for another month visit to the area.

Of the 3 places u mention, Verona, Vicenza or Padua, I would stay in either Verona or Padua. They are both really nice in their own way. I thought Verona charming and Padua more citified if that makes sense. Padua had way less tourists. I loved the small hotel we stayed at, Belludi 37. In Verona we were in a small pensione which was also quite nice. U cant go wrong staying in either of them.

Jean

A hotel I can recommend in Varenna that has parking and fabulous views:

http://www.albergodulac.com/home/index.php?lang=en

There are many places to explore with a car on the eastern side of Lake Como, especially if you want to go up into the mountains. You can reach both Bellagio and Menaggio by car ferry, but it's also only about a 80/90-minute drive over land from Varenna to either, and you'd see parts of the lake that few visitors (at least Fodorites) normally see.

I like your revised plan. I probably wouldn't pick up the car until leaving Bologna (unless you choose to stay outside of the city), and I'd drop it at Lecco when leaving Lake Como.

charnees

By the way, prices of accommodations in Bologna can vary drastically, depending on whether there is a trade show in town. (Bologna is a big trade show center). So if you can vary the dates of your stay there, you may be surprised at the difference in price.

Lexma90

I agree that if you stay IN Bologna, then having a car for that portion might be more hassle than it's worth. We tend to be pro-car rental, but if I was following your itinerary (which I like very much, though I would skip the lakes, but that's my own personal preference) I would arrive in Venice, train to Bologna and train from Bologna to Ravenna, then pick up the rental car upon leaving Bologna.

We prefer to stay IN Bologna because we like to walk around in the evening, before and after dinner, people-watching and eating gelato. We've enjoyed the restaurants that we've eaten at in Bologna very much.

zeppole

You'll probably get the most useful advice about hotels with parking, or staying inside cities or out if you talk about your budget. In the month of May, hotel double rooms with lake views in Varenna go for more than $275 per night, with another $20 per night for parking. Likewise, May is still the trade fair business season in Bologna, when hotel costs peak, and parking gets costly too.

For me, the already high cost of having a car and paying for gas, tolls or car ferry fees is offset by staying out of city centers or tourist ground central. There, the cost of lodgings drop dramatically, and yet are still lovely, and parking is free. I like to stay at agriturismi, wineries or hotel-restaurants that serve dinner, which you can find in several scenic places in Lago di Como, in the places like Jean mentioned, where fewer tourists go.

InMiami

I think the next step is to price-out the hotels in each location. I have decided on the Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo in Venice from the great reviews it receives on Tripadvisor. I just have to be sure on which end of our trip we will be in Venice.

Bologna seems to be our next hotel challenge and I will start working on it immediately. Perhaps hotel prices will decide if we stay in the center city or a hotel in the surrounding areas and thus if we drive or use the train. My partner has retired so we try to keep our hotels under $200/night which I have been successful at finding.

I prefer quaint to developed so Verona may be our best bet. I also think that I will drop off the car in Milan before heading out to Varenna so parking will not be an issue. Thanks to all for your input and I will get to Tripadvisor/Frommers/Fodors/Booking at once for hotel reviews to assist in our hotel choice.

Jean

Without a car in Varenna, there are obviously other options.

Here is an apartment near the du Lac in Varenna. Nice rates, good reviews, great location.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationR...dy.html#photos

If your time on the lake will be mid-week, I would also look in Bellagio.

http://www.residencelalimonera.com/

zeppole

I'm not sure what you mean by "quaint," by Verona is not a small town. It is an Italian city almost the same size as Bologna, and while both have compact historic/touristic centers, both have very large areas of modern development ringing them or attached to them (which gets considerable traffic jams during rush hours, making daytripping with a car an extra hassle). Both Bologna and Verona are important commercial centers for Italy, with lots of modern commercial structures. They would probably be indistinguishable from Milan were it not for the fact that Milan has lost its medieval core for the most part.

If you would like an antique smaller city with easier parking at the core, consider Mantova or Vicenza.

For Bologna, I believe Antica Casa Zucchini has doubles in your price range, and it is a wonderfully located, atmospheric place that really gives you an insider's experience of behind-closed-doors Bologna. I am not sure however where you could park a car near there if you plan to have one in Bologna.

valtor

We stayed two years ago in Bologna at Zanhotel Regina . Large room, very clean, on the commercial street with big arcades, 3 minutes fro train station and 5 minutes to Piazza Maggiore. We paid 76 Euro / night, buffet breakfast included.

InMiami

Thanks for these hotel recomendations. I am now looking more closely at Vicenza as a base instead of Verona for that area. I will update if I find any interesting hotels at my locations.

Lexma90

In 2009, we were booked to stay at Hotel Touring, which I chose partly because it was on a quiet street in the part of town that we wanted to be in. We were bumped, however, to a sister hotel, Tre Vecchia, on via dell’Independenza. I didn't like staying on that street, as it's quite noisy right outside the hotel (the room itself was quiet), and I prefer the parts of town that are south of Piazza Maggiore. Tre Vecchia, while supposedly a 4* (we usually stay in 3* places) was a little rundown. Both hotels would be in your price range, I believe.

A hotel I considered but rejected because I wasn't sure about the location was Zanhotel Il Canale. We walked by it while we were in Bologna, and the locationw was great, quiet, and central. I think we'll stay here the next time we visit Bologna.

Another place we've stayed in Bologna (different trip) was Il Convento dei Fiori di Seta, a lovely and very stylish B&B. I remember it being a bit above our usual price range, but we got a good deal. It's a bit further from the center of town than I liked, but other than that, a great choice. If you have a car, they might be able to provide or direct you toward parking.

zeppole

Another town you might consider is Valeggio sul Minico. It is really a small town, but it has a great reputation for food, and it has lots of convenient access to Verona and Lago di Garda and other towns on your list.

Vicneza is the big must-do for lovers of Palladian architecture, however, and if that is a major interest of yours, that might work best for you. But I bring up Valeggio sul Mincio because it is a very small historic city, but it has sophistication and a pretty setting.

http://www.valeggio.com/en/art-and-monuments.html

and this is an extremely good website for finding a "quaint" borgo in Italy. Here is the description of Valeggio sul Mincio, whose antique name was "Borghetto"

http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo...=elenco&page=1

InMiami

Zeppole, the site describing Borghetto is very interesting. Especially in regards to the history of that town. I am leaning towards not renting a car which would make this too remote a location. If I do rent a car this would be perfect for quick in and out of town.