italiatraveler

Hello! I will be traveling with my husband and four year old son to Italy for 3-1/2 weeks in mid-September. We will be flying into Florence and out of Venice. We will be renting a car and like to stay in country places with swimming pools when we are not in cities. Since we are traveling with our son, we like to rent 2 BR places with kitchen, dishwasher, washing machine etc.

I am looking for suggestions on the itinerary and specific places to stay. We have been to Italy a few times before (including getting married in Chianti and honeymooning all over) as well as a trip to Orvieto, Lucca, Rapolono di Terme, and Viterbo about 2-12 years ago.

Thanks so much for any input into the itinerary.
Here's our potential itinerary:
Sept 12 - Arrive Florence. Stay Fiesole or somewhere country-ish with pool within one hour of Florence Airport. Or possibly stay in Florence itself.
Sept 17 - Stay somewhere in Umbria or Marche as home base for area.
Sept 24 - Bologna (or other suggestions - visited Mantova in the past and really loved it!)
Sept 27 - Lake Garda or Lake Como
Sept 30 - Verona (thought it was really delightful when we visited in the past)
Oct 2 - Venice for five nights

A few questions:
1) We are considering staying in Fiesole when we first arrive as a base for visiting Florence. We are thinking it will be more relaxing than staying directly in Florence. Other suggestions for cute towns or specific places to stay about one hour from Florence airport?
2) Suggestions for specific neighborhoods or apartments in Florence (need 2 BR with lift preferred)
3) Suggestions for specific towns or places to stay in as a base in Umbria or Marche. What do people think of Spello or Spoleto?
4) Is Lake Garda worth a visit? On our honeymoon, we visited Lake Como and stayed in Bellagio which was delightful. But since we are going to Venice, I'm thinking that Lake Garda would be easier.

ekc

I think Fiesole would be a delightful place to stay. We toured a wonderful villa and garden when we visited last year.

Instead of Bologna, I would suggest staying in Asolo since you will have a car. Charming small town with lots of good daytrip options.

Based on a blog I have been following (www.ilbelcentro.com), Spello sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

tuscanlifeedit

I've been to Spello and it is a nice little town, little being the important word. But since you like quieter places, it might be good for you. Good restaurants in Spello.

I also agree that Fiesole is a good choice. It is super easy to get down the hill in to Florence by bus, and also an inexpensive taxi ride.

I don't have specific apartments to recommend, sorry.

isabel

I really liked Sirmione on Lake Garda. I had left it off several previous itineraries because people made it sound so 'touristy' as to be unpleasant but, while there were plenty of tourists mid day, it was still a beautiful place and early (before about 11am) it was delightful. I imagine it would be so in the evening as well. I visited it as a day trip from Verona but plan to return and stay there. I would like to visit the rest of the lake as well. I think that would be a great destination to combine with Venice.

If you like Mantova consider visiting Ferrara and Modena, both in the region between Bologna and Verona. And also near Verona is Padua.

I have photos of all these places - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/ital...s_cinque_terre
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/italy__the_veneto
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/italy_emilia_romagna

italiatraveler

Wow - thanks everybody! Great advice. Isabel - I love the Emilia Romagna pictures -- so picturesque and perfect. And Asolo looks lovely too. Where would you base yourself for Emilia Romagna region (in order to visit Bologna, Ferrara Parma, Modena, etc.)?

For Asolo area, would you stay there or Treviso?

ekc

We stayed in Parma for 3 days and loved it. Took several day trips to surrounding towns/farms. We stayed at Hotel Della Rosa Prati and really enjoyed our view of the Duomo and the kitchenette in our room.

Although we had a great lunch in Treviso, I would stay in Asolo. The town is tiny and charming.