Italy, need some direction please
 

I currently live in Germany and have begun to plan a mid-April trip to Italy. My original idea was to spend a week in Tuscany but came across a really great airfare (Ryanair) today to Milan. My mom and sister will joining me for this adventure also. I am not a huge fan of driving, prefer to take the train... So with all that said here is my question, Could we fly into Milan and still be able to find a quaint village (with a train station would be the icing on the cake) to base out of? Is Tuscany out of the question now? Do you prefer that area over Tuscany?

THanks for any help...

Which Milan airport?.....be sure the airfare is still great once you've added luggage etc.

You could take the train/bus to Como and then take a bus or ferry to a quaint village...

http://www.lakecomoapartment.com has info about the area

Would Verona be too big?

Which airport in Milan? I don't think Tuscany is out of the question since you can take a fast train and be in Florence in two hours. Where in Tuscany had you planned to visit originally?

The airport is BGY. 9E fare and a carry on can't be beat!!!

I will look into Verona. I have spent all of my time reading about Tuscany that I really don't know much about the area around Milan.

Florence and Pisa were my big city stops and then I just planned to wander in and out of quaintness. Yes the original plan was with a car only because some of the villas I looked at could only be reached by car. I had thought of throwing in a visit to the Deruti(sp) pottery factory :) So that puts me pretty far south towards Rome right?

If you are looking for a "quaint" town with a train station and ceramics in that area, try Bassano del Grappa

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/...el-grappa.html

Deruta is in Umbria, and veers away from Rome.

Kybourbon maybe right that Firenze is not out of reach, but you need to compare it with other options, given that your airport is may require extra time to get to main train lines.

BGY is not Milan, either Malpensa or Linate--it's Bergamo which is a heck of a way from Milan centre! The airport is only an hour or so from Lake Garda by road and 3 and a half hours by road from Florence. The distance back to Milan Malpensa is about 55 miles and an hour and a half by road.

If you want to hire a car, then a trip South to Tuscany is very doable. If you prefer a small place close to rail connections then I'd go for the South end of Lake Garda close to Peschiera del Garda--ideally Sirmione or Desenzano.

You can also get the train from Bergamo to Florence, say. The journey takes just under three hours.

Lake Como or Maggiore would be my suggestion.

I believe Bellagio 0n Lake Como has been referred to as "the prettiest lakeside village in Europe." It's not the cheapest but indeed worth considering. Other posted suggestions such as Bergamo, Verona, Bassano Grappa are also good. The Cinque Terra is also very worthwhile considering; five beautiful small towns that can be walked. A memorable hike.

Hi Tx - My suggestion would be Lake Como. Varenna is a little over an hour (- via Lecco) by train from Bergamo. You could base there - or in one of the other lakeside villages e.g Menaggio, Bellagio ...

Steve

Love it....thanks for all the help. Great info on the airport, I should have known though since most of their airports are not near the city they advertise. But what do you expect when you pay only 20 something euros for a flight :)

I will do some reading about the Lake Como area, other than George Clooney sightings!!!... and I might be back with more questions.

Ciao/Tchuss til then,
1txgrl

Bergamo itself is a nice city to visit with its old center perched on a hill overlooking the newer part of town.

yeah. If you want a "quaint" town, you should read up on Bergamo.

Just so I can present the options to my travel companions, here is a Tuscany question...

If we based out of Florence, could we still see the beauty of Tuscany via train to the smaller towns? I am really trying to avoid a car...I can hang with the best of Germans on the autobahn and speak the language, but I get a bit nervous going into unknown territory.

Which towns do you want to visit in Tuscany?

Pisa, Lucca, Orvieto, Cortona, Arezzo ... are viable by train.

Siena and San Gimignano are viable by bus.

If you want to go further afield, other day-trip options include -
Assisi, Perugia, Bologna, Cinque Terre, Rome, Venice ...

Where are you flying from? You may want to check out flights to Pisa from your local airport.

Hope this helps ...

Steve