Italy: Northern Italy Itinerary help
Apr 16th, 2015, 06:34 AM
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Italy: Northern Italy Itinerary help
Hello, I am STILL trying to finalize our Northern Italy trip Itinerary. We will be traveling in July and flying in and out of Malpensa. I have come up with 2 itineraries. We will have a car so have ensured that we have parking for all of these options. We arrive in MXP at 9am.
2 nights Aosta
2 nights Levanto (C.T)
4 nights Ferrara (with day trip by train to Venice)
1 night near MXP
or
3 nights Levanto
4 nights Ferrara/day trip to Venice
2 nights Stresa or Lago D'orta -agriturismo cucchiaio di Legno, although maybe Stresa would be better for airport access.
Just to clarify, the car is non negotiable per my husband
Also we have friends in Ferrara so that portion is also non negotiable. I could do 2 nights Ferrara/2 in Venice but that might make the trip too crazy. Would welcome opinions on that.
Another thing to note is we will follow the trip with 10 relaxing days visiting family in Ireland so we don't mind wearing ourselves out a bit on this first part of our trip.
I know it is a lot but we did a similar trip in France several years ago 2 nights Loire, 3 Normandy, 3 Paris and it was a great pace for us.
On paper, I prefer the first itinerary including Aosta as I wanted some mountain scenery but maybe I could get that from a day trip from Stresa. Looking for opinions on that. Love the fact that Aosta seems to be off the beaten path esp compared to C.T.
After researching C.T there seem to be so many small villages inland that seem worth exploring. Also walks around Framura (near Levanto) appeal to me. I know the 5 villages seem crazy at this time of year but our plan would be to see them by ferry and maybe do some small hikes for just 1 full day.
I am also wondering what would be the best or most scenic route from C.T to Ferrara. Should we drop down towards Pisa and head up towards Bologna? Or just work our way from Levanto?
Many thanks for any more advice that you can give.
2 nights Aosta
2 nights Levanto (C.T)
4 nights Ferrara (with day trip by train to Venice)
1 night near MXP
or
3 nights Levanto
4 nights Ferrara/day trip to Venice
2 nights Stresa or Lago D'orta -agriturismo cucchiaio di Legno, although maybe Stresa would be better for airport access.
Just to clarify, the car is non negotiable per my husband
Also we have friends in Ferrara so that portion is also non negotiable. I could do 2 nights Ferrara/2 in Venice but that might make the trip too crazy. Would welcome opinions on that.
Another thing to note is we will follow the trip with 10 relaxing days visiting family in Ireland so we don't mind wearing ourselves out a bit on this first part of our trip.
I know it is a lot but we did a similar trip in France several years ago 2 nights Loire, 3 Normandy, 3 Paris and it was a great pace for us.
On paper, I prefer the first itinerary including Aosta as I wanted some mountain scenery but maybe I could get that from a day trip from Stresa. Looking for opinions on that. Love the fact that Aosta seems to be off the beaten path esp compared to C.T.
After researching C.T there seem to be so many small villages inland that seem worth exploring. Also walks around Framura (near Levanto) appeal to me. I know the 5 villages seem crazy at this time of year but our plan would be to see them by ferry and maybe do some small hikes for just 1 full day.
I am also wondering what would be the best or most scenic route from C.T to Ferrara. Should we drop down towards Pisa and head up towards Bologna? Or just work our way from Levanto?
Many thanks for any more advice that you can give.
Apr 16th, 2015, 07:05 AM
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Your second itinerary will be much more relaxing apart. I don't think you will get much out of visiting Aosta for one jet lagged day. You can absolutely get mountain scnery in Stresa. Since you will have a car, you don't need to stay right in Stresa. Just make sure, wherever you go, that you look at a Google map to see the route to Malpensa before you book.
You should ask the locals when you are in Levanto about some interesting and easy explorations inland. You want to make sure of the conditions of the roads before just heading out.
The easiest route between Levanto and Ferrara is the A15 out of La Spezia>Parma, then heading east from there to Ferrara. if you have all day, you could make a mid-morning stop in the sweet small Tuscan town of Pontremoli for a look-see and a cup of coffee (Pontremoli is only an hour from Levanto). And then you might pick a countryside lunch somewhere in the Emilia-Romagna. Lots of choices within a 90 minute drive of Pontremoli and on the way to Ferrara. Once you turn east from Parma, there is no scenic route unless (like me!) you enjoy flat farmland.
But if you don't have all day, it's only about 3+ hour drive straight from Ferrara from Levanto, so you can easily be there by lunchtime.
If you want to go through Pisa, just make sure you (a) understand the ZTLs and where to park to avoid them and (b) leave Pisa early enough so that you are not crossing the Appenines as it grows dark, or arriving in the vicinity of Bologna when it is dark. You will encounter a lot of traffic in the vicinity of Bologna, and if you are approaching from the southern mountains (as opposed to the eastern cities), it is a bit confusing how the roads go.
You should ask the locals when you are in Levanto about some interesting and easy explorations inland. You want to make sure of the conditions of the roads before just heading out.
The easiest route between Levanto and Ferrara is the A15 out of La Spezia>Parma, then heading east from there to Ferrara. if you have all day, you could make a mid-morning stop in the sweet small Tuscan town of Pontremoli for a look-see and a cup of coffee (Pontremoli is only an hour from Levanto). And then you might pick a countryside lunch somewhere in the Emilia-Romagna. Lots of choices within a 90 minute drive of Pontremoli and on the way to Ferrara. Once you turn east from Parma, there is no scenic route unless (like me!) you enjoy flat farmland.
But if you don't have all day, it's only about 3+ hour drive straight from Ferrara from Levanto, so you can easily be there by lunchtime.
If you want to go through Pisa, just make sure you (a) understand the ZTLs and where to park to avoid them and (b) leave Pisa early enough so that you are not crossing the Appenines as it grows dark, or arriving in the vicinity of Bologna when it is dark. You will encounter a lot of traffic in the vicinity of Bologna, and if you are approaching from the southern mountains (as opposed to the eastern cities), it is a bit confusing how the roads go.
Apr 16th, 2015, 07:34 AM
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Thank you very much Sandralist. Your response is very helpful! One more question if you don't mind. If we find we have the time during our stay in Levanto, would it make sense to do a day trip to Pisa from Levanto? I had thought about seeing Pisa on our way to Ferrara but the road from Levanto (with a stop in Pontremoli) to Parma looks like a great choice. Or would you advise leaving Pisa till our departure from Levanto. Would the road to Bologna from Pisa be as nice? Or another option; we could take the road from Pisa towards Modena if that would mean less traffic. Of course this is a decision we wouldn't make until we were in Levanto. I am just thinking ahead.
Apr 16th, 2015, 07:37 AM
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Thanks bobthenavigator. We were going to see the 5 towns by ferry. Is the ferry from Levanto to Portovenere a different boat or does the same boat continue past the 5 towns to Portovenere?
Apr 16th, 2015, 08:55 AM
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Day trip to Pisa from Levanto sounds great. Just be sure you know where to park in Pisa. If you are going in summer, one of the things you will discover on the Riviera is that the nicest time to be on the coast is in the late afternoon, early evening, so doing a day trip earlier in the day is quite nice.
I am unsure what road specifically you are referring to, between Pisa and Modena, but trying to head due north from Pisa to Modena (rather than go towards Florence and then turn north) is likely to take you hours and hours of mountain driving. It is extremely rural up there. Even if you go from Pisa to Florence and then turn north, you will find that crossing the mountains to get to Bologna is a lot steeper and curvier than the improved modern highway between La Spezia and Parma (the A15). Unless you have specific reasons for wanting to go up into that part of the mountains -- where the towns are few and far between -- I think crossing from La Spezia up to Parma offers more.
I am unsure what road specifically you are referring to, between Pisa and Modena, but trying to head due north from Pisa to Modena (rather than go towards Florence and then turn north) is likely to take you hours and hours of mountain driving. It is extremely rural up there. Even if you go from Pisa to Florence and then turn north, you will find that crossing the mountains to get to Bologna is a lot steeper and curvier than the improved modern highway between La Spezia and Parma (the A15). Unless you have specific reasons for wanting to go up into that part of the mountains -- where the towns are few and far between -- I think crossing from La Spezia up to Parma offers more.
Apr 16th, 2015, 09:30 AM
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Thanks again. I think we will do our best to see Pisa from Levanto, and then go to Ferrara via Parma as you suggested. Any thoughts on the drive from Ferrara to the Lakes for the final two days? Does the Orta/Maggiore area make the most sense for scenery and getting close to the airport? Anything or any road from Ferrara to the Lakes we should avoid ? Or anything that is not to be missed on the drive?
Thanks again for your help!
Thanks again for your help!
Apr 16th, 2015, 03:30 PM
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The most direct route from Ferrara to Stresa takes you back to Parma and north from there, but unless you are dying to eat more cured meat or cheese, you probably want to take a different route, which is realy only a half hour longer.
Your friends in Ferrara might have some tips for you about traffic etc, but I would take the route heading northwest from Ferrara towards Ostiglia to Verona, and then go due west of there to get to take the major highways to Stresa. If you were willing to go just a little bit out of your way, you could target Valeggio sul Mincio for a lunch stop. It is a pretty town with lots of nice restaurants. It's about 90 minutes from Ferrara, so it makes a good stop for stretching your legs and havng lunch before getting back in the car. If you want to dawdle along the way, you could stop at Trezzo sul'Adda and gawk at the huge castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trezzo_sull'Adda
but mostly the entire area is industrial and the "sights" are in big cities too hard to battle your way into with a car, so staying on the highway and using its rest stops to stretch you legs is easiest. You'll enjoy having maximum time at the lakes.
If you stay in Stresa for your final nights, you have the opportunity to take the cable car in town up into the mountains for some hiking and views. But I am not familiar enough with the various offerings on Lago d'Orta to know if you might prefer that. If no one here comes along to offer advice, try looking at the Tripadvisor forums for Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta, and asking questions. There are some people who post on those forums who live right in that area, and they might be able to give you some options. One thing I will say is that Baveno is right nex door to Stresa, and in some ways I prefer it.
Your friends in Ferrara might have some tips for you about traffic etc, but I would take the route heading northwest from Ferrara towards Ostiglia to Verona, and then go due west of there to get to take the major highways to Stresa. If you were willing to go just a little bit out of your way, you could target Valeggio sul Mincio for a lunch stop. It is a pretty town with lots of nice restaurants. It's about 90 minutes from Ferrara, so it makes a good stop for stretching your legs and havng lunch before getting back in the car. If you want to dawdle along the way, you could stop at Trezzo sul'Adda and gawk at the huge castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trezzo_sull'Adda
but mostly the entire area is industrial and the "sights" are in big cities too hard to battle your way into with a car, so staying on the highway and using its rest stops to stretch you legs is easiest. You'll enjoy having maximum time at the lakes.
If you stay in Stresa for your final nights, you have the opportunity to take the cable car in town up into the mountains for some hiking and views. But I am not familiar enough with the various offerings on Lago d'Orta to know if you might prefer that. If no one here comes along to offer advice, try looking at the Tripadvisor forums for Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta, and asking questions. There are some people who post on those forums who live right in that area, and they might be able to give you some options. One thing I will say is that Baveno is right nex door to Stresa, and in some ways I prefer it.
Apr 16th, 2015, 03:34 PM
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Apr 16th, 2015, 03:38 PM
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(PS: The link I gave you above is for Valeggio sul Mincio, which is also called Borghetto. Also, just to be clear, Trezza sull'Adda is west of Valeggio, so that might be someplace to stop for stretch and coffee, long after lunch. But you might prefer just to plough on to the lakes after lunch.)
Apr 17th, 2015, 03:14 AM
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By the way, if your travel day from Levanto to Ferrara is not a Monday or Tuesday, you could consider having lunch at Locanda Mirella, which is about a one hour drive north of Pontremoli, in the hills. From Locanda Mirelli, it's about 2.5 hours to Ferrara.
http://eatingwithziggy.com/2014/11/1...-perfect-meal/
After lunch, you could take a route through Emilia Romagna where you could stop for coffee or gelato in the town of Nonatola, and have a look at the abbey, or stop by tne nearby Lamborghini Museum, depending on your interests and how fast you want to get to Ferrara.
http://eatingwithziggy.com/2014/11/1...-perfect-meal/
After lunch, you could take a route through Emilia Romagna where you could stop for coffee or gelato in the town of Nonatola, and have a look at the abbey, or stop by tne nearby Lamborghini Museum, depending on your interests and how fast you want to get to Ferrara.
