Just back from three weeks in Italy; Florence, Venice, Lake Garda, Cinque Terre, Montalcino. Hope these tidbits help with your planning!<BR>1. Your first stop in any city should be the Tourist Information Office. Get a city map, find a hotel etc.<BR>2. Buy your museum tickets ONLINE. We were so grateful to have found this helpful tip here on fodors. It saved us hours in long lines...<BR>3. Cinque Terre - the Via dell Amore trail is closed at Riomaggiore due to a recent landslide. While in this region stay in Tellaro at Hotel Locanda Miranda - a short ferry ride to Cinque Terre - the food is pure poetry!<BR>Venice: stay in quiet Mestre and avoid the noice and crowds. It's a 15 min bus ride that drops you right at the Grand Canal ferry! We loved the experience. Don't miss Mestre's Osteria La Pergola - fine dining at it's best. They are delighted to draw customers from Venice and will treat you like royalty. The cuisine is divine.<BR>Obtain the KNOPF Citymap Guide for Venice. Very detailed and helpful.<BR>Montalcino: Heavy sigh. This medieval village is so charming that you'll not want to leave. The Re Di Macchia resturant is a must - you'll not believe the size of the exquisite crytal wine glasses for your Brunello wines! The pear sorbet and Duck with orange and lemon sauce were delightful. <BR>Lake Garda: Breathtaking, beautiful and charming. Would avoid the Hotel Le Palme, the service was non-existent - especially for a 4 star hotel.<BR>Use your ATM and save the fees!<BR>Enjoy!

I strongly disagree with you advice to stay in Venice Mestre...it is a smoggy ugly industrial area. If you go into Venice (your true destination) you are going to meet up with crowds. The difference is that staying in Venice proper, the crowds dwindle in the evening when the day trippers return to Venice Mestre.

What website did you go to to buy the tickets for the museums?

Johnnalee: I will be in Montalcino in late August. Where did you stay &amp; how long were you there? We have reservations at Vecchia Oliviera. Any other recommendations you might have for restaurants/sightseeing in this area would be appreciated. We will have a rental car and will be there for 3 days &amp; nights before heading south to the Amalfi coast.

I have to agree with Leslie. Don't miss the opportunity to stay in Venice, it is a whole different experience. Since the Hotel prices are so much higher in Venice, I can only assume that most people would prefer to stay in Venice proper instead of Mestre. Having said that, if you can't swing the prices in Venice, Mestre is not a bad way to be in the proximity of that wonderful city.<BR>

Where did you stay in Lake Garda? The Hotel Le Palme in Limone? If so, is the road from Riva to Limone still closed??<BR>I am leaving in a few days, but will stay in Malcesine. Any other Lake Garda info you can provide would be helpful. It is my first trip to that area of Italy.