debwhite

Traveling to Italy for 12 days in early July. Not a big fan of cities; much prefer the outdoors and beautiful scenery for hiking/walking. Flying in Milan and expect to head to Lake Como ( do we need to do Milan?) then on to Dolomites ( 4 nights in Ortesei, 2-3 nights in Cortina) then to Venice for a day ( we've been there already). Have 5 days to fill between Milan and Dolomites. Lake Garda then Lake Como? Add a side trip north of the Dolomites? Would love to not stay in more than 2 places.

Jean

IMO, the Dolomites isn't a "side trip" from anywhere. Your 4 nights Ortisei and 2-3 nights Cortina are perfect.

I assume you're flying out of Venice, but could you instead fly into Venice (or Verona) rather than Milan? If that's possible, skip Lake Como and spend those 5 days exploring Verona and Lake Garda. Either way, I'd probably still skip Lake Como, head directly by train from Malpensa (or Venice) to Verona for the first night, pick up the car the next day and then head to Lake Garda.

I know you said you aren't fan of cities, but Verona is very interesting and not too big for a quick visit. I highly recommend the Ice Man Museum (aka South Tyrol Archeology Museum) in Bolzano. We were fascinated by the Ice Man exhibits. On Lake Garda, I recommend the cable car out of Malcesine for access to lots of hiking trails and fabulous views of the lake.