my husband and I are planning our 25th weding anniversary trip to the Lake Como area in early September. Need help with the itinerary. We would arrive in Milan, drive to lake Como for 3 days, THEN where? Lugano, Bologna, Parma, Turin/Piedmont area,Venice? Have not been in this part of Italy and would like some suggetions from seasoned travelers!

I'm doing a May trip to the region with a car -- 3 days Lake Como, 7 days touring the Turin/Piedmont and wine country, then 3 days at the Lake Maggiore area.

How many days do you have? What are your priorities to see Venice? Lugano can be combined a day trip from Como or Maggiore. Do you have a desire to roam around large cities? It will be tough with a car.

I like Budman's schedule and agree that it depends.
I like Parma,but I think the Piemonte area is much more scenic.

menaggio and belaggio are great, as is como itself.

thanks, we have 10 days and will be renting a car. We both love to visit small, less touristy areas and are looking forward to getting "lost" somewhere! Lake Como is a must and will check out your advise for other regions. Thanks

I totally agree with driving around the lake and getting lost in some of the small villages. That's precisely why I like having a rental car.

Most of the towns that I know about are in the direction of Venice.

Bergamo and Verona are popular tourist destinations.

If architecture interests you then Vicenza and the surrounding area might work.

For the small town experience, you might look at Marostica, Asolo, Bassano del Grappa, and maybe something in the dolomites.

I agre with budman - unless you want to subject yourself to some challenging Italian freeway journeys - focusing on the immediate area is a good strategy. A good trip out from Como is Lugano (drive north on the west side of the lake and there is an easy pass over to the east end of Lake Lugano, stop for lunch on the lake before you arrive in Lugano).
Perhaps move on to Stresa on Lake Maggiore - this is a gem of the art deco era - there are a number of hotels built to pander to the rich and famous at the turn of the 19th century when the famed Orient express passed this way between London and Venice. You might consider one of these special hotels given that it is your 25th anniversary.

In Stresa take an all day boat trip with lunch included visiting islands and the Swiss end of the lake. The narrow streets of the town are perfect for window shopping and drinking in the cafe culture.

Next head a little further south (maybe an hours drive) into Piedmont's wine country - take in the rolling hills and (in September) the sights and scents of the harvest as we work to harvest our moscato grapes. You can visit wineries and taste the famous wines of the region - Moscato d'Asti, Barollo, Barberesco and Barbera to name but 4 of the 46 recognised DOC (quality) wines.
Moving in small steps again, 1 hour west to Turin, this magnificent baroque city and first capital of Italy remains a very attractive city with great architecture, culture and buzzing with life. It's also the chocolate capital, so treat yourself to some home made chocolates whilst taking coffee in one of the many piazza's. The backdrop to all of this is of course the magnficent Alps (Turin was the 2006 Olympic host city).

Whatever you chose - have a great anniversary.

Oh, but Venice is so romantic! Lake Como is utterly beautiful. Those are my two favorite spots on the planet. You can crisscross Lake Como on the ferries, visiting different towns, and spending lots of time relaxing and looking at incredible scenery. In Venice you can ride the gondolas, visit beautiful churches and museum, sit outside at cafes, walk everywhere . . . and find a lovely piece of jewelry for you husband to buy you to commemorate your 25th anniversary!

We stayed in Menaggio, and loved it. Our hotel was small, on a hill overlooking the lake with the Alps in the distance! We took day trips to Bellagio and the gardens at Villa Carlotta. Menaggio has some nice hiking as well.