Hi - my girlfriend and I are flying into and out of (I know, I know) Rome. Arrive Dec 24 and leave Jan 5. We will be spending most of our time in Rome because I have family there. But we'd really like to "get away" for a few days to somewhere more scenic.

We'd probably leave Rome on Jan 1 (but could leave earlier if need be) and get back to Rome by the evening of Jan 4 to fly out on Jan 5. We are waitlisted with Delta for a flight out of Milan but I am not optimistic.

I've always loved the Alps and, living in Florida, often yearn for the mountains.

My ideal town would be something akin to Interlachen in Switzerland. Lake Como (or Bellagio which seems to be more popular among folks here) seems to offer that sort of "get away from it all" feel with beautiful views. But I know January is about as offseason as it gets for them. Does this make any sense as a sidetrip? Is there somewhere else near the Alps anyone would recommend? My girlfriend loves the water, so this seems like a good combination of water and mountains.

I've also seen a lot of posts about Positano here and that IS closer to Rome (3 hours of travel versus about 6), but that also seems to be a summer destination.

Any recommendations? Thanks.

I would suggest that you forget both Lake Como and Positano as a winter destination.

Those who know more about the Dolomites than I do might come up with suggestions for that area {mountains but no water and possibly overrun by Italians on winter vacations).

If you have a car, there is lots of skiing near Lake Como. Just above where we live, in Lecco (which is on the southeastern tip of Lake Como), is the funivia (cable car) that goes up to the Piani d'Erna, where you can ski most of the winter (check snow conditions before you make the trip, though).

Away from the lake (not too far) and further up into the mountains, there's very good skiing in Madesimo http://www.madesimo.com/prima.php?lingua=en and Bormio http://www.bormio.com/ is about to host some sort of international ski championship.

Just be aware that this is very high season, so you'll probably want to reserve a hotel.


best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com

I would suggest that you do some careful checking on what is open / closed - a lot of places close down for winter starting in late October and don't reopen until early Spring...that said it is gorgeous country in Lake Como - but it will be very very chilly so plan accordingly - maybe stay in Milan and take day train trips into the Lake District???

Semuta, we are doing exactly what Kitt suggested. We are in Milan for the weekend and Sunday plan to take the 9:20 or 10:20 (depending on how late we sleep in!) train to Como and wander about and spend as much time there as we want. We chose Como coz I gathered from other posts I downloaded that the other alkes may be completely uninhabited while Como is still likely to be somewhat open. The advantage of having the hotel in Milan is we will just alight on a train and head homewards - or in this case Milanwards - whenever it gets too cold or lonely for us. If your Delta flight out of Milan works out this could be ideal for you.

Eloise - that's what I was afraid of, though I had seen some positive reports from the winter in Lake Como. And Positano definitely seems like a summer destination.

Deirdre - Was going to mention, but forgot, that skiing is not really an option...both because we (more I) don't really ski and that would be additional specialty packing (and shopping in advance). I figured that would be one of the better options but it doesn't work for us. Thanks though.

Kitt and Hobbes - maybe it's just my personal experiences, but I'd have a hard time talking myself into staying in Milan. Far more urban than I'm looking for (day trips aside). We would like to be in a smaller town where we can wake up there (the balcony over a lake thing sounded great, even if very chilly), walk around until we're ready to pass out, etc.

Thanks for all the quick responses and thoughtful posts. I did see an interesting post about hiking around Capri in the winter. I guess it's hard to find that perfect balance between not being tourist filled and having some hotels and restaurants open, and things to do.

The Lake Como area is not the place to go in January. A lot of facilities will be closed. Save it for a warmer time of the year. It'll be worth the wait!
Capri in January? Forget it, as there is a good chance that the boats won't be running because of choppy seas.
Why not spend a couple days in Umbria or Tuscany instead?

I agree with Howard. There are mountains, though not of alpine height, much nearer to Rome. The Appennine mountains run the length of Italy. Areas in Umbria and Tuscany would be two to three hours from Rome instead of six to eight hours--much more convenient for your short trip.

Thanks howard and ellen - I will look at some websites for towns/areas in those regions.

MILAN in March
I'd be very curious to hear about your trip! I'm taking my 11 year old daughter to Milan the first weekend in March. We land Friday 10 AM and fly back Monday. It's her first trip to Europe and my first to Italy. She knows she wants to see Venice which I think we can train to late afternoon and spend a night and return late next day. We'll have one day left and we're trying to decide between skiing alps Couremayeur by bus or van (like yours, this is a dream of mine) or training to Rome. Any thoughts welcome!