Lake Como/Positano/Modena/Rome Itinerary
 

Hi all!
My girlfriend and I are going to Italy in a few months (we'll be arriving in Milan at 10:40a on Friday, April 22 and departing from Rome at 10:35a on Sunday, May 1, 2016) and I was hoping to get your advice on our plans - sorry, I know it's a lot to ask. Right now, the only things that are set in stone are an Airbnb in Moltrasio (Lake Como) for 2 nights at the beginning of the trip and an Airbnb in Rome for 2 nights at the end of the trip. We have already done the tourist stops in Italy (Florence, Venice, Milan, even Rome) so we are looking for a different kind of experience.
I got an email from Osteria Francescana - that we got in off the waitlist for a lunch table on Thursday, April 28. That kind of threw a wrench in our plans because it's towards the end of our trip and in North Italy and my girlfriend and I were dying to check out the Amalfi Coast. Here's our initial itinerary:
Friday, April 22, 2016 - Arrive in Milan. 45 minute drive from to Moltrasio. Night 1 in Moltrasio.
Saturday, April 23, 2016 - Night 2 in Moltrasio
Sunday, April 24, 2016 - 45 minute drive from Moltrasio to Milan Centrale. 4hr15min train to Napoli. Ferry or private car to Positano. Night 1 in Positano
Monday, April 25, 2016 - Night 2 in Positano
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - Night 3 in Positano
Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - Ferry or private car to Naples, 4hr train to Modena through Bologna. Night 1 in Modena
Thursday, April 28, 2016 - Lunch at Osteria Francescana, Night 2 in Modena
Friday, April 29, 2016 - 2hr30min hour train from Modena to Rome, Night 1 in Rome
Saturday, April 30, 2016 - Night 2 in Rome - Airbnb in Trastevere
Sunday May 1, 2016 - Depart Rome
I guess my questions are:
Do you think that is doable?
Do you think we are trying to do too much by doing the North and South in 10 days?
What would you do if you were us?
What would you forgo?
We are seriously open to any and all options! I really appreciate any and all opinions! Thanks so much!!

It is quite a bit, but I completely understand rearranging your holiday for a meal at Francescana!

There is no ferry from Naples to Positano. Prearranging a private driver really is your best bet. The driver I always use to get me from Naples airport to Positano charges 100 euro.

There <b>are </b> ferries from Naples to Positano. For a while there weren't.

http://www.xn--metrdelmare-heb.it

I probably wouldn't rent a car for Moltrasio and then face driving to Milano Centrale train station, even on a Sunday. But that's me. Having a car for only one day on the lake isn't an advantage IMO. And FYI, the drive from Malpensa to Moltrasio will be at least an hour, and the drive from Moltrasio to Milano Centrale train station closer to 90 minutes. Milan has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with fairly heavy fines for any violation(s). I think Sundays are exempt, but you should investigate this.

There is convenient train service Malpensa-Como and frequent ferry service Como-Moltrasio. If this interests you, here are some links for timetables:

http://www.trenord.it/en/timetable/timetable.aspx
[Search Malpensa Aeroporto to Como Nord Lago.]

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp
[Still showing winter timetables, but spring/summer service will be posted soon and be even more frequent. I prefer to look at the PDF timetables rather than do a search.]

Thanks Jean! I was actually just planning on taking a Taxi or hiring a car from MXP to our apartment in Moltrasio and then doing the same thing to get to Milano Centrale on Sunday. Is that doable?

Ekc-would you please provide the contact info for your driver in Napoli? Grazie!

Hi all

I am also traveling to Italy with my husband in June, and doing a very similar trip as JosieCollege and would love to hop on this advice train! We are flying into Milan, going straight to Lake Como (4 nights at an airbnb in Griante) - we are unsure whether to drive to Como or take the train but leaning towards the train based on what was written on this post- there are train stations in Veranna I think and another town?
We then have to go back to Milan to hopefully catch an easyjet or train to Naples. Do you have a preference on one over the other? I thought easyjet would be a bit faster.
Do you recommend spending the 100 euros on the driver or is the ferry good enough?
We'll be in Positano for 5 nights - plan on spending a day in Ravello and Capri - any thoughts on other must see spots?

After Positano we have 3 nights that are currently unplanned. We have to fly out of Milan so must end up in Milan. Was thinking of doing Venice but have hard from friends that Venice is so commercial/touristy. Then thought could do Venice for 1 night (is that just silly especially coming from Positano?) renting a car and driving through Bologna and Parma, ending up in Milan for 2 nights?

I don't even know much about Modena - but will look into it based on what everyone is writing.

Thanks in advance!
Michelle

By taxi, the driving times will be about the same although a local will know his/her way and might arrive a few minutes earlier. If you're aiming to catch a particular train at Centrale, make sure you give yourself enough time. It's a large station with many platforms.

According to rome2rio.com a taxi would cost $85-100 each way. The same source estimates Uber at $142 each way, and a commercial driver would probably be more than Uber. Using the train-ferry option, the fare for two adults would be just under 15 euros each way. You might consider taking the train-ferry one way and booking a car or taxi for the other.

Metro del Mare runs for a very short season - July 1st to August 31 and that's it.
There are also no schedules yet.

Just as an aside, I consider rome2rio to be a very unreliable travel site. There are countless taxi fare calculators all over the internet that would be better used for accuracy.

The drive from Milano Malpensa airport to Moltrasio will take 1 1/2 hrs via motorway A36 and 2 hrs via Tradate.
The drive from Moltrasio to the city center of Milan will take 2 hrs. It might be easier to return the car at Como and to reach Milano Centrale by train.

The driver I always use to get me from Naples to Positano is Sergio Rianna. His email is [email protected]

Don't plan too much for your time in Positano. I have spent at least a week there each June for the last 5 years and plan 2 day trips at the most.

On Lake Como, there are train stations in Varenna and Como. I don't know of any others.

There are a few train stations in/near the town of Como, but only two are useful to tourists who are traveling by ferry and want to train to Milano Centrale.

One (Como Nord Lago) is within walking distance (500 meters) of the ferry dock and serves the Trenord railway company. (See link to timetables upthread.) You can board the Malpensa Express within the airport, connect at Saronno, and arrive at this station in about 90 minutes. Trains from Como Nord Lago to Milano Centrale take between about 60 and 90 minutes depending on whether you board a direct train or one with connections.

The other (Como San Giovanni) is a short taxi ride (10 minutes?) or longer walk (about 1 km.) from the dock and serves Trenitalia. The direct trains from there to Milano Centrale take about 40 minutes. The ones with a connection take about 80-90 minutes. Timetables here:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Your itinerary bumps into two national holidays (April 25 and May 1st) so you may need to rearrange some plans on those days.

San Giovanni railway station can easily be reached by Como citybus.
Train stations along Lake Como:
Como SG
Como Nord
Malvadrera
Lecco
Abbadia Lariana
Mandello Lario
Olcio
Lierna
Fiumelatte
Varenna
Bellano
Dervio
Dorio
Piona
Colico

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice! This was super helpful! Right now, I think we are leaning towards the below itinerary:

Friday, April 22, 2016

- 10:40 AM - Arrive in Milan

- Taxi, Uber or Private Car from MXP to Airbnb

- Day 1/Night 1 in Lake Como - Airbnb in Moltrasio

Saturday, April 23, 2016

- Day 2/Night 2 in Lake Como - Airbnb in Moltrasio

Sunday, April 24, 2016

- Taxi or Uber from Airbnb to Milan Centrale

- Train from Milan Centrale to Napoli Centrale

- Taxi, Ferry, Uber or Private Car from Napoli Centrale to Positano

- Day 1/Night 1 in Positano

Monday, April 25, 2016

- Day 2/Night 2 in Positano

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

- Day 3/Night 3 in Positano

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

- Ferry or Boat from Positano to Capri

- Day 1/Night 1 in Capri

Thursday, April 28, 2016

- Day 1/Night 2 in Capri

Friday, April 29, 2016

- Ferry to Naples

- Train from Naples to Rome

- Night 1 in Rome - Airbnb in Trastevere

Saturday, April 30, 2016

- Night 2 in Rome - Airbnb in Trastevere

Sunday May 1, 2016

- Depart Rome

As much as it pains me to drop Modena/Osteria Francescana, I think that it doesn’t make sense to go south to the coast only to go back up again before Rome. Here are the things that are on my mind and I would love any and all advice:

1. We will be on the coast from 4/24-4/29. Do you think that is a good time to go? I am worried it will be too cold and still off-season.

2. The possibility is still open to stay up North from when we arrive in Italy until our reservation in Modena. Would you do that and forget the coast? If so, what would your ideal 4/24-4/29 look like? I know that nothing up North will compare to the coast.

Please critique our itinerary! We are adventurous and welcome to any and all advice. Appreciate the insight!!

Thanks,
Dylan

I think this is the sort of decision only you can make. If it was my trip, I wouldn't want to spend so much time moving around over so few days. (Your journey from Moltrasio to Positano will pretty much take all day. With Monday being a holiday, if the weather's good, the traffic on the coast could be heavy.) I'd pick destinations that are easy to reach without multiple forms of transportation, each with their own opportunity for delays. I'd keep it simple with probably only 3 lodging stops.

But it's your trip, your interests, your priorities.

"... nothing up North will compare to the coast." You may find the reverse is also true.

I would stay in either Bologna, Mantova or Modena (all wonderful), and visit other towns in the area by train, or rent a car to visit rural areas as well. Like Verona, Parma, Ferrara, Ravenna. Most convenient for this will be Bologna, which has easy connections to all of these (save for Mantova, which is longer and requires a change of trains in Modena). I know that in Mantova there are boat trips on the adjacent lake but I don't know whether they have them already in April, my guess is yes, at least on weekedns. I also know of the castle land around Parma (but haven't been yet), easily reached by car:
http://www.castellidelducato.it/cast...cato/?sLang=EN

So I would stay somewhere in Emilia-Romagna, lots to see there.

Have you checked the ferry schedule from Positano to Capri? April is early for ferries along the Amalfi coast.