We are traveling to Italy for a week in early October. Flying into Milan/Malpensa, first night in Parma (probably) and a week in a Tuscan Villa.<BR><BR>We check out of the villa on Saturday morning and our flight is out of Malpensa Sunday at noon. I'm looking for suggestions on where to spend our last night. We want it to be a simple as possible in the morning, but I'm not sure I'm thrilled with spending the night at the airport hotel.<BR><BR>Other possibilities are ditching the car on Saturday afternoon and spending the evening in Milan and taking the express train, or looking into another village (I've read Como's not inconvenient) for the evening. I'm not sure the few hours we have will be worth spending in Milan.<BR><BR>Any thoughts? Thanks in advance....<BR>

The easy choice is Villa Malpensa. The romantic choice is Lago Orta which is an hour from Malpensa. Go to this site for more www.orta.net--it is special.

ALso consider Stresa, which is not quite as romantic and intimate as Orta-San Giulio, but has more things going on at night (and the Isole Borromee are exquisite).

If you have the whole day before departure free, how about Bergamo, which is an hour from Milano by train?

I agree with Bob that Orta is special. My only concern is that you are driving and you will need to park your car some distance from the hotel(s) in Orta if you stay right in the old town -- which is really the only place to be if you are staying in Orta at all. You can drive your car into the old town at your own risk (alleyways about an inch wider than your car) to deposit your luggage at the hotel, but must remove the car to the remote parking area within about 15 minutes because there are no places for tourists to park. Of course, the whole process is reversed when you leave in the morning. Orta is quaint and lovely, a picture postcard square and the island in the lake, but I do think you'd be better off staying closer to Malpensa yet in a pleasant place. My strong recommendation is to stay in Arona, right on the lake. There are several hotels there, and it is only about 20 minutes or so from the airport.

I've spent a final night in the city of Milan prior to a next day noon flight (@ London Hotel) and a final night by MXP airport (Hotel Cervo). Should I ever fly out of Milan again, I'll either take Bob's or GAC's suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think we will stay somewhere on the Lake, Stresa or Arona most likely. While Orta sounds wonderful, I think I'll skip the driving/parking hassle the last morning, especially since there are 5 of us to round up.<BR><BR>Anyone know a good internet resource for Arona?<BR><BR>I'm getting soooo excited for this trip!