wayneitall

We are going on our honeymoon in mid march for 10 nights. we are starting in Venice and the rest we are still putting together. We were planning on doing venice for 4 nights then taking our time driving through the countryside to paris over 2 days then spending the last 4 nights in paris. We are having second thoughts on that now.

Any ideas? we love great food and wine and would like to see a winery or two. Did i say we were excited about the food?

we are not huge on the art museums, if we go to 1 or 2 that would get us our fix. We would however like see some sights.

thanks for any input!!

mnapoli

Spend a few days in Verona. It's my favorite Italian city - beautiful, clean, compact and not very touristy. It is in the middle of a great wine producing area, near the towns of Soave, Bardolino, etc.

ekc

If you like food and wine, then I highly suggest you spend the remainder of your trip after Venice exploring the Emilia-Romagna and Piemonte regions. The are 2 of the best regions in Italy for food and vino. On our last trip we did 3 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Parma, 3 nights outside of Alba and our final night in Torino. Beautiful scenery and amazing food and wine the entire trip (yes, even in Venice)!!

jgg

I second ekc's recommendation. We absolutely loved our stay in the Piemonte region and our stay in Bologna in Emilia-Romagna. We stayed at Baur B&B (www.baurbb.com) in Acqui Terme in the Piemonte region and still remains our favorite place in the world!! If you decide to stay in the Bologna/Modena/Parma region I suggest you do this food tour:http://www.italiandays.it/
We just did it this past summer and it was definitely a highlight of our trip!

zeppole

In mid-march you face real challenges with variable weather -- some of it quite wintry -- especially if you are planning a driving trip north to Paris.

I suggest that you give up the idea of a driving to Paris, and instead focus on what you would like to do for the brief 3 nights you have between Venice and Paris.

Personally, I think the very best region for food AND wine within an hour of Venice is Friuli-Venezia Giulia, hands down. Very few people visit the region, so it doesn't get talked about, but it is fantastic on both scores -- whereas Emilia-Romagna has few good wines and you have to go digging about to find exciting food. Not so in Friuli- Venezia Giulia.

Were this my honeymoon, I would rent a car out of Venice and book myself for three nights into La Subida, and I would eat dinner there every night and drink the wine that the sommelier recommends. This is amazing, hand-crafted wine.

http://www.lasubida.it/newsite_eng/index.html

La Subida is considered one of the great gastronomic destinations of Italy, and staying there and eating there is highly affordable (certainly cheaper than Venice or Paris).

While there I would use the car to do day trips to Udine, Civedale dei Friuli and maybe some other purely foodie destinations. (I would see wonderful, historic Aquiliea on the way from Venice).

I would return the car to the airport of Trieste or Venice and fly to Paris.

if that doesn't appeal, consider 3 nights in Parma, with day trips to Bologna and Modena (or not at all).

Or 3 nights in Bologna at the Antica Casa Zucchini, with a day trip to Parma and another to Ravenna (lunch on the way in Ferrara). Fly to Paris from Bologna.

But you won't get the same high quality of food and wine that you get in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

You might enjoy reading this about Friuli Venezia Giulia, an interview with a great chef from the region, about the region:

http://www.fodors.com/news/story_2870.html

have a great time!

zeppole

PS: I wouldn't do a driving tour of Piemonte in March for reasons of weather , but if you decide to risk that, stay at a winery or at a place that serves food so you don't have to drive home from dinner.

gfmueden

The Cipriani in Asolo is a fine place to eat and to stay.

qwovadis

First Congrats!

Second have a look at March Climate guides

things will be chilly north of Venice...

http://www.weather2travel.com/climat...aly/venice.php

might train south to Amalfi www.hotelsantacaterina.it

for my other 4 days... Paris will be lots chillier still.

www.orbitz.com has some great Deals on the Danieli $220/nt

in Venice featured recently in the new movie "The Tourist"

was being filmed when I was there last May.

Happy Romantic HoneyMoon,

qwovadis

Under 200 Euro/nt for the Danieli perfect location on Orbitz
on their winter sale is a GREAT deal usually over twice that.
Nightly rates from $256
Overview Reviewer score 5.0 out of 5
2 reviews .
Castello 4196, Venice, 30122
0.1 miles East from the center of Venice
Save 30% on your stay

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zeppole

Asolo -- a town beloved by the romantic Brownings -- is a great suggestion.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...o-1547343.html

It's also within easy day trip destination of a lot of beautiful small towns, including Valeggio sul Mincio, beloved by Italian foodies, and great wine country.

http://www.tourism.verona.it/_vti_g2...spx?rpstry=33_

http://www.tourism.verona.it/_vti_g2...spx?rpstry=30_

You could rent a car out of Venice, tour the Veneto, and fly from one of Milan's two airport to Paris. In the Veneto, you can really adjust for poor weather, going to places with indoor activities if it is rainy, but if it is sunny, drive to Lago di Gardo to visit Bardolino, and sample the local wine, and take a boat ride across the lake for to taste the olive oil and lemons.

Italy is a land of microclimates, which is why you can see lemons, olive trees and palm trees in spots of north of Venice. Historic weather averages can be misleading when you are trying to plan a 10-day window in Europe, especially in March, when the weather is extremely variable (even violently so).

In the broader picture, south is warmer than north (but I'm guessing you already know that!). A train from Venice to Naples is about six hours (150 euros per ticket) then you need more time to reach the Amalfi coast (depending how you go, 90 mins to 2 hours). March weather in the Amalfi is variable, and rain, mist and fog can sometimes limit the views. Too early to swim and may be too early to eat outdoors.

Italy is such a beautiful and delicious place overall, you really don't need to fling yourself far to have a shot a nice weather, great food and wine and lovely accommodations.

zeppole

PS: Since you are honeymooners, you might want to know that the town of Valeggio sul Mincio makes a unique tortellini pasta called "nodo d'amore" or "love knots" according to a centuries old legend about two lovers who pledged eternal love to each beside the river Mincio with a knotted scarf. Here's a picture of the pasta. Sexy!

http://www.carnetverona.it/_files/re...l_20mincio.jpg

Jean

If you only have 10 days, you're going in March when driving and outdoor activities may be undesirable, and you definitely want to see Venice and Paris, then I'd just go to Venice and Paris. You'll only have 7 days between the two cities that are not impacted by traveling. If Paris can be left for another trip, I think you'd have more options.

k9korps

I'm with Jean (sorta). I'd split the time between Venice and Paris, without the driving and runaround. I might feel otherwise if you were going at a time with less iffy weather.

I'm keying on your desire for good food, good wine and good sights. Hey, for my money, 5/5 in Venice and Paris will fill the bill.