motorhome route for 2wks trip to Italy
 

Hello all
we are two families fulfilling our life time dream of experiencing Italy by Motorhomes,
we will pick up the RVs in Milan in 18th June and have allocated 15 days for the tour. This is the priliminary route that we have come up with:
Milan- Bellagio- Verona- Venezia- Bologna- Foggia- Napoli- Rome- Florance-Piza Genova and back to Milan
I know it sounds like too many cities....we have thought to spend about 2days in larger cities and 0ne day in smaller ones
Any advice and recommandation will be greatly apprecited

Although I normally say, dont' worry about larger vehicles on foreign countries, I'd caution you on taking an RV up the lake road from Como to Bellagio. The buses do it, but it is very narrow and windy in places and I'm not sure where you could park in Bellagio. (However, Lake Como isn't just Bellagio; there are many, many beautiful towns and villages around the lake. You might better staying nearer to Como and exploring the lake by ferry or bus.
If you really want to take the RVS to Bellagio then use the road that goes via Erba.

You're also trying to do rather a lot in 15 days, but I'll leave others to shoot you down over that.

I agree about driving to Bellagio, it's a very narrow windy road. You may have to park outside of Venice & Florence. Watch out for the ZTL zones (areas that you cannot drive in) in cities or you'll get a surprise expensive ticket charge on your credit card months after you return home. Can I ask how much it is to rent a RV for 2 weeks, sounds like something we'd like to do in France next year?
Thanks,
Som

10 cities (not including Milan at the beginning and end) and covering much of Italy in 15 days seems impossible to me. Have you mapped your routes to determine the travel times vs actually visiting all of these places?

That is crazy to try and drive in those cities with a large vehicle. You need to plan to stop where you can drive.
Holler if you want a different route.

<<Any advice and recommandation will be greatly apprecited>>

From your list, I suggest cutting it back and staying north:

Arrive in Milan.
Lake Como
Verona
Venice
Bologna
Back to Milan.

Another strategy would be to visit the countryside more or at least mix countryside with a couple of cities. How about-

Lake Como
Verona
Dolomites
Venice

I honestly don't think you could cover half of your plan in 15 days. Plus driving/parking in most of those towns/cities will be VERY difficult.

For Lake Como, there is a campground at Menaggio. This would be very convenient for the boat service. There are multiple campgrounds in the northern part of the lake but the boat service is less frequent at those towns.

Motorhomes and big cities do not work well together, and trying to follow your proposed itinerary in summer will be doubly difficult. Unless you're renting camper vans as opposed to RVs, do you already have parking/"camping" reservations for two vehicles everywhere? If not, you could already be out of luck in some places.

IMO, you need to decide if you want to visit big cities or drive around in a motorhome. (FYI, every place on your list is well-served by trains.)

If you're sticking to your plan, I would at a minimum substitute Menaggio for Bellagio (as Big_Red pointed out) and leave the motorhome in/near Verona while you train to Venice. Frankly, though, I agree with the others that your "dream" is nuts in its present form.

OK.
Thanks for all the input.
2 yrs ago we went through Lugano and Mennagio and took ferry to Bellagio with a Motorhome on board,we camped in a camp site in Bellagio over night and came down the lake Como the day after and I remember how narrow was the road but we did it and I loved Bellagio so much we wanted to doit again, also the other group accompaning us wanted to see the place...but I agree totaly that we have to cut the route.
For the larger cities and not the smaller ones, we do have campground reservation around the suburbs, that is what we usually do, and take a pucblic transport or some times rent a car to go around the town.
I have been told that Milan in that time of the year is too hot and should be avoided, plus since it is our arrival and departure port, we do not need RV to see it. so that is out of the plan and is just the pick up and drop off point, so we are left with these destination
Verona- Venezia- Bologna- Foggia- Napoli- Rome- Florance-Piza
and back to Milan
the route is about 1800 Km averaged 120 km/day, 2days in Folrence, Rome, Venezia each and roughly the rest spread out in between it would be 1 day stopover per each city do you still think that it is too ambitiouse?

Hi, please check out www.campervans.com and use the quoting engine on the home page to work out costs of hiring a van in France or anywhere.

Milan isn't it's hottest in June, and it's always cooler on Lake Como than it is in Milan itselt.

Milan isn't it's hottest in June, and it's always cooler on Lake Como than it is in Milan itself. Also I image that all the cities that are further south will hotter than Milan.

"... it would be 1 day stopover per each city do you still think that is too ambitiouse?"

For me, yes.

What do you plan for your one (and only) day in Naples? Naples itself? Pompeii? Herculaneum? Vesuvius? Capri? Positano? Amalfi? Ravello? Caserta?

I'd entirely re-think your wants/wish list/plans.

2 nights in a majoe city and 1 night in the smaller places will net you approx 1.5 days in the big places and less than a full day in the small ones. And by staying outside the centers, your sightseeing time is cut even more.

Driving to the next destination, checking in and setting up the RV, catching the bus or train into the city - you've used up at least half a day w/o seeing anything.

W/ 15 days -- I'd pick three cities for 3 or 4 night stays and have a couple of days to 'play w/' for a stop in the countryside or a small town/village.

oops -- >>2 nights in a major city . . . <<

I agree that this is overambitious in Italy. Instead of driving a van, rent an apartment in two or three cities, and make them a hub for sight-seeing. It saves you the time. Also, do you realize that in many towns the streets are so narrow it's sometimes hard to get a full-sized car through?

Once you've decided where you're going and if Florence and Venice are still in your plans there are excellent campgrounds in both places. The one in Florence is fantastic -considered by many to be one of the best in Europe very near Piazza Michaelangelo and you can walk into town. The Venice campground we stayed at was across the lagoon and very easy to get around on the ferry/vaporetto's. Let me know if you want more specifics and I'll try and find them.

mamoori,

There is a motorhome area at the gateway to the Portofino National Park, about 40 minutes outside Genova. Great sea views, cool breezes, easy access to a variety of great eats. You can get from there to trains and buses, or rent a car in Rapallo, but mainly it's just a beautiful spot to get out and stretch your legs. Lots of nice hiking.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3427674

http://www.camperonline.it/sosta_vis...sp?reg=Liguria

It's about 3 km from the town of Ruta, on the road to San Rocco, above Camogli.

It's really hard to know why you are picking these destinations (Bologna? Foggia? Napoli?), and who comprises the two families (what ages, what interests the individuals have).

really, mamoori, you're not going to be experiencing Italy so much as the inside of your motorhomes as you drive up and down the motorways. you have a fabulous opportunity to spend some time in the countryside, walking, cycling, or even swimming if you pick your site well, interspersed with a few day-trips to the cities, just like zeppole and janisj have said.

there is more to italy than cities. you liked Bellagio - so why limit yourselves to a night there? and what about the other lakes? if you don't like Z's idea of the coast near Genova, what about heading for Garda or Maggiore? you will find loads to do in and around those areas.