We have 7 nights in mid March-flying in and out of Venice. Our current plan is to spend the last 4 nights in Venice (staying at the Hotel Bauer- modern, rear wing at USD$240/night incl bkfst buffet). Need help deciding on the first 3 nights. We prefer to stay in one place and take small day trips. Looking for a peaceful, beautiful area that won't be too terribly cold in March. We'd like to see the Dolomites AND Lake Garda. Are we being too ambitious? We'll be tired from the all-night flight and don't want to drive too far. Any location suggestions for those first 3 nights and do you agree with the time allotment- 4 nights in Venice? The other couple we're traveling with aren't interested in Tuscany. This will be our first trip to Italy- all comments appreciated!

I would stay in Venice the first four nights. It is a great place to get over jet lag and enjoy at your own pace. Asolo is a lovely small town- a good place to spend a night or two. Marostica is fun as part of a day trip- see the giant chess board and the ruined castle.

calville: Your four days in Venice for a first trip sounds about right. This will give you a day to see the major sights, a day to just wander Venice (remember, you can't get lost, you are on an island), a day to go to the out-lying islands (Burano is my favorite) and a day to just hang out at a couple of cafes and do the cicheti crawl in the evening; drink in the atmosphere.
Asolo and Bassano del Grappa would be a good day trip staying at either (about five miles apart) and a day at Lago de Garda would be a nice three day trip, staying wherever you choose. This would be a good introduction to Italy; not the more traditional Rome, Florence, Venice, but a really nice intro to some of my favorite places.
The Dolomites will be cold in March. They will still be skiing. Unless you want to ski, save it for another time.
Have a great trip.

Have you considered Verona? We're going to stay there for 8 days this spring--it serves as a great base from which to day trip into the mountains and Lake Garda.

Calville - Well, it's pretty difficult to see both Lake Garda and the Dolomites in 3 days, but you could do a day trip to both if you choose a base with good access to both. Somewhere in the Val Sugana, perhaps.

Trento would be a good compromise. Otherwise somewhere like Levico Terme if you prefer somewhere quieter.

Bassano del Grappa might be a good choice if you prefer somewhere nearer Venice, as that gives you easy access to the Pale di San Martino for some of the most spectacular Dolomite scenery. Lake Garda would be a longer day trip from there though ...

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I've been intrigued with Asolo since reading a 1996 Travel and Leisure article in which Erica Jong said Asolo and Venice were "two halves of a perfect whole."

Where would you prefer to stay for 3 nights-disregarding proximity to other sights- Asolo area or Lake Garda?
The Asolo/Bassano area has been difficult to research- few reports. Someone on chowhound.com called Asolo and the Villa Cipriani Hotel "overrated"- liked the looks and prices of Marostica better. How do the three- Bassano, Asolo and Marostica compare in terms of charm? I do think Villa Cipriani is overpriced for this time of year at USD $250 (no bkst). Old reports of bedbugs at Hotel Duse have scared me off. Still waiting for a response from my email to Albergo Al Sole. Has anyone been to the Canova museum in Possagno?
Jocelyn- Verona and Padua sound wonderful but we thought we'd look for a more rural experience to contrast with Venice.
Steve- I like what I've read about Trento although that's a city. I looked on the map and see Levico Terme is by a lake- do you know of a nice inn or hotel there? Simple yet charming would be fine.
Lake Garda is gorgeous in photos. How are the restaurants there? Haven't priced out Garda hotel's yet. Hoping to stay under $150 wherever we go since Venice is pricey.
Any additional comments greatly appreciated!

Asolo is much more charming than Marostica. Did you know that Asolo is where Queen Elizabeth takes her vacation! We have stayed at Hotel Duse a couple of times recently and we did not have any bedbugs!

You might try calling Albergo Al Sole.

Also did you look at the Asolo website?

Look at Karen Brown's website. She has wonderful inns and bed and breakfasts all over Italy listed. Most of them have websites that you can check. Many are in your price range. We have really liked all the places that we've stayed at that she has recommended. We stayed at a pleasant agriturismo twenty-five kilometers from Venice. It was lovely to have a home-cooked dinner in front of a fireplace. We had some of the best food we have had in Italy there. The cost was very reasonable. I would have to look to see what the name of the place was.

Calville - To answer your question ...

Disregarding proximity to other sights my choice would be Lake Garda. Asolo is pleasant for half a day - but Lake Garda has much more to offer.

Steve

Hi, we found that many places along the west shore of Lake Garda had not yet opened for the season in late March. We stayed at Hotel Florida (1-br apartments, recently renovated), but I recall there was a Villa, one that had something to do with Mussolini's mistress that had supposedly beautiful rooms and a starred restaurant. This was open but booked, but you might want to look into it.
We called Albergo al Sole directly the morning we wanted to stay there and had no problem with our pick of rooms. We stayed in one that overlooked the town, and was huge, very nicely decorated, and with a bountiful breakfast. Asolo was very pretty, it wasn't terribly cold, and enjoyed our day and night there very much.
Lake Garda, while definitely more deserted (we had a hard time finding an open restaurant by our hotel, and then it was just us and the proprietor's family) is perfect while uncrowded. It's rugged beauty is haunting and romantic. Of the two, I think I would prefer the Asolo area, simply because at that time, you really might encounter quite a few closed hotels and attractions around the lake. Of course, the further south of the lake, the more things were open, but we did not find the southern tip of the lake nearly as appealing as it became as we drove up.

Thanks again everyone for extremely helpful info! Wish we had a few more days so we could stay in both Asolo/Bassano and Lake Garda. I did notice that Faith Willinger's book, Eating in Italy, contained more restaurant listings in the Bassano/Asolo area than at Lake Garda- the Lake recommendations were within hotels which always makes me a little wary.

It was kind of funny, I heard back from Albergo del Sole in the form of an email of their restaurant website. No response to my question about room rates. I like the suggestion to not make reservations- shouldn't be necessary at that time of the year, however, I would like a sense of the rates. Dumb question- but if I phone, will I get someone who speaks English? How much does it cost to phone Italy? Or would I be better off faxing? And thanks for telling me about Karen Brown's website- was only familiar with her books.

Lake Garda looks dreamy- will have to research some more. I did contact one Lake hotel who gave me an evasive answer to my question about ferries running in mid March. Thanks so much for the warning- will need to investigate further!

The name of the hotel that has historical ties to Mussolini is Villa Fiordaliso, and it has presumably one of the best restaurants on the lake and dreamy rooms.

In Asolo, we ate at a restaurant called Ai Due Archi, across the square from Albergo al Sole that was very good. We got it from the Michelin Red Guide, our trusty source for restaurants in big cities and small towns alike.

Our cost for the Albergo was about $155 two years ago or so. In most of the websites, our room was the one with the balcony above the terrace.

Prices are climbing I guess and the dollar is declining. Albergo al Sole's rates are now E170/US$217 for a standard room and E 206/US $262 for a superior (both incl bkfst). Hotel Gardesana is only E 112/US $143 (incl bkfst). Villa Fiordaliso is sold out for our dates- the rates were roughly going to be a min E220-260. I did find an inexpensive option in Bassano, however, the rate has almost doubled since I first inquired 5 days ago (central reservations). Picked up a new book yesterday that I'm enjoying- info I haven't come across anywhere else: Venice-The Collected Traveler-An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource Collected by Barrie Kerper. Thanks for the reminder amcc about the Red Guide- they're kind of heavy but I might have to break down and get one. I'm glad I have an old Green Michelin (from earlier armchair travels)- I hate the new Green format- very watered down. We're leaning toward Bassano now unless I find out a few ferries are running and the Botanical Gardens at Gardone Riviera are open. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Thank you!

Calville - If you do stay in Bassano and you have a car, I recommend a trip up to San Martino di Castrozza for some awesome Dolomite views.

For Lake Garda, you can find ferry timetables on:
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/itali.../indicega.html

These are valid for mid March until 26th.

Steve

Thank you Steve! I can't read Italian but it appears that a few ferries are running now with expanded service after March 26th. Is that correct?
I've read your past posts about S M di Castrozza- sounds magnificent- is it even more beautiful than Madonna di Campiglio, Bolzano and areas directly N of Lake Garda?
For anyone who's interested in a big splurge, I discovered that central phone reservations for Relais & Chateaux was wrong- the Villa Fiordaliso emailed me back- they do have some openings.

Here's an interesting quote from the book Venice The Collected Traveler (essay by Wm Petrocelli): "US travel writers don't often write about Lago di Garda and we hate to disagree with the May 12 NYT "Idyll by Blue Waters" but the author got it wrong! He stayed on the western side of the lake. That side is unquestionably beautiful, and that's why those of us on the E like to look at it. Choosing the wrong side of the lake isn't a character flaw, mind you, but rather a rookie mistake- like taking your first Calif trip to LA instead of SF." Any comments from Fodorites on which side they prefer and why?

Re: Bassano, we did find a reasonably priced hotel, would most of you prefer staying in Bassano rather than the tiny Marostica? We don't mind a short drive between the three towns.
Has anyone stayed at the Villa Palma or Hotel al Camin?

Calville - The cross-lake car ferry between Torri del Benaco and Maderno operates all year round (- except services marked 'A' - see footnote on timetable):
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/itali...tragh61003.htm

The north-south Riva-Desenzano ferry which zig-zags down the lake recommences on 6th March, according to the website.

............

E v. W side of Lake Garda? Interesting question.

The northern half of the lake is very scenic, both east and west IMO. The west side is more dramatic as it's more sheer. However, you only see it at it's best from the east side or from the ferry, as much of the road on the west side is through tunnels.

For the best of both worlds I usually stay in RIVA DEL GARDA for its lovely setting (- the mountains rise sheer out of the lake).
The other place to compare for setting IMO is nearby LIMONE, but this is smaller and more 'seasonal'.

Other attractive towns are Malcesine and Torri del Benaco. Sirmione is worth a visit too - but the southern half of the lake generally is much less scenic and picturesque IMO.

.............

The setting of San Martino di Castrozza is quite stunning - as good as anywhere in the Dolomites. The main reason to go there is for the views and the cable-car rides into the Pale di San Martino rather than for the village itself, which is relatively modern. The Rolle Pass above the town is also scenic.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Thanks so much Steve for your additional help. We've pretty much settled on using the Bassano area as our initial base. I came across an old post from someone who had visited Garda in Oct. (traveling solo I think) and she thought it was kind of depressing being in a resort area in the off season- sort of confirmed amcc's impressions.

I did a mapquest from Tessera (Marco Polo airport- is this correct?) to Bassano and got two different results. Either go W toward Padua or N toward Trevisio. Anyone have an opinion on which road is most scenic? Or maybe we'll go up one way and back the other. We'll be tired and hungry the first day. Anyone have a good lunch recommendation near the airport? If we head W we could go to town of Mira -restaurant Da Conte. If we head N could try Enoiteca La Sosta in Mogliano Veneto. Both places are recommended by Faith Willinger in her book Eating In Italy. What's the "Terraglio" like? From the book: Enoiteca "directly on the Terraglio, the main drag from Venezia to Trevisio..." It will be a Thurs around noon. Thanks again everyone.

Topping ... and hoping someone can help you with a restaurant recommendation.

Steve