Northern Italy Itinerary critique, please
 

Here is our "first step" plan for our first trip to Italy, I would appreciate any input from the more seasoned travelers. We are hoping to go in May or June of 2006, for 10 days, flying out from Boston probably.

Fly into Milan, spend 1 or 2 days there
rent a car and drive to a B&B in Piemonte wine country, probably around Asti/Alba area, not sure yet how many days to spend there. We would like to make several day trips in the area, but are looking for suggestions of where to go. I do want to make a trip to Tortona and Villalvernia, my grandmother was born in Villalvernia and my great-grandmother and great aunt spent most of their lives in Tortona, so I may have cousins in the area.
We would like to see Genoa, but don't know if we should plan on a couple of days there or if it would work as a day trip from Piemonte.
Fly home, but we are not sure if it would be better to go back to Milan to fly home or fly out of Genoa.

As I said, these are very beginning plans and I am counting on the "kindness of strangers" to offer out advice and critiques of this itinerary.

Thank you!

x

Hello goingtoitalia. May I suggest a way for you to utilize the Fodor's Board. I know and understand that it is comfusing at first.

You have started three other threads, and have answers to two of these plus another thread that you have not had an answer to and now you have this thread.

I am not saying this to critize. I am calling it to your attention so that you will learn how to use Fodors and read all the responses that you receive from the helpful posters here on Fodors.

If you will click on your name, all your post will come up. Along with the answers that Fodorites have given.

Do not start any more threads at this point. Do check out the answers to your other threads (questions). Also if you find that your thread has gone way down the list (for example # 80) all you have to do is click Post My Reply and type in "ttt" or "topping" and this will bring your thread up to the top of the list. Unfortunatly it seems the #1 through # 50 threads get the most attention.

But if you have a bunch of threads going it just get confusing for everyone.

I sure understand your excitment about this trip. But even for me reading all the theads just takes to much time and gets confusing. So hopefully you will just use one of your threads to bring it to the top and let that thread grow as people answer your questions. And do know that you can reply with other questions on the thread that you are going to utilize.

Don't panic if you don't get a lot of answers over the weekend. Fodor's is busier on the weekdays. And your beautiful trip to Italy is not until May or June of 2006 so you have lots of time to plan everything. Best wishes to you.

Thank you for the advice on how to best utilize the board. I didn't know about topping a message until tonight, so as my messages dropped further to the bottom and weren't getting responses, and as I thought of more things to ask, I just posted new messages.

I guess I am just over-excited about this trip, I have wanted to go to Italy for a very long time! It's going to be a long year!

Oh dear goingtoitalia, I for one sure understand, please believe me. When I was a little girl I wanted to go to Italy! And when it was finally possible I know I did, but I feel like I did not sleep for an entire month!

It is going to be a long year for you but look at it as a year that you can take advantage of to become educated about Italy. BTW, my stepgrandmother who I adored was from Genova. And Genova is a beautiful city, I would encourage you to spend a few days there.

May I suggest for right now that you take advantage of the fact that you have a year until you go to Italy to learn some Italian. The basics, it would help you enjoy your trip so much more next year. Also I would spend some time learning about this beautiful area of Italy that you will be visiting. You do not have to spend a fortune on guide books. Utilize your local library, check out books and review them these coming months. Coffee table books for beautiful photos. A few books about the history of northeast Italy etc. This will add to your enjoyment of next years trip also.

If you have relatives that can help you with names,towns etc. where your cousins may be that would be great.

And welcome to Fodor's. I would imagine that as time goes by you will have questions and then eventually a wonderful trip report that we will all enjoy reading. Best wishes.

goingtoitalia,
loveitaly gives great advice. I can add I have spent some time in that region, Turin, Genoa and Pavia come to mind first. If I can be of any help let me know. It sounds as though you have a great trip planned, concentrating on a managable region, vs. many who try to do London, Paris, Rome, Vienna in 6 days....ok thats an exageration but you get my drift. :)

Ah yes, learning the language. That's the good part of having a year to go before the trip. Any suggestions on the best way to do that? Books? Audio CDs? Classes? Did you find many people who spoke english in the Northern regions?

I am getting in touch with cousins who may have names of relatives in the area. I do have an old letter (1957) from my nana's favorite nephew in Italy. Of course it's written in Italian, so I have no idea what it says! But it's a name to start with, though he'd probably be in his 80's now.

About Genoa/Turin. Would those be manageable day trips from the Asti/Alba region, which is where we hope to stay? I have heard that driving in Genoa is not good, so would a train be better.

Am I asking too many questions? I love the fact that this is advice that comes from people who have been there and wondered these same things before they went!

Hi go,

You might find these threads useful:

Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

((I))

Hi Ira

Yes, you could say the links to those threads would be useful! Wow!!! There's so much information there I don't know where to start. Thank you for supplying the links!

Mind if I ask, since we will be in the Northern part of Italy, what is your favorite city, town or region to visit in the Milan-Piedmont-Genoa area?