RosebudGirl

Just want a little advice from everyone that has been to Northern Italy. My boyfriend and I are going October 18-30th and this is what we have so far:

LAX-VCE (Venice)
Oct. 18 (lost day for travel)
Venice - Check in Oct. 19th, stay until the 22nd.
Take train to Verona stay one night, check out on 23rd.
Take train to Milan stay 2 nights, check out 25th

HERE IS WHERE I'M NOT SURE....

Should we head to Cinque Terre or somewhere closer like Lake Como???

I know it is a lot of traveling but we want to maximize our 10 day trip. We can relax at the hotels.

We would stay the rest of our stay in either of those two places then fly out of Venice on Oct. 30th.

I want a cultural, romantic, relaxing experience. These are some of the activities we want to do:

Shop, hike, lay out, EAT, some museums, rent a boat, cooking class, hang with locals - no super touristy stuff.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

bobthenavigator

That is really late for both destinations. I would not decide until that day and wing it based on the weather forecast. The tie goes to Como, or Stresa, based on less travel time.

zeppole

Your departure flight is out of Venice?

If so, le Cinque Terre is much too far west. It will take you a whole day to get back to Venice to catch your flight.

Since you emphasized EAT in your list of things you like to do, why don't you go to non-touristy Bologna? It's really quite lovely and atmospheric, and is full of great food and nightlife. There are fantastic cooking classes in Bologna. And it is close to your other destinations and your return to Venice. You can do simple day trips to other fab eating destinations like Parma or Modena. Another great choice would be Mantova, which has 3 lakes, so you can rent a boat and goof around. It is also a great eating destination.

Were it me, I would go to Venice, go Verona, go to Bologna, go to Mantova, go to Milan, back to Venice.

Both le Cinque Terre and the lakes have so-so food.

zeppole

here are pictures of Bologna

http://www.italyguides.it/us/italy/e...to-gallery.php

zeppole

Mantova

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP..._Lombardy.html

RosebudGirl

Thank you zeppole for your input! I am definitely looking into Bologna now! You'd suggest going there and Mantova rather than Como or Stresa? For my "lake" or "water" location I kinda want to splurge on a hotel, any suggestions? Thanks a bunch!!!

-Rosie

basingstoke2

Bologna is wonderful, especially for food and markets. I would skip Milan unless you absolutely have to be there and use the time elsewhere. IMO, just an overnight in Verona does not do it justice.

Midnightsun

Rosie: If you go to Lake Como the Belvedere in Bellagio is up the hill from the town, has a wonderful lake view and actually isn't too much of a splurge. If you do a day trip (or perhaps an overnight...there's a day's worth of activity here) to Modena from Bologna, a fairly big splurge is Osteria Francescana, a Michelin starred restaurant that is one of the best in Italy (San Pellegrinoi ranks it as fourth best in the world, if you put stock in those kinds of rankings). I've never tasted more creative applications of Parma ham and balsamic vinegar, and that's just scratching the surface of the menu. It would cover the EAT portion of your itinerary. Le Calandre, just outside Padova (Padua), is just as fine, although perhaps a tad more expensive. The owners (the Alajmo brothers) have recently opened, Quadri, a slightly less formal establishment on St. Mark's Square in Venice (I think they seized the location when it became available), so that might be worth a try...and it will be in a place you are definitely going.

Lexma90

I agree with the suggestion of Bologna as a great food destination. I also like it because it's not touristy, it's a University town so there are lots of students and it's generally lively, and good people-watching.

I'm not a big water/lake person, so can't help you much there. The one time we visited Como it was late in the season (maybe late September), and I found it quiet and dead. Stresa we visited for just one night; I thought it was fine, but I'd choose more time pretty much anywhere else than time at the lakes! But plenty of people love the Lakes area, so I think it's just me. (And actually, our first visit to Italy, that spurred us on to many, many more, was two nights that we spent in Gandria, Switzerland, with a quick trip across the border to Italy. It was gorgeous and the food much better than in the non-Italian part of Switzerland So I shouldn't knock the Lakes.)

You can probably hike in the Lakes region. Depending on the weather, you may or may not be able to lay out.

After many years of not visiting Milan, we did so as part of a business trip to Italy. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I found it also non-touristy, not as fashion-oriented as I had feared, good people-watching, and several smaller museums that I really enjoyed. That said, with the amount of time that you have, only go to Milan if you have a specific interest in going there, such as the Last Supper.

Keith

Is early March to early in the season to visit Lake Como for a daytrip?

bobthenavigator

Yes, Keith !

zeppole

A daytrip from where?

If you mean from Milan or the immediate surroundings, not at all. Just check the weather before you go. If you are close enough to Lago di Como for a day trip, you are already wearing clothes warm enough to travel to the lake for lunch.

If the reason you want to go to the lake is to shop or see flowers, then the first half of March is too early for that, and the end of March is pretty iffy.

But if you are going to see the view and enjoy lunch, there are plenty of well-heated lakeside restaurants with floor to ceiling plate glass windows.

It is best to look at the local weather forecast on the internet (or ask your hotel to do it for you) the morning before you head out.

zeppole

PS, Keith? I live in Italy, so I've seen more than one March in northern Italy. I'm not sure bobthenavigator ever has, but if he has, I'm sure he has the pictures to prove it, and will provide you with a link.

zeppole

Rosebud,

The magnificent scenery of Lago di Como is not matched by the surrounding lakes of Mantova, with are more like extensive moats that add to the mystery and quiet atmosphere of the town. Problem is, your travel dates make it hard for me to recommend booking an expensive hotel in Lago di Como, unless you know you won't be disappointed even if you get sheets of rain. For a trip as late as yours, it is better to be flexible and not book things in advance, and only go to Lago di Como if you've seen a short-term weather forecast.

By contrast, Bologna is fine in all weather because 80 percent of the streets are covered with archways and porticoes. Mantova has so many things to do indoors, you won't feel cooped up in a hotel room if sheets of rain come down. You can stroll through palaces filled with eye-popping decor.

If Mantova at all intrigues you, there are number of palaces that have been turned into b&bs.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g1...dy-Hotels.html

For Bologna, I've enjoyed staying at Casa Antica Zucchini, but there are a number of very good b&b choices in palaces or in atmospheric places.

zeppole

Sorry for my typo: It is Antica Casa Zucchini in Bologna. The owner gives cooking classes or can recommend others.

http://www.anticacasazucchini.it/

zeppole

Keith,

Here is a blog from a couple who were in Bellagio/Lago di Como in March. The pictures are beautiful (they just warn it can be hard to find a parking space on a pretty Sunday because so many people show up.)

http://jennynmark.blogspot.com/2009/...-bellagio.html

Keith

Thanks, that helps a lot. It would be a daytrip from Milan, which is the city from which we are flying out of Italy. We are probably flying into Venice and I am looking at a few days in both Venice and Genoa, then going to Milan to see the Last Supper and doing the Lake Como daytrip before leaving the country.

We will not have a car and will be traveling between cities by train.

Keith

RosebudGirl

Keith, get your own forum. Haha j/k.

RosebudGirl

Zeppole, thanks again for the help. How does this itinerary look:

Venice- 3 nights
Verona- 2 nights (with day trip to Mantova)
Bolgna- 2 nights
Milan- 3 nights-if weather permits, see Lago di Como
Venice- 1 more night then fly out

Thank everyone!

-Rosie

RosebudGirl

Also, a good website for accomodations for all the travelers out there: airbnb.com

I've heard great things!